“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Your health is at the centre of your life. Every part of your life relies on you having good health. Health is the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit and the absence of any disease or impairment. It is a state of balance, an equilibrium that an individual has established within himself and between himself and his social and physical environment.
According To World Health Organisation (WHO), “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Many people are obsessed with the physical health and ignore their mental health whereas both mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. They eat well, exercise and even meditate, but still suffer energy dips, general unhappiness, and anxiety and feel unfulfilled as they don’t pay equal attention on their mental health and emotional health as compared to their physical health.
Physical health problems significantly increase the risk of developing mental health problems, and vice versa. For example, depression increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Similarly, the presence of some chronic physical condition can increase the risk for mental illness.
Negligence of mental and emotional health leads to stress, anxiety, depression or mental disorders & illness.
WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?
Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders. It is an integral and essential component of health. Indeed there is no health without mental health.
DATA AND FACTS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
According to a study in 2017, 792 million people lived with a mental health disorder. This is slightly more than one in ten people globally (10.7%)
In 2019, 1 in every 8 people, or 970 million people around the world were living with a mental disorder, with anxiety and depressive disorders the most common.
In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global rates of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25 per cent, the World Health Organization (WHO)
The WHO predicts that by end of this year (2022) roughly 20 per cent of India will suffer from mental illnesses. According to the WHO, 5.6 crore Indians suffer from depression and another 3.8 crore suffer from anxiety disorders.
In October 2021, a study in Lancet reported a 35 per cent increase in mental health problems in India.
WHAT CAUSES MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE AND ILLNESS?
There is no single cause for mental illness. A number of factors can contribute to risk for mental illness, such as
- Childhood or early adverse life experiences, such as neglect or trauma or a history of abuse (for example, child abuse, sexual assault, witnessing violence, etc.)
- Stressful life situations like financial problems, death of a loved one or a breakup / divorce.
- Experiences related to other ongoing (chronic) medical conditions, such as cancer or diabetes.
- Biological factors or chemical imbalances in the brain.
- Use of alcohol or drugs.
- Stressful environment.
- Having feelings of loneliness or isolation.
WHY ARE PEOPLE IGNORANT ABOUT THEIR MENTAL HEATH?
“Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but you are not the rain.” — Matt Haig
When it comes to people’s physical health, they are conscious and have access to a lot more things to maintain their health. They know everything about super foods, the latest diet trends or workouts, but when it comes to mental health, the awareness just is not there. Lack of awareness is one of the main reasons of people being ignorant about their mental health.
It’s easier for people to see some change happening in their physical body as compared to their mind as these changes on physical level are visible or tangible whereas changes on mental level are intangible or very subtle in nature (initially) that’s why some people ignore the symptoms of mental illness. They may be suffering from it but still not even aware about it.
Besides, poor awareness about symptoms of mental illness, there are a lots of myths and stigma related to mental health or illness is also another reason for ignoring mental health. Also, lack of knowledge on the treatment availability and potential benefits of seeking treatment have been the impeding factors for people to seek professional help for mental health issues when they are in need.
Even among the urban population mental health issues are still not accorded adequate importance. A very few seek help when they need it. The situation is rural areas is abysmal.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NEGLECTING OR IGNORING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH?
Ignorance or negligence of mental health can severely impact you in the long term. Some of the consequences of neglecting your mental health are:-
- You may start developing serious mental health issues or illness like anxiety, panic attacks, depression etc.
- You may become extremely moody, emotional and experience bouts of extreme worry or anger.
- It may affect the quality of your sleep and your eating patterns. There is a significant link between mental health issues and sleep disorders. Also, while your eating patterns may shift over time for various reasons, mental health conditions like anxiety and depression can interfere with your appetite.
- You may develop unexplained physical symptoms or chronic pain in your body. The mind copes with stress in different ways. Chronic mental health issues can lead to aches, pains, and gastrointestinal distress that have no physical source.
- You may develop lifestyle diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, migraine etc due to stress. Chronic stress has been linked to a higher risk of strokes, heart attacks, and obesity. While mental illness might be in your brain, it affects your entire body.
- You may lose interest in things you used to care about. If your ability to experience pleasure in life is feeling muted, or you’re just not enjoying yourself, consider whether or not your mental health is getting compromised in some way. If you no longer enjoy activities you usually care about, that could be a sign of mental health strain.
