What is Mental Health?
Mental Health is part of our overall health. We all have it!
There are many different ways of defining mental health, depending upon whom you talk to and where you are. For example, some definitions focus on, and emphasise, positive psychological wellbeing as a way of defining mental health, whereas others see mental health as the absence of poor mental health or mental illness.
"Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. We all have mental health. Our mental health affects how we think, feel, and act. It also impacts on how we cope, interact and form relationships with others, as well as our daily functioning." NHS.
“Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well, work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development.” WHO.
“Mental health is an individual's capacity to feel, think, and act in ways to achieve a better quality of life while respecting personal, social, and cultural boundaries. Impairment of any of these are risk factor for mental disorders, or mental illnesses, which are a component of mental health.” Canadian Public Health.
Physical Health / Mental Health.
Whether very good or very poor, we all have physical health; we can be fit and healthy and in good physical condition one moment, and in another, quickly become very unwell and ill. And it’s the same with mental health; we all have general mental health, but one moment we can be strong and positive, and in good mental health, and in another moment - through a variety of circumstances, situations, or experiences, feel negative, mentally unwell, and be in poor mental health.
Everyone’s mental health is fluid, and changes over time!
