You eat a healthy diet. You exercise regularly. But what about your mental health?
Studies published in the journal Quality of Life Research found that mental health symptoms are linked to a person’s feelings about their quality of life. Understanding what mental health is and how it affects your life can make you healthier and happier.
Free Download: Improve Mental Health with Mindfulness ExercisesWhy Mental Health is Important
Mental health is an issue that everyone faces. Scientists and doctors define it as a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how you think, feel, and behave. It’s also a part of how a person manages stress, relates to other people, and makes life choices.
From childhood through adulthood, good mental health is key for living a healthy life at every stage of life.
Both mental and psychical health are part of your overall health and quality of life. Poor mental health or mental illness increases the risk for multiple psychical problems, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and sleep issues.
Your mental health affects how you see and treat yourself and how you interact with others. A study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior found that social relationships affect and are affected by a person’s mental state, like a chronic illness. And like physical health, some people find it easy to maintain a good mental state while others have more difficulty.
What Are The Causes For Poor Mental Health?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) research has found that several factors may cause poor mental health. Sometimes people experience more than one factor, making it more of a challenge. These factors include:
- Trauma
- Abuse
- Chronic Medical Conditions
- Genetics
- Lack of Friends
- Isolation
- Loneliness
Trauma and abuse victims often suffer from mental problems as a result of their experiences. According to research by the National Institutes of Health, some disorders run in families, including:
- Autism
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Bipolar disorder
- Major depression
- Schizophrenia
A study published in the journal The Lancet found genetic variations common to all 5 disorders, indicating they may have a hereditary component. A lack of friends and social support, isolation, and loneliness are also contributing factors and possible results of a poor mental state.
Who Does it Affect?
Mental health issues can affect anyone at any time. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, population studies show that in the United States:
- 50% of the population will be diagnosed with a mental disorder or illness in their lifetime
- 1 in 5 Americans experience a mental illness each year
- 1 in 25 Americans have a severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression
Because the factors that cause poor mental illness vary, your health can change over time. You may experience one or more factors at any point in your life.
Ways to Improve
To live a healthy life, be aware of your thoughts and emotions. You can improve your mental health and your life by taking active steps including:
- Seek professional help if you feel anxious, depressed, or have other mental illness symptoms
- Be mindful
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Gratitude Journal
- Be and Get Support
Impove Your Mental Health with Mindfulness
Good mental health requires attention to what you are thinking and feeling. It affects all areas of your life.
Mindfulness is a practice that helps you focus on the present and release anxiety about the past or future. It’s one of the best ways to develop a healthy relationship with yourself and, ultimately, with others. Mindfulness helps you to be aware of your thoughts and to be able to assess them logically. It is achieved by staying focused upon the present and your thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations within that space.
Download my free report, Top Mindfulness Exercises to learn 4 mindfulness exercises to not only help your mental health but improve your physical health too.
