Mental Health

Mental Health is a psychological state of well-being. It is characterized by the continuing personal growth, a sense of purpose in life, self-acceptance, and positive relations with others. Some times the mental health is defined as the absence of mental illness, this definition is too narrow to express the real meaning of mental health.

ELEMENTS OF MENTAL HEALTH

Psychologists have identified a number of essentials of mental health. These essentials include self-acceptance, self-esteem, a positive evaluation of oneself and one’s past experiences; personal growth reflected in one’s sense of continued psychological growth and development. Other essentials of mental health also include a sense that one’s life has purposeful meaning; it has positive relations with others; it commands mastery over the environment. The mental health also reflects the capacity to manage the surrounding world effectively and with autonomy. A person with complete mental health owns a sense of self-determination and the ability to control one’s own life.

The mental health is regarded by some psychologists as the ability to maintain equilibrium between positive and negative emotions, such as elation and sadness. According to this view, a person is less well-adjusted if he displays emotional extremes in either direction. Other psychologists lay emphasis on the role of one’s environment in influencing one’s well-being. This perspective evaluates the mental health reflected in a person’s overall happiness with various domains of life, such as social relationships, work, and community life.
 

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health is generally influenced by a number of different aspects of life. The areas which are supposed to affect mental health are working life, family life, and the social role that one occupies in the society. Negative experiences in these areas, such as an unreasonable boss or a turbulent family life, can reduce one’s overall sense of well-being while the positive experiences would improve one’s mental health.

Another important influence on mental health is by the stress. In general, people experience stress when the demands placed on them exceed their resource capabilities. Significant sources of stress include major the happening of such events which one does not like to face. Some such happenings may be enumerated as divorce, death of a spouse, loss of a job, and illness in the family. Meager source of income and continuance of work without a proper periodic rest are also such events. These events can devastate a person’s ability to cope and function effectively. It is generally observed that one source of stress may lead to another, as when financial hardship follows job loss. People who experience unusually traumatic events, such as rape and natural disasters, may develop post-traumatic stress disorder.

People may experience chronic stress when confronted with a continuing set of demands that reduce their ability to function. Examples of such demands include working long hours under difficult circumstances and caring for a chronically ill relative. Economic hardship, unemployment, and poverty can also produce chronic stress and undermine mental health.

The genetic factors also determine one’s level of happiness and mental health. People generally show a behavioral tendency to display a distinctive level of well-being. For a given set of circumstances some people show usually happy feeling and others for the same set show typically sad or unhappy feeling.

People’s moods change consequent to both positive and negative events; the effects are generally worn off over the period of time. For example, people who win the lottery or receive an unexpected promotion may feel happier at first, but over time they return to their normal feeling characteristic level of mental health. One’s genetic background—that is, the genes inherited from one’s parents— also explains more than half of the differences in people’s characteristic mood levels.

MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH

The ability to cope with adversity is very crucial for the mental health of the individual. Coping means that one can successfully deal with the problems of life. People’s responses greatly vary in their dealing with the problems. Some people engage in emotion-focused coping. This is a strategy which focuses on managing one’s emotions. One may distract his attention from the problem. It is a simple denial of the existence of the problem. Other methods may include the discussion of the problem with others. This may be termed as catharsis of the problem. Lightinlife helps and guides you how to shift your attention away from the problem. Some times one does not like to distract, for instance in case of death of a near one, from the problem. He finds a solace in the pain in itself. At such time proper counseling and guidance are very much required. We at lightinlife offer our services to such events.

A second form of coping is the problem-focused coping. It involves efforts to reduce stress by solving the problem. People who use this strategy take active steps to formulate the solutions to the given problem, such as seeing a counselor to repair a relationship or looking for a new job in response to problems at work. They may also seek advice from friends and family members. We in lightinlife offer such methods of solving problems. You may send your problems to us.

Some people are more skilled in coping with the problems effectively than others. However, researches have shown that people can learn new coping skills. For example, counselors can teach children or the distressed ones how to handle difficulties in school or in life. lightinlife commands expertise in such counseling services. Adults can be taught by lightinlife the skills to cope with stressful and depressed life events, such as job loss and divorce.

One effective method of preventing poor mental health is teaching people coping-skills before they encounter adversity, or early in the stages of a crisis. Learning effective coping strategies also directly improves mental health by improving one’s sense of mastery and self-esteem. We in lightinlife have a history of employing Yoga techniques in managing stress and depression both prior to and during the crisis levels.

Social support from friends and family members also promotes good mental health. If the surrounding peer group is unaware of the expert skills then the same can be imparted to them through a series of counseling lessons. We in lightinlife do it for our patrons. This peer group support can take several forms. They can offer concrete help in a crisis, such as providing shelter to families victimized by a natural disaster or alerting an unemployed person to a job opportunity. In addition, they can be an important source of emotional support.

Friends respond with concern, empathy, and advice to a person facing difficulties or loss. They are in a position to inculcate confidence and self-esteem by giving assurance and compliments. We in lightinlife provide support by enabling people with similar problems to share their experiences and emotions. The negative social interactions, such as constant criticism and belittlement from other people, should be avoided as it can undermine mental health.

Other ways of maintaining good mental health involve physical activities as recommended by an expert or a group of experts as it is done in lightinlife. Researches have shown that regular aerobic exercise helps to boost self-esteem, relieve depression, and improve concentration. Relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and meditation, also help to combat the effects of stress. To maximize the effects, these techniques must be administered in a schematized way.