- You may start isolating yourself. If you find yourself regularly isolating yourself from friends and family, or your isolation is getting worse over time, you might have an underlying mental health condition.
- You may want to ditch work more often. Disillusionment and indifference about work can be signs of burnout. Additionally, depression and anxiety can interfere with your functioning at work. If you’re constantly feeling distressed at work then you may need some professional help.
- You may experience trouble in concentrating or focusing in your day to day life functioning.
- You may see your mind being cluttered with unwanted or negative thoughts all the time. Also in some cases a person may lose hope and develop suicidal thoughts.
HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH?
There are many different things you can do to improve your mental health, including:-
1. Staying positive
It’s important to try to have a positive outlook. Some of the ways to do that are:-
- Finding balance between positive and negative emotions. Staying positive doesn’t mean that you never feel negative emotions, such as sadness or anger. You need to feel them so that you can move through difficult situations. They can help you to respond to a problem. But you don’t want those emotions to take over. For example, it’s not helpful to keep thinking about bad things that happened in the past or worry too much about the future.
- Trying to hold on to the positive emotions when you have them.
- Taking a break from negative information. Know when to stop watching or reading the news. Use social media to reach out for support and feel connected to others but be careful. Don’t fall for rumours, get into arguments, or negatively compare your life to others.
2. Practicing gratitude
It means being thankful for the good things in your life. It’s helpful to do this every day, either by thinking about what you are grateful for or writing it down in a journal. These can be big things, such as the support you have from loved ones, or little things, such as enjoying a nice meal. It’s important to allow yourself a moment to enjoy that you had the positive experience.
Practicing gratitude can help you to see your life differently. For example, when you are stressed, you may not notice that there are also moments when you have some positive emotions. Gratitude can help you to recognize them.
3. Taking care of your physical health
Since your physical and mental health are connected, some of the ways to take care of your physical health include:-
- Being physically active: – Exercise can reduce feelings of stress and depression and improve your mood.
- Getting enough sleep: – Sleep affects your mood. If you don’t get a good sleep, you may become more easily annoyed and angry. Over the long term, a lack of quality sleep can make you more likely to become depressed. So it’s important to make sure that you have a regular sleep schedule and get enough quality sleep every night.
- Healthy eating: – Good nutrition will help you feel better physically but could also improve your mood and decrease anxiety and stress. Also, not having enough of certain nutrients may contribute to some mental illnesses. For example, there may be a link between low levels of vitamin B12 and depression. Eating a well-balanced diet can help you to get enough of the nutrients you need.
4. Connecting with others
Humans are social creatures, and it’s important to have strong, healthy relationships with others. Having good social support may help protect you against the harms of stress. It is also good to have different types of connections. Besides connecting with family and friends, you could find ways to get involved with your community or neighbourhood. For example, you could volunteer for a local organization or join a group that is focused on a hobby you enjoy.
5. Developing a sense of meaning and purpose in life
This could be through your job, volunteering, learning new skills, or exploring your spirituality.
6. Developing coping skills
These are the methods you use to deal with stressful situations. They may help you face a problem, take action, be flexible, and not easily give up in solving it.
7. Meditation
It is a mind and body practice where you learn to focus your attention and awareness. There are many types, including mindfulness meditation and transcendental meditation.
8. Relaxation techniques
These are the practices you do to produce your body’s natural relaxation response. This slows down your breathing, lowers your blood pressure, and reduces muscle tension and stress.
It’s also important to recognize when you need to get help. Talk therapy, hypnotherapy and/or medicines can treat mental disorders and illnesses. If you don’t know where to get the treatment, start by searching for a mental health professional or contact your general practitioner.
CONCLUSION
The mind is one of the most powerful organs in the body, regulating the functioning of all other organs. When our minds are unstable, they affect the whole functioning of our bodies. Being both physically and emotionally fit is the key to success in all aspects of life. People should be aware of the consequences of mental illness and must give utmost importance to keeping the mind healthy like the way the physical body is kept healthy.
Mental and physical health cannot be separated from each other. And only when both are balanced can we call a person perfectly healthy and well. So, it is crucial for everyone to work towards achieving a balance between mental and physical wellbeing and get the necessary help when either of them falters.