October is the beginning of winters in most parts of the world—bringing profound sadness and feeling of melancholy. Around this time, the world celebrates World Mental Health Day to support people who feel underwhelmed due to the changing seasons.
This mental health awareness is a reminder for people to not put their mental health on the backburner. Almost one in seven people worldwide experience some kind of mental health issue every year — which shows that we need to take care of our mental health as much as we care about our physical health.
Talking about mental illness is stigmatized in society as people often brush it under the rug if they are feeling anxious, depressed, afraid, or embarrassed. Society’s response to people opening up about their mental health condition is often very underwhelming — which forces people to ignore the signals and the spiral continues.
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Why Mental Health Awareness Is Important?
The first and foremost measure to take care of your mental health is to be aware of your issues. If you have access to a healthcare provider, talk about your issues, and start being honest with yourself.
“Mental health” is not just depression or anxiety. People often think their “me time” is a way of taking care of their mental health. But, that’s not usually the case.
Mental health is basically your overall psychological well-being and your emotional, cognitive, and social functioning state. Being aware of your mental health issues is crucial to overall well-being. If you neglect your mental health, it can affect different aspects of your life.
- Your self-worth or self-esteem
- Your way of socializing with other people
- Your way of finding value and meaning in your life
- Your problem-solving skills and memory
- Your physical well-being
- Your mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety
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Why Is Taking Care Of Mental Health Important In The Modern World?
Sometimes when a person is suffering from a mental health issue — the symptoms are “invisible” to the world and even to the person.
Crisis such as natural disasters, ongoing genocide, and public health emergencies can also cause severe emotional distress. This mental health awareness is dedicated to people who need the space to pause, heal, recover, and rebuild not just as individuals but also as a community.
So, it is important to keep a check on your mental health and support people who are suffering from issues which may affect their mental condition.
It Affects The Way Your Brain Functions
The world is in dire need of individuals and communities who can think clearly. When a person ignores mental health issues, it affects their heart and gut, which affects their physical health and it could feel extremely draining to perform basic tasks.
It can affect our memory, reasoning, problem-solving skills, perception, and thinking abilities. In order to improve the world and support people as well as ourselves — we need to have clear thinking abilities, the ability to make decisions and concentrate, and the capacity to learn and experience new things.
It Affects Your Physical Health
Mental health is not separate from physical health. So much so that if you are experiencing insomnia, sleep disturbances, insomnia, headaches, gastric issues, heart palpitations, or consistently racing heart — your doctors will want to rule out the possibility of you having anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues as the potential reason.
There is a study that shows you can get acute coronary syndrome due to depression as well.
It Impacts Your Relationships
Having good mental health means you can develop positive and meaningful relationships with others. A poor mental health can make it difficult to express needs and feelings, which can create misunderstandings and emotional distance. It can also impact emotional closeness and impact intimacy.
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Raising Mental Health Awareness For A Better Life
Raising mental health awareness is important to build a better life. It helps in consciously dismantling the stigma, encourages early intervention, and builds a more compassionate community. People who are comfortable talking about mental health issues are more likely to seek help, improve their relationships, physical health, and overall quality of life.
