What is mental health?
Mental health refers to how the mind processes input or stimuli and how this affects our mood or thinking.[3] Consequently, a mental or psychological disorder affects a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviour regarding life events, relationships, or productivity in a negative or disruptive way.[4]
Regarding how to improve mental health, there are some factors that medical professionals look out for when assessing a person for mental health conditions. These include the following:
- Medical history and genetics. It's not uncommon for mental health problems to have a genetic component, making some persons more susceptible to certain disorders or conditions.[5]
- Personal experiences. Stressful or traumatic events, like abuse, loss, or violence, may increase the risk of mental health problems.[6]
- Environmental factors. In some individuals, prolonged exposure to stressful situations or high-risk work environments can have a significant impact on their mental health.
While it is possible to identify which factors can significantly contribute to the state of one’s mental health, there is no definitive cause of mental disorders.
Why is mental health important?
Our mental well-being directly affects how we interact with people and environments. It also affects how we navigate or communicate our needs and wants and our relationships with others.
When our mental health is struggling, many aspects of our daily lives are also affected. A mental health disorder, such as anxiety or depression, could lead to difficulty focusing on tasks or recalling information.[7] Such conditions impact us in ways that lead to irritability, low moods, or intrusive thoughts, among other symptoms.
On the other hand, good mental health typically leads to healthier attitudes and reactions to interpersonal and environmental factors. This is why it’s important to know how to improve mental health for ourselves: a mentally healthy person is more likely to be productive and can better cope with the challenges and demands of personal obligations and relationships.[8]
Because it’s a critical aspect of how we function daily, managing your mental health is a process that should involve professional guidance from a licensed doctor or counsellor, especially if medication is needed. To this end, Mosh’s team of doctors is ready to advise you on managing your mental health.
Get in touch with one of our AHPRA-registered doctors for a consultation on how to improve mental health.
What are some of the things that can affect my mental health?
Several factors can affect our mental health.[9] Certain aspects may impact some more severely, while for others, a combination of these aspects is what leads to poor mental health. Here are some examples of factors that greatly impact mental health:
- Grief or loss. Grief is a natural response to losing a person or a significant part of our life. People may grieve for the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship, among others. Feelings of grief can include sadness, anger, anxiety, irritability, or numbness, all of which can affect different aspects of your life. In some cases, unaddressed grief or a lack of social anxiety treatment could lead to mood disorders like depression.[10]
- Workplace stress. Stress is a normal response to workplace situations. However, prolonged or excessive workplace-related stress can hurt your mental health. This stress can also lead to anxiety, depression or worsen a pre-existing medical condition or mental health issue, making it critical to understand how to improve mental health in the face of such stressors.[11] Workplace stress, when not managed, can negatively affect personal relationships and cause physical symptoms such as hair loss due to stress.
- Traumatic life events. The symptoms of trauma or traumatic responses can be difficult to identify, as trauma affects each person differently. A traumatic event's impact depends on many factors, and in some cases, such experiences can lead to debilitating mental conditions or disorders, common among them being post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).[12] Particularly with trauma, it’s critical that the person suffering from it has access to counselling, at minimum, to assist continued mental wellness or recovery.
If you believe you are experiencing poor mental health, wish to know how to improve mental health, or wish to know how to help a friend with depression, please don’t hesitate to seek medical guidance immediately.
Does self-care really help improve mental health?
The short answer is yes, self-care greatly helps improve mental well-being, especially when it comes to mitigating or stemming the development of mental disorders.
Mental health disorders are among the most serious health problems we face today, especially now that we’re discovering many facets regarding how our mental wellness directly impacts our daily lives and how to improve mental health. Not only are there many risks and symptoms associated with poor mental health, but these conditions can also affect anyone at any age or in any demographic or socioeconomic bracket.
There is no doubt that mental health disorders can have life-changing consequences. These consequences include poor workplace productivity; emotional neglect, especially in relationships; physical or psychological self-harm; and even suicidal thoughts and behaviours at the very worst.
These are reasons why mental health care needs to be oriented towards outcomes that matter to you personally. Our team here at Mosh wants to help you or your loved ones get there, whether it’s on how to improve mental health, what to say to someone with depression, or learning the answer to questions like, ‘How is anxiety diagnosed?’ and how to proceed from there.
Your mental health deserves full attention. Seek us out regarding possibly taking a depression and anxiety test and having a Mosh doctor assess and guide you through this personal journey.