Mental Health

Hi guys,

I hope you are doing well! If this is not the case, don't worry, it is exactly the subject of the day.

As I receive more and more requests for articles in English, this one will be written in English, but I will continue to write others in French.

When I asked you on Instagram what theme you would like, I received a lot of messages about mental health, especially during this time of coronavirus which often affects everyone’s mind. I will try to explain objectively what “mental health” is and then give you some tips that will allow you to be as fulfilling as possible (because that’s still the goal in life!)

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or a health professional, I give you my opinion and advice here while relying on verified sources in the medical field.

The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being that enables everyone to realize their potential, to face the normal difficulties of life, to work successfully and productively and to be able to make a contribution to the community."

Balanced mental health therefore helps to cope with daily difficulties.

However, the definition is not very clear, so European countries distinguished two aspects of mental health:

- the positive (autonomy, well-being, development)

- the negative (psychological distress, difficulties, mental disorders)

If the mind is unbalanced by a high concentration of negative elements, they shouldn’t be neglected to prevent these temporary disorders from turning into permanent disorders, such as bipolarity or schizophrenia, which are for example two of the most serious forms of mental illness.

Depending on our personality, our past experiences, our education and the people around us, each individual will tend to develop more the positive side or the negative side.

Of course everyone’s goal is to be as happy as possible, but it’s impossible to have a mental health made up of 100% positive and 0% negative. Indeed, even if you get everything you want, you remain human who lives in a society governed by rules, including laws generally perceived as a form of coercion, and in principle the constraints are quite negative.

ADVICE TIMEEEEEEEEEE

1. Analyse your situation

The first thing to do is to analyse your situation: what makes you happy on one side and what makes you unhappy on the other. If you focus on what makes you sad, anxious or stressed, ask you one question: are those things so important?

To find out, take a sheet and write down what brings you negative emotions by ranking them from most to least negative.

2. Then, put into perspective!

Your situation has probably already affected other people and they are now out of it. For example, currently, many people are anxious about the coronavirus because not much is known about this virus, it’s very contagious and no vaccine is available. Certainly all this is true, but this is the negative aspect of the situation. While, if you tell yourself that barrier gestures can block the circulation of the virus, that it’s not your role to seek the vaccine and that everything is only a matter of time before ending this health crisis, you will be more positive. Even if you are one of the scientists looking for an effective vaccine, you are not alone, because scientists from all over the world are working on this topic.

Let's take another example, pregnant women are concerned about the health of their baby and often fear childbirth, they must put this stress in perspective by thinking about the future happiness that this child will bring and the fact that many other women before them have gone through this period.

Students are usually stressed by their studies as this is one of the most important things in their lives. But all executives and business leaders have gone through it and are now earning comfortable incomes. And if you want to access the same positions, this period of study is essential. Moreover, at the same time your friends are in similar situations, so the positive can be found in mutual support…

→ In short, knowing that others have experienced or are in the same situation as us can help to put into perspective what makes us anxious.

But what about social pressure? You are then in a particular situation, which is not the "norm". In this case, it's true, it's difficult to relativise in relation to others because by definition they are not in the same situation. So it will be necessary to analyse whether the opinions of others is important. Do others put pressure on you because they want your good? Or do they put pressure for their own happiness?

I explain myself with an example. At the age of 30, the majority of people have their driving licence. If you don't have it, you're out of "the norm." Take into account what others say: it is indeed practical to have your license, it makes life simpler, allows more independence... so the pressure of others is not necessarily bad. If you realize that having your license is important, then listen to the opinions of others and yours and pass it. You will be satisfied once you get it.

On the other hand, if you are 30 years old and have no children, it is possible that your friends or family members are already there and are constantly asking you when you expect to have a child. Ask yourself if you really want it, if you are able to raise a child, if you are ready ect. It's not "practical" to have a child, as it's convenient to have a license. The pressure of others is not justified here, because the happiness that a child brings depends on each person. Unlike the driver's license, which makes anyone who obtains it satisfied, not everyone would be satisfied with having children.

→ Take into account the comments of others but apply them only if they fit into your goals.

3. Daily efforts

A balanced mental health requires a balanced pace of life. Make sure you eat healthy, sleep enough and practice sport.

Then take the list of negative things to do, or problems to solve, and try to find a solution by turning the negative into positive. Think about all the possibilities to solve the situation: working in a group to compare your point of view to others; changes your sources of information, take the problem in another direction… And maybe, you can check if an external element disrupts your handling of the main problem, it could be another problem you would rather have better deal with before. If you are in the last situation, you shouldn’t have to solve the problem at all costs now, because the more you think about it, the more important it will become in your mind, and the more you will tilt the balance of your mental health towards the negative.

So do another activity, sleep, get some fresh air and go back to the problem. This other activity will bring positivity to your mental health and thus regain a balance. By doing this positives activity for the well-being, unconsciously the brain continues to think about the problem.

→ In short, find a balance between positive and negative while persevering in negative tasks.

4. Remember that the current negative leads to the future positive

For examples, indeed, the difficult and stressful studies will provide access to a comfortable financial situation in the future. Therefore, there is a balance between the current painful years and the future positive situation. Nevertheless, this future happiness is too far to stay motivated on a daily basis, so we must find a balance in our daily lives in addition to the general balance of life. So try to find the positive in everything, play sports to relieve the pressure, see your friends to smile, sleep enough to be peaceful...

5. Dream

We must also allow ourselves to dream and therefore be sometimes less realistic, because it unlocks creativity, the ideas of new projects, and you will see only the positive in all situations. Then combine these ideas that you had in a dream, with their actual realization by balancing the positive that this project will bring you and the negative aspects.

→ Think positive but stay realistic so you won't be disappointed when your projects don't come true because you will only have seen the pros and not the cons.

6. Surround yourself with positive people

Indeed, it’s impossible to be non-stop positive, so surround yourself with positive and realistic people who will cheer you up and see the positive in your place when you no longer see it.

I think this article is long enough, so I will not spread out on the subject of friendship and relations in general because it’s a complex area. If you would be interested in an article about toxic friendships etc tell me!

End! After explaining objectively what mental health is, I hope I have been able to help you with these few tips. They are quite general, but if you would like more specific articles don't hesitate to send me your suggestions on my Instagram account: @jane_thms

I look forward to your return. See you soon in a future article!

J.✵