Creating Mental Health

Mental health is the capacity for each of us to feel, think and act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with its inherent challenges.  It is often described as how we feel and act -- our behavior, mood, and attitude toward our lives and our environment. We often reveal our mental health through our ability to cope and respond to stress, how authentically we express ourselves, how we relate to family and friends, and how we operate at home, work, or school.

Our brain is the organ of mental function and when we are able to use it to express, develop and motivate ourselves; to enhance our lives through creativity, constructive relationships and emotional bonding; to solve problems, create visions and manage our lives, we are able to maintain our mental health.  Because the brain is part of our physical body, its health is affected by the overall health of the body. The brain not only controls bodily functions and activities, but the mind, emotions and memories reside there as well.  Like any other organ, the brain requires proper nutrition and exercise or use. And like other organs, diseases and disorders in the functioning of the brain will result in mental problems. The health of the brain depends on many factors.  Our thinking, emotions, impulses and behaviours are all affected by our environment, food, exercise, genetic predispositions and age, to name a few. 

Maintaining mental health involves having balance in the social, physical, spiritual, economic and mental aspects of our lives. This is an ongoing process, for we first need to develop self-awareness in order to understand what we need and how we need to take care of ourselves.  Often it involves undoing self-limiting beliefs imposed on us in childhood, or negative conditioning of our parents.  Our challenge to staying mentally healthy is by learning about ourselves and staying focused on our authentic need for love, safety, control, relationships and development.  This can be done through psychotherapy, psycho education, personality assessment, meditation or from nurturing relationships with family and friends.  All of these approaches help to identify and deal more effectively with situations that upset you allowing you to improve and maintain your mental health throughout your life.

The lack of understanding around emotions and behaviour has created a stigma around mental illness.  People are often ashamed of how they are feeling and are reluctant to seek help. The brain is an organ like any other and understanding how it functions and when it needs a tune up is critical to restoring mental balance and health.  We know more about how to take care of our cars than our brains! Not seeking professional help when we have a broken bone is shocking: yet people can go for years without seeking resolution to emotional and relationship conflicts.   

Symptoms of poor mental health include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, relationship problems, obsessive thinking, poor impulse control, etc. Mindful Therapies, psychotherapy, cognitive behaviour therapy are all proven treatments for these conditions. If you or someone you know is suffering from poor mental health, contact our office.