Why Is Mental Health Important?

Today we are going to discuss why mental health is so important. I am drawing an outline of the article here so we can understand what we are going to discuss in this article. 

1. A brief Introduction to Mental Health 

2. Mental Health affects Physical Health

3. Mental Health Influences Productivity and Performance

4. Importance of Mental Health in building up Relationships

5. Mental health reduces the risk of self-harm

6. Mental Health Ensures Emotional Resilience

7. Societal Benefits of Good Mental Health

8. Seeking Help

9. How to Improve Mental Health

1-  A brief Introduction to Mental Health 

How our mind behaves while facing emotional situations and social encounters is referred to as mental health. It influences our reasoning and behaviour, as well as how we deal with stress, interact with others, and make our decisions. Despite its significance, mental stamina is often ignored, which leads to mental breakdowns more often than you might think. That’s why mental health is just as important as physical shape, if not more so these days given the world we are living in, because it affects all components of our lives.

In this article I am going to break down this topic into small bits so we can have a better understanding of this issue so we may be able to deal with it and move a step forward towards living a happy life.

2-  Mental health affects physical health

As we all understand, our minds and bodies are interconnected. We know that experiencing physical pain can affect the mind. In the same way, when the mind experiences emotional damage or faces a stressful environment, it affects our physical state as well. A mentally disturbed person is way more likely to face physical health problems than a mentally stable person. Poor mental health can cause stress and anxiety, which slowly weakens our immune system, which then leads to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Sleep disorders, insomnia, hypertension, heart diseases, and digestive problems are not far away either. And then there’s weight loss, and the list goes on.

3-  Mental Health Influences Productivity and Performance

A wholesome mind complements recognition, creativity, and efficiency, even as bad mental fitness can impede performance in both expert and academic settings.

Workplace Performance: People with good mental health are more productive and efficient in their tasks. On the other hand, burnout, strain, and despair lessen awareness and growth absenteeism.

Academic Success: Students facing tension or depression regularly struggle with reminiscence retention, awareness, and examination performance. A mentally strong student is almost guaranteed to succeed.

Creativity and Problem-Solving: A calm, balanced mind fosters innovation and better choice-making. By taking care of our mental health, we guarantee creativity, productivity, achievement, and fulfilment of our goals.

4-  Importance of Mental Health in building up Relationships

Our mental health directly affects how we meet, greet, and get in touch with others.

Communication skills: Anxiety and disappointment can lead to social conflict, while emotional stability improves interaction.

Family mobility: Parents with good mental health create a nutritional environment for their children, while parents with poor mental health can manifest emotional ignorance towards their children or instability in the house.

Friendship and social life: People with good mental health are easy to communicate with, that’s why they bond very well with others. While those with poor mental health are usually found socially distant.

5-  Mental health reduces the risk of self-harm

A person with poor mental health is a constant risk to himself as well as to others.

Self-Harm and Suicide: Depression and tension are leading risk elements for suicidal thoughts. A person with poor mental health is almost always on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Lives can be saved through early intervention and mental health support.

Substance Abuse: People with poor mental health are more likely to be exposed to the drugs. A lot of people with mental health problems who don't get help turn to alcohol or drugs as a way to cope.

6-  Mental Health ensures Emotional Resilience

Life is full of challenges; a strong mind helps us face and overcome them.

Stress Management: Mentally nutritious individuals handle stress better and use a healthy coping system such as workouts.

Adaptability: Emotional flexibility allows people to overcome errors and adapt to more effective exchange.

7-  Societal Benefits of Good Mental Health

When we prioritize mental fitness, it not only affect us but also affects our surroundings and the environment we live in.

Strong society: Mentally healthy people contribute and promote a safe, more supportive environment.

Low crime rate: A mentally healthy person can help reduce crime related to drug abuse and violence.

8-  Seeking Help

Although it’s a deeply concerning issue, we don’t seek help because we are afraid of what others might think of us if we sought help. Here are a couple of steps we can take to start our journey towards the betterment of our mental health.

Open conversations: Normalising talking about mental health is important and a first step towards addressing this issue. When we talk about it, we are helping not only ourselves but also the others who are suffering from the same condition as ourselves.

Seeking Professional Help: At first it may seem that no one can understand what we are going through, but we need to realise that there are professionals who have studied and practiced for this very exact purpose. Seeing a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a therapist is really important. It’s a sign of bravery, not weakness.

9-  How to Improve Mental Health

It is also important that we make it a habit to participate in healthy activities in our day-to-day life. Small steps taken today will make a large impact in the future.

Self-Care: Daily exercise, keeping a healthy diet, getting proper sleep, and keeping a positive attitude ensure peace of mind.

Professional Help: If a person starts having issues and finds their mental health struggling, then therapy, counselling, and medication should be their immediate next steps.

We need to realise that life is not a bed of roses. There are a lot of different phases in one’s life. And sometimes things seem to have gotten out of hand. It is then we should focus on the good things that life offers and work towards it.