What is mental health? Mental health may seem like a complex term since it is used a lot now in media and by others. Mental health is specifically focused on how you feel as an individual. If you ask yourself, how are my moods? Do I feel content, sad, irritable, bored, joyful etc. most of the time? This is the biggest indicator of mental health. Other signs are behavioural or physical. Do you cry a lot? Feel tired the majority of the time, even when you have had a good nights rest? Do you feel energetic? Do you feel like being active? These are physical cues that can give one some insight in mental health. Behavioural cues may not always be conscious.
Many people behave or react in a certain way and do not realize they are doing so. Try to be conscious and aware of how you are operating on a day-to-day basis. This will give you some guidance as to how your mental health is doing. Some examples are: sleeping a lot, going out/being with friends a lot, eating more/eating less, disregarding your hobbies/searching for more hobbies, being more quiet/distant vs. Being more open and social. These are just generalizations of behavioural features but the overall picture should be seeing if you deviate from your normal ‘baseline’ behaviours. Such as, if you are normally interested in sports and like to live an active lifestyle, then it may be a red flag if you are staying in more and feeling more tired going to practice. However, if you normally like staying in and aren’t as social than it is not a red flag that you are staying in, that is your natural way of being.
This is why mental health may not have clear definitions since it is hard to define for people overall. It is subjective. It is independent on how you are doing in terms of your career, school or social relationships. It is a misconception to think that because one’s life is going well externally that one should be happy internally. Overall, mental health in concerned with an individuals thoughts and feelings on a regular basis.
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