Mental health and positive outlook on life

Preserving, strengthening and preventing mental health is of great importance for a healthy lifestyle. The psycho-emotional state is one of the determining factors of our health, which manifests itself in the ability to control emotions, think positively, and maintain a balance between spiritual and physical development.

In this lesson, we will introduce you to the basics of mental and psychological health, consider the mental characteristics of children and adolescents, and also offer some useful recommendations for maintaining mental balance and training stress resistance.

What is mental health

The World Health Organization defines mental health (spiritual or emotional, sometimes mental health) as follows:

Mental health is a state of well-being in which a person is able to realize his or her own potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and productively, and contribute to their community [WHO, 2018].

several criteria are usually identified to determine mental health :

In everyday life, these criteria are manifested in the degree of integration of the individual into society, the harmony of their assistance, balance, spirituality, inclusion in the system of life values ​​of following the principles of kindness and justice, and the desire for self-development. In other words, a mentally healthy person

adequately assesses reality, shows interest in the world around him, coordinates his behavior and reaction to what is happening with environmental conditions, and is capable of introspection and reflection.

In cases where a person does not have these qualities, one can judge mental illness. It manifests itself in personal disorientation, avoidance of responsibility, dependence on bad habits, passivity, increased anxiety, loss of self-confidence, and hostility towards others.

But mental health cannot be approached only formally, because quite often adherence to certain behavioral norms can be determined by a set of factors on the basis of which it is inappropriate to judge mental disorders. Among them are socio-cultural characteristics, customs, traditions and foundations of different societies, and features of professional activity.

Mental and psychological health

A distinction should be made between mental and psychological health. Most generally, human mental health can be said to be a set of mental attitudes that allow one to adequately respond and adapt to environmental conditions. This is the correspondence of subjective ideas to objective reality, adequate self-perception, the ability to think critically and much more. Despite the frequent use of the term “mental health” as a synonym for mental health, there are differences between them. Psychological health in its definition is a broader concept; it characterizes the personality as a whole, takes into account the characteristics of volitional, motivational, cognitive, and emotional activity.

Why is it important to pay attention to your mental health?

Many have probably heard the catchphrase: “All diseases come from nerves.” When a person has the flu or a cold, he takes pills, medicines, and undergoes a course of treatment. However, in a state of stress and anxiety, he does nothing. Business trainers and practicing psychologists note that if company employees who work a busy schedule under constant stress, from time to time take courses to strengthen stress resistance and get rid of anxiety, their productivity increases significantly. This has a positive effect not only on work, but also on relationships at all levels within the team, and contributes to a healthy atmosphere in the company.

It is known that when people receive appropriate mental health care, they are less likely to seek medical care overall. And people with unresolved mental health problems visit doctors more often than those who receive mental health care. In other words, mental health has a significant impact on the overall health of the body [Mental Health Foundation, 2016].

Excessive worry and stress can contribute to the development of certain heart diseases and weaken the immune system [Healthline, 2020]. Psychological problems also increase the likelihood of poor behavioral choices, which manifest themselves in addiction to smoking and drugs, and alcohol abuse. According to statistics, even in the United States, a country with developed psychiatry, approximately 42.5 million adults suffer from diagnosable mental disorders every year [Mental Health Center, 2015].

So why is mental health so important?

Thus, when a person is free from depression, anxiety, excessive stress and worry, as well as bad habits, he is able to live fully, be fully realized and enjoy.

Correct functioning of the main mental functions

Executive functions, social reasoning, and motivational processes—these core human mental functions are critical to our mental health. The executive functions of our brain are responsible for attention, self-organization, planning and multitasking.

Social thinking allows us to determine the emotions of other people by their facial expressions and body language, understand their actions and correctly understand our role in relationships.

Motivation can manifest itself in different forms - the desire for knowledge or self-improvement, the search for new friends or partners. All these mental functions can be developed and trained to one degree or another.

Prevention and stress resistance

The pace of modern life and conditions in many areas of employment are such that people are constantly exposed to stress. If you do not know how to cope with them and neutralize their negative impact, the likelihood of depression, anxiety and restlessness increases. And they, in turn, are fraught with more serious mental disorders. But how can you determine your mental health status?

Unlike Western countries, in our country visits to psychiatrists and psychologists are not so common, and people do not always have the opportunity to visit expensive specialists. You can determine your exposure to negative influences and your ability to cope with them by a set of some important symptoms. If you are constantly irritated, anxious and have trouble sleeping, constantly feel dissatisfied or angry, or are subject to sudden mood swings, this may indicate a stressful state and its negative impact on your body. The first thing to do in such a situation is to seek advice from a specialist doctor. You should also check out some tips to help maintain mental health and balance.

