Mental Health, Mental Strength and Wellbeing - What do they mean?
We all have mental health and defining the difference between good Mental Health and poor Mental Health is as important as defining our good physical health and poor physical health at any moment in our lives.
How do we define Mental Health?
Mental Health is all about how we THINK, FEEL and BEHAVE.
We all have Mental Health and the potential to experience a Mental Health distress or crisis at some point in our lives. Our Mental Health is separated into 2 states -
Good Mental health is a state of positive well-being in which we understand our capabilities, our own abilities within this and how we cope with the everyday stresses of life. Good Mental Health is a place where we can work productively and are able to contribute to the community around us.
Poor Mental Health is when we feel unable to cope with the everyday stresses of life, our productivity is down and we feel unable to contribute to the community. We underestimate the impact poor mental health can have on each one of us. Poor Mental Health if not supported can be distressing and traumatic for the individual concerned.
How we think, leads to our feelings and ultimately the resulting behaviour. Understanding the cognitive distortions that occur can help those with poor mental health. Seeking professional help with professional interventions can support the individual.
Looking after our Mental Health?
- Take some daily exercise to boost your well-being.
- Get out into Nature and notice what is around you.
- Write a journal.
- Talk to a friend and let them know how you are feeling.
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Drink alcohol sensibly.
- Take up a new hobby.
- Do an activity that you love.
- Practice Mindfulness.
- Accept who you are – be your Whole Self.
- ASK for HELP!
How do we define Mental Strength?
Is Mental Strength the same as Mental Health? Some may say it is!
Mental Strength is being able to cope in all situations and to deal with your negative emotions in a positive way.
Mental Strength is about how we THINK, FEEL AND BEHAVE.
Think of physical health and physical strength – you can be physically healthy but not physically strong!
You can also be physically strong but not physically healthy at some point. By exercising daily to be physically strong does not ultimately guarantee that you will never have a physical illness – like diabetes.
Physical health issues will limit what we can do physically and overall, we will make choices on how to achieve physical strength.
Back to Mental Strength - not having depression, anxiety, stress etc. or any other Mental Health illness, does not necessarily mean you are mentally strong.
Some people cope very well with a Mental Health illness and are Mentally strong – they cope well with the everyday stresses around them and know how to manage their emotional triggers – which results in an improved thinking pattern, how we feel and ultimately how we behave.
There are exercises that help us improve our Mental Strength and become more resilient to what is happening around us. How can we do this?
Taken from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, there are 3 parts that help us restore Mental Strength - called the ‘Cognitive Triad’.
- How we THINK. We often think about the worst-case scenario as opposed to using our rational and logical part of our brain. Thinking realistically and recognising the irrational thoughts is where we start; recognising that we can speak to ourselves with kindness. We are often critical of the smallest of things in ourselves, so why not change that into some positive self-talk and passion for what has gone well.
- How we FEEL. Mental strength is not about dismissing the emotions we feel or denying that something is not right or that you are not experiencing pain. It is about the acknowledgement of how this is making you feel and accepting that sometimes our emotions are uncomfortable to accept. Staying in the moment, recognising that irrational and illogical feelings may make things feel worse for you.
- How we BEHAVE. Recognising that the negative behaviours are not good for you is the first step in creating positive Mental Strength and building your resilience. Mental Strength is about positive action that is productive as opposed to destructive. Sometimes we need to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone and doing that exercise even if we feel tired or exhausted. Overall, how we behave is about engaging in positive self-care and that the behaviours have a positive benefit on your overall Mental Strength.
Looking after our Mental Strength.
- Think Positively.
- Be self-aware and have self-confidence in own ability to perform and to make decisions.
- Use visualisation.
- Feel empowered and plan for setbacks.
- Recognise those emotional triggers and remain rational and logical.
- Maintain your routine.
- Challenge self and set goals.
- Be who you are – Your Whole Self.
What do we mean by Well-being?
noun
noun: wellbeing
- the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.
"an improvement in the patient's well-being"
As the definition states, it is about being happy, comfortable, healthy.
Positive Mental Wellbeing does not always mean though that you are happy, comfortable or healthy?
It can mean having a sense of purpose; being socially connected; having a feeling of positive Mental Health and being able to mange day to day stresses.
Wellbeing can be affected by risk and protective factors from societal and individual perspectives.
These can be influenced by our background, culture, upbringing, money, sexuality, the community we live in; housing; lack of access to services plus our own frame of reference on how we see the world and many other factors.
Well-being, like Mental health comes from our thoughts, feelings and behaviours – all of which we have full control over.
Thinking positive has a strong link to positive well-being. When we have meaningful relationships, we tend to have better social well-being.
If we do not like our job or have been made redundant or seeking different employment, we tend to have lower workplace well-being.
Well-being is all around us and it is amazing how our well-being is a big influencer on how well our Mental Health is.
Think of well-being as a category – what would that look like?
- Social well-being
- Emotional well-being
- Physical well-being
- Career well-being
- Societal well-being
How do we look after our well-being?
Can you improve your well-being? Yes, you can and with some positivity and determination you can achieve a better outcome.
How do I do that?
By building upon your skills and starting with what is important to you in well-being. It will not improve overnight and whilst you may see some improvement in say 4-5 weeks, you should also carry on with your goal.
It is the same as dieting to lose weight. We may well do that in 2-3 months and feel good about what we have achieved. If you then go back to eating junk food, you will undo all that you have achieved.
In well-being the principle is the same, once you feel better, keep at it, tweak what you are doing and do not lose focus, otherwise you will be back at the beginning.
What is helpful is to create some strategies that help you maintain this focus – an activity that reminds you of feeling good; a happiness plan; a journal; something you can refer to if you feel deflated or are going backwards.
- Social well-being – Being able to communicate and develop meaningful relationships, building our social skills and interacting with others will build our connections and allow us to feel less lonely anxious or depressed.
- Emotional well-being – Understanding the skills that will allow us to cope with everyday situations and encounters. Being self-aware of the emotional triggers to enable regulation; having positivity and resilience; using Mindfulness practice are all skills that can be developed to cope with stress and overcome disappointments.
- Physical well-being – Understanding what a healthy diet is and what exercise is needed to feel better and prevent physical ill health.
- Career well-being – Being in a role that matters can help with our well-being and being appreciated and treated well can support this. Maintaining a work-life balance, developing our professional skills and having goals will lead to a more meaningful role.
- Societal well-being – Understanding the world around us is as important as all the other aspects. Knowing how to support the environment, our community can help us feel connected and valued and part of something much bigger. Doing something kind for another, leaves us feeling good.
One last thought
Overall, well-being is about have a GROWTH Mindset and POSITIVE attitude. This is often where people start, before they build upon all other aspects of well-being.
Well-being, Mental Strength and Mental Health all interlink. The strategies we use for our well-being, can only be a positive to help with our overall Mental Health and building resilience.
Remember, some people with Mental Health issues often go about their day-to-day lives and cope with the day-to-day stresses and have good Mental Health, good Mental Strength and good well-being.
Others who have Mental health issues, struggle to cope with everyday stresses and have poor mental health, poor Mental Strength and poor Mental well-being.
Recognise that we are all different and use different coping strategies – it is these that can make the difference overall.
If you have any questions on your personal well-being and would like to discuss this further, please get in touch –
07711562407