The Mental Health Pillar

Mental health seems a much more accepted element of health within society these days (which is great) but from my perspective there is still lots of work to do within specific demographic groups.

At the extreme ends of the scale, I experience that men in particular still struggle in a lot of social situations to show vulnerability and seek help, with catastrophic outcomes at times.

Equally, in seeking to support mental health it is my personal perspective and a common view amongst many health professionals that mental health diagnosis is hugely over-pathologised in many cases within society currently, particularly with adolescents and young adults.

That is to say those with temporary feelings of anxiety from a certain life experience don’t necessarily ‘have anxiety’ as viewed as a permanent condition (and I say this as a trained Psychologist working with people with General Anxiety Disorder as a current recurring condition).

Like all pillars, we will have ups and downs and developing the ability to reflect on these moments, see them as moments and focus on elements we can control in the future often help.

A recent definition of mental health;

‘Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices’ (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023)

This speaks to the interconnected nature of our 4 pillars and impact across our entire life, not just health behaviours.

Top tips to support mental health preventatively include

-regular enjoyable physical activity

-balanced diet

-enriching social connections from positive influencers

-a consistently good sleep routine.

Areas of positive psychology and a resilient mindset focus for further reading include;

-Positive self talk
-Setting realistic but achievable goals
-Breath work, mindfulness, creating lists and journaling in times of high stress or as a daily practice
-Acts of kindness, including to ourselves.
-Reframing a situation (see previous journal posts from me)
-Investing in self development and personal growth
-Playing to your strengths and being yourself
-Seeking help when needed and not being ashamed to ask for support

If any of these points are unfamiliar, why not start the self development work now and access further reading. Alternatively, reach out to me on LinkedIn for a steer or further guidance.