WHAT IS THE MEANING OF MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH?
Mental health is the level of psychological well-being or an absence of mental illness. It is the state of someone who is "functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment".
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
Depression, anxiety, stress, poor body image, grief, loss, sometimes it is hard to know if what you are experiencing is depression or sadness, worry or anxiety.
FIVE WARNING SIGNS OF MENTAL ILLNESS :
· Long-lasting sadness or irritability
· Extremely high and low moods
· Excessive fear, worry, or anxiety
· Social withdrawal
· Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits
Simple test tells messy from mentally ill, household clutter is a common problem, but extreme clutter (as seen in the living room at left) is evidence of hoarding, a serious psychological condition that's been linked to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) - and which requires some form of intervention.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has long been believed to be the one psychiatric disorder that produced the most intense emotional pain, agony, and distress in those who suffer with this condition. Studies have shown that borderline patients experience chronic and significant emotional suffering and mental agony.
HOW TO DEAL WITH EMOTIONAL PAIN
FIND HEALTHY SUPPORT SYSTEM
This could include talking to a friend or family member or even joining support groups.
Having a social and emotional outlet is important.
Also speaking with someone and actually saying the words out loud about how you are feeling can be beneficial to healing.
One word of caution with this step however, is to not get too bogged down with just repeatedly venting where it can turn into unhealthy rumination and you get stuck.
It’s important that you are using your support system to discuss how you are feeling in a healthy way.
DISTRACT YOURSELF
There are times when our emotional state can be overwhelming and difficult to manage.
This is when having a distraction could be helpful in coping.
A distraction could be something as simple as watching a movie or having coffee with a friend.
It just allows you a moment to not think about your emotional pain and in some way regain composure and control over how you are feeling.
IDENTIFY UNHEALTHY THINKING PATTERNS
Learn to identify unhealthy patterns with your thinking, such as rumination or negative thinking and work toward changing those patterns.
This is a common cognitive-behavioral strategy that is often seen in the management of stress or even depression and trauma.
For example when you notice yourself engaging in negative thinking or ruminating over the bad situation that happened use self-talk to change that pattern.
You can say things like, “I will get through this,” “I am strong” or “I am brave.” First, you must identify when we are not thinking in a healthy manner and then work to change the way we think can have a very positive impact.
LOOK FORWARD
It is important in the process that we do not get stuck in a negative cycle for too long and you should always allow yourself a time to heal because this is an extremely difficult process.
However, it is also important that you are working toward progress and looking for a future time when these emotions do not weigh heavily on you.
This could include setting goals for something in the future or perhaps making plans for an activity as something to work toward and look forward to.
This action of thinking about the future can be helpful when people are overwhelmed with difficult feelings.
In the moment it can be hard to think about the future or even picture a time when they aren’t experiencing this emotional pain.
So it’s a challenge but a purposeful one that can actually be quite working through a painful emotions is never easy.
The importance here is that you are finding healthy activities and coping mechanisms that will promote you’re healing in a positive way.
Each person is different and the situation that they experienced is very different therefore the coping strategies and personal preferences will also be different.
It’s essential to find things that work well for you and stick to it.
Painful emotions take time to heal but don’t give up keep moving forward and working on your own self-care.
Healing will come and you will get through these helpful tips.
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