Mental Well-Being

According to the dictionary, “mental health” is defined as “a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being”. And according to World Health Organization “mental health” is not just the absence of mental disorder but it is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.

I would like to define the term “mental health” as a state of mind when you are fully aware of your own potential, talent, and you are capable of utilizing it in the best interest of yourself as well as others having complete control on your emotional stability.

On the World Mental Health Day 2014 I would like to discuss about three important aspects related to mental health and mental well-being of the people. These three areas are mentioned as below:

• Challenges of mental well-being
• How to improve your mental health
• How to behave with mentally challenged people
• Inherited traits
• Environmental exposure before birth
• Brain Chemistry

Major mental health issues may include Addiction, Anxiety, Behavioral Disorders, Depression, Eating disorders, Emotional Stability Issues & Violence. I believe that these all have major impact on our daily life as well as performance at the end of the day. There a question comes into my mind that how can someone know that he or she is having any mental health issues and what causes them. According to my observation, if you are facing extreme mood changes, extreme sadness, excessive fear of failure, drugs addiction, extreme stress levels or suicidal thinking then you must immediately discuss with your closed ones or directly go & visit a doctor. Because there is a possibility that in most of the cases it does not cure itself.

We all know that we are going through a technologically advanced era in 2014 and when we look around every one is extremely busy in fulfilling their personal, professional and social commitments. It has become very challenging to survive at single earning source in most of the developing countries therefore people are working for extra hours. There are many reasons of stress like having no idea of choosing your academic programs and then you find it difficult when you practically start working in the field. There is a possibility that social issues, family matters, financial concerns and political scenarios may be the reason of stress to someone creating mental health challenges. But according to MAYO Clinic there are three reasons which may create mental health problems and these are:

“There are more chances of mental illness in people whose biological (blood) relatives also have a mental illness. Before birth if exposure to viruses, toxins and alcohol or drugs is observed while in the womb it also can sometimes be linked to mental illness. And lastly if there is any hormonal imbalance or biochemical changes in the brain these can also affect mood and other aspects of mental health”.

If the problem is not of sever nature a few simple tips may help to overcome or reduce the severity of the mental health issues. We have discussed above the mental health issues and causes. One of the major causes is stress and if we follow simple stress releasing activity on daily basis it might help at larger scale. Daily morning walk, book reading, proper healthy diet, caring attitude of the family, exercise, gardening, music therapy and getting organized in your life may be the basic activities which can surely be helpful.

Coming to the last point of the discussion that if someone is having some sort of severe mental health issues because of any reason and needs proper medication and medical treatment, how should we behave with them. And we know that there are millions of people around the globe who are going through tough times, having some sort of mental health challenges and here it becomes our prime responsibility to be the light of hope for all of them by not rejecting them as a part of our society. They are a part of us, part of our families and our society as anyone else.

If you really want to give a special gift to someone, give the gift of good health to yourself. – Khurram Shehzad

Look around yourself in your family, society and social circles and you will find so many innocent people who are having some sort of mental health challenges. They are not responsible for whatever situation they are going through and I strongly believe that God has not made any mistake because my concept of God’s perfection is that He has never made any one imperfect but If someone is having any disability then it is our responsibility to be the right support for him to make it as a perfect combination.

We must understand that they deserve the same level of affection, love, care, respect & attention. We must become their support and help them to live their life with the same dignity. We must share their pain with us and our happiness with them not only on the world mental health day but throughout the year.

Please at least spend some special time with somebody who is going through any mental health challenges on the World Mental Health Day 2014 and make it a perfect day for them. I wish we all should be the reason of happiness for all of them.