Everyone may suffer from mental or emotional health problems. Just last year, one in five of us had a common mental disorder. However, despite the prevalence of mental health problems, there are many who do not trying to improve their situation.
When mental health problems arise, the body gets some warning or cue messages, and some people will choose to ignore them and try to solve them by distracting themselves or using alcohol, drugs, and self-harm behavior. They keep their problems in their hearts, they don’t want them to be noticed, and they feel that they will improve themselves. Or simply give up and tell yourself that it’s “who you are.”
Why are mental health needs often ignored?
Even in today’s technologically advanced world, there are still many people who are unwilling or unable to meet their mental health needs. This may include many reasons:
- In some minds, mental and emotional problems are less legitimate than physical problems. They are often seen as a sign of weakness, or the person’s own fault.
- There is always a desire to “get rid” of mental health problems rather than to “solve” mental health problems. Mental health problems cannot be avoided and dismissed as non-existent. Some men, in particular, would rather hide their feelings than seek help and find a solution.
- Obsessed with finding quick, easy answers to complex problems. For example, to improve our mood and relieve depression, we would rather take medications than address the underlying problem.
- Many people believe that the only treatment options for mental and emotional problems are medications (which can cause unwanted side effects) or therapy (which can be time-consuming and expensive). The truth is, no matter what your problem is, there are steps you can take to improve the way you feel and mood and make you mentally and emotionally healthier.
How to improve mental health?
1.Connect with others more
Call a friend or loved one and arrange to meet. If you both lead busy lives, take a walk or exercise together.Try to make it a regular gathering.
If you don’t have new people to connect with, reach out to people you already know. Many people are just as uncomfortable meeting new people as you are, so learn to break the silence. Reconnect with old friends, invite coworkers out to lunch, or invite a neighbor to join you for coffee.
Come out from behind your phone or computer screen. Communication is, for the most part, a nonverbal experience that requires you to be in direct contact with others, so don’t neglect your real-world relationships for virtual interactions.
Join group activities. Join online and social interest groups that meet regularly. These groups provide excellent opportunities to meet people with common interests.
Don’t be afraid to say hello and try to smile at strangers you meet. Making connections can be beneficial for both of you, and you never know where it may lead!
2.Ensure high-quality sleep
If anxiety or chronic worry dominates your thoughts at night, there are some steps you can take to learn how to stop worrying.
To relax your body and calm your mind in preparation for sleep, try taking a hot bath, reading under soft lighting, listening to soothing music, or practicing some relaxation techniques before bed.
To help adjust your body clock and optimize sleep quality, stick to a regular sleep-wake schedule, even on weekends.
Make sure your bedroom is dark, comfortable, and quiet. Curtains, white noise machines and fans can provide some help.
3.Build and improve resilience
Don’t give up easily when things happen, try to persevere in difficulties and cultivate and improve your resilience. Having solid mental health doesn’t mean you’ll never experience bad times or other emotional problems. We all experience disappointment, loss, and change. While these are normal parts of life, they can still cause sadness, anxiety, and stress. But just as physically healthy people are better able to recover from illness or injury, mentally healthy people are also better able to recover from adversity, trauma, and stress. This ability is called resilience.
Emotionally and spiritually resilient people have the ability to cope with difficult situations and maintain a positive attitude. They stay focused, flexible and efficient in good times and bad. Their resilience also makes them less fearful of new experiences or an uncertain future. Even if they don’t know immediately how to solve a problem, they want to eventually find a solution.
Mental health issues are nothing to be afraid of, and there are things you can do to improve your mood, become more resilient, and enjoy life more. Just like building and maintaining physical health, mental health takes work. We also need to work and live harder to ensure that our mental health becomes stronger through various experiences, because there are so many things in life that affect our emotional health.
