Is mental health a misunderstood term?

Maybe it’s just me but I feel that ‘mental health’ is a misunderstood term that has a lot of negative connotations attached to it. Often, mental health is talked about in the context of ‘mental health conditions’ such as depression, anxiety and the like, which are actually examples of mental ‘ill-health’, and let’s face it, there is still a degree of stigma around these.

There’s no doubt that mental ill-health is a serious global problem, predicted to get even worse as a result of the pandemic. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and it’s estimated that approximately 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental health disorder at some point in their lives.

These statistics are focused on mental ‘ill-health’; conditions that can be debilitating and severely impact the quality of someone’s day to day life.

What is ‘mental health’?

What then, is mental health? The World Health Organisation defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”.

So, the difference is that mental health focuses on ‘wellness’, not ‘illness’. It’s a positive thing, something everyone strives for, not something that should be burdened with negative connotations.

Having good mental health is about ensuring we have strong emotional, psychological and social well-being. It’s not just about the absence of a mental health condition. This really sums up what mental health means to me.

If we think of it in terms of statistics, mental health affects 4 in 4 of us! We all have a brain so we should all have an interest in looking after our mental health in the same way that we all have a body and should have an interest in looking after our physical health.

It’s not always as obvious when our mental health is going off track though. If you’ve broken your leg, you know about it! The state of our mental health can be more subtle and is something we have to consciously check in with. It literally affects how we think, act and feel which impacts how we deal with stress, how positive our relationships are, how well we perform at work and even our physical health and how long we live! So, it really does deserve more of our attention.

I’m not saying this is easy. Mental health is a complex issue and it’s not realistic to expect to feel on top of the world all of the time. Life will inevitably throw us a few curveballs along the way. But being aware of and in tune with how we’re feeling mentally, recognising when something is out of balance, and acting on it is essential to maintaining good mental health.

My goal for mental health

I work with women who, unfortunately, are struggling with mental health conditions. Helping them implement diet and lifestyle strategies to improve their symptoms and manage their conditions is hugely rewarding, but I would much rather they didn’t get to this stage in the first place.

We know that there are many potential risk factors for developing a mental health condition. We also now know, through research, that many of these are modifiable lifestyle factors, within our control to change. So can we be doing more in the name of prevention?

I believe we can be and my goal is to support women to be proactive in taking care of their mental health; to help them recognise the signs and symptoms, to empower them with the knowledge and to give them the tools they need to put them in control and get them living their best lives.

I hope this has given you some food for thought and as we approach World Mental Health Day 2021, I want to ask you…what does mental health mean to you?

Need some inspiration? Check out this short video of people talking about what mental health means to them.