Health is a state of complete mental and physical well-being, and its fate lies in our own hands. The mental and physical health stations based inside our body are interdisciplinary and dependent on one another. Mental health is a matter of concern in today’s world. It has been a stumbling block in people’s lives for a prolonged period of time but has been highlighted and scrutinized by researchers recently in the past few years.
Unfortunately, there’s still a majority of people that aren’t aware of “Mental health”; rather than being supportive, are ignorant about it. Mental health is a vague term in itself, but in simple terms, it includes our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, and act in various situations. It is completely normal to have mental health issues. We need to normalize the idea of mental health. People all around the world are afraid to socially accept the fact that they are suffering from mental health issues. The fear of being criticized and mocked by fellow mates makes it far from easy to live with the reoccurring thought of having an illness, which in most cases leaves the illness undiagnosed. Stigma is one of the most significant factors that prevent people with mental health disorders from seeking help. Society needs to be made aware of mental health, it is something as serious as other various diseases that the world is aware of and undoubtedly, it has several drawbacks.
Social stigma refers to negative stereotypes of those with a mental health problem. These stereotypes come to define the person, mark them out as different, and prevent them from being seen as an individual. Fortunately, there has been an increased effort to destigmatize mental illnesses. Many public figures have come out about their personal struggles with mental illness. Although, there are still grey areas that need to be addressed and bought to the limelight by the people and for the people.
Looking after mental health and nurturing it can preserve a person’s ability to enjoy life. Doing so brings a balance between activities, responsibilities, and efforts to achieve psychological pliability. The term “Mental health” is in common use, many conditions recognized by doctors are psychological disorders that have a root cause. Everyone has some risk of developing a mental health disorder, no matter their age, sex, income, or ethnicity. It is important to note that good mental health depends on a delicate balance of factors and that several elements of life.
There are a few common conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety that can affect mental health and disrupt a person’s routine. These illnesses have various symptoms which cause hindrance in a person’s day to day life. It is important to make the people of the society aware of these common mental health conditions as they have major drawback which results to various changes in the body, making it difficult for a person’s brain to function. It breaks the balance between the body and the mind.
Enough about mental health, the second factor that comes into play is educating the masses about various coping strategies to implement when facing any psychological imbalance in the body that can further lead to a serious health condition. The first and foremost factor that brings you one step closer to working towards your illness, is identifying and accepting the problem at hand. Although, it is difficult for any person’s brain to acknowledge the fact that there is an illness to deal with, which is not only deteriorating the brain’s capability to make decisions but also hindering bodily functions. Being open-minded makes it easier for the individual to take further steps to diagnose the problem. Listening to experts or people who have been through the same problems, creates a benefit of the doubt which makes an individual more emphatic towards oneself. By doing so, the mind and the body feel convinced to seek help and diagnose the problem with proper medication and care.
Managing stress and learning to cope is a lifelong skill, as is learning how to reach out and support those around you that need a little help. If you are personally going through any mental illness or know someone out there who is suffering; it is your duty to take care of yourself and others around as well. Mental illness can be fought if we try and be more understanding and emphatic towards the cause. Reassure yourself that you are capable to fight through these social stigmas and come out as a stronger individual. Moreover, a better version of yourself. Nobody is perfect, and that’s a proven fact. Quoting one of the brilliant minds, Sir Stephen Hawking; “One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist… without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist”.