Most of us are familiar with the word stress resistance from lists of required qualities from job advertisements. This requirement means the ability to work effectively in tense situations, concentrate and endure significant intellectual, volitional and emotional stress without harm to oneself and one’s activities. We propose to look at this skill in a little more detail in order to determine the aspects necessary for the development of such an important quality. Let's look at popular techniques that illustrate this problem.

The famous writer, psychologist and teacher Dale Carnegie in his book “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” offers readers the following advice :

Here are some modern ways to prevent mental health and reduce stress :

Method 1:

1. Determine the nature of your stress: find the root causes. Try to look at the problem globally. If you don't have enough money, then the problem is most likely not in a small salary, but in a job that you don't like. Take time to be alone with yourself and write down in a notebook everything that causes you anxiety.

2. Make a plan to reduce the impact of stress in your life. This is necessary to make dealing with stress methodical. Include mandatory rest in your daily routine. Once you have identified sources of stress, try to spend less time on them. For example, if interacting with certain people causes tension, reduce it to a minimum. Don't overload your schedule with work. Find time for hobbies, communication with loved ones and friends. Recognize that you can't control everything. There will always be stressful elements around you in life, but their impact can be minimized. By eliminating the causes of stress that depend on you, you can learn to overcome external negative elements.

3. Share your problems with other people. These could be relatives, friends or work colleagues. This way, you won't have to deal with your stress alone, and an outside perspective will help you find an effective solution to the problem.

Method 2:

1. Eliminate stress, resolve disturbing situations immediately. Don’t harbor grudges against your friends and family – immediately openly discuss all controversial issues with them. Likewise, resolve work conflicts and quarrels immediately. If stress is caused by uncertain events and scenarios, think through them in detail and make decisions as quickly as possible.

2. Avoid communicating with people who cause you stress. If you are dating a person who only causes you pain and resentment, it is time to end the relationship. If relationships with work colleagues cause stress, keep communication with them to a minimum. In general, spend less time hanging out with negative people and make friends with positive people. They can make your life happier.

3. Minimize the occurrence of stressful situations. If you feel uncomfortable in crowded clubs, you shouldn't go there with friends just for company. If the commute to work is annoying, listen to light music on the way. Don't rush, give yourself enough time to prepare important events (weddings, vacations).

4. Learn to cope with stress. In conflict situations, always think before you speak. Remember that other people are also influenced by various negative factors, be kinder and more forgiving. It is better to be happy than to be right, so you need to be able to remain silent at a certain moment and refuse criticism.

Method 3:

1. Engage in physical activity. This will help you be healthier and take control of your life. Swimming relaxes your thoughts, yoga teaches you to keep your mind under control, team sports promote communication and mutual understanding, hiking brings you closer together, strengthens your spirit, and helps you be closer to nature.

2. Meditate. Set aside 20 minutes a day for meditation. Relax completely at this time, concentrate on breathing, clear your mind of restless, negative thoughts. Meditation is great for relieving stress and normalizing your mental state [Mayo Clinic, 2020].

3. Get a massage. It's great for relaxing after a busy day. You can stretch your neck and shoulders yourself, or you can ask a family member to massage you or go to a session with a specialist. Massage normalizes the psyche and emotions, helps to better cope with stress [WebMD, 2018].

4. Eat right. Meals should be balanced. It is important to get enough energy at breakfast. You should avoid excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol, and if possible, it is better to give up bad habits altogether. Proper nutrition allows you to relieve stress and increase stress resistance [Gonzalez MJ, Miranda-Massari J R., 2014].

5. Follow a sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Most people need at least 7 hours of sleep a day. Don't watch TV before bed, read a good book instead. Keep in mind that many health problems can be directly related to poor sleep and lack of rest [The American Institute of Stress, 2018].

If you feel that you are unable to use these tips and cope with the problems in your life on your own, be sure to seek professional help. This will help you avoid the possible negative effects of stress.

WHO activities

WHO supports governments in their efforts to improve mental health. WHO analyzes evidence on promoting mental health and works with governments to disseminate this information and incorporate effective strategies into policies and plans.

In 2013, the World Health Assembly approved the Comprehensive Action Plan for Mental Health for the period 2013–2020. The plan reflects the commitment of all WHO Member States to take concrete action to improve mental health and contribute to achieving global goals.

The overarching goals of the Action Plan are to promote mental well-being, prevent mental disorders, provide health care, promote recovery, strengthen human rights and reduce mortality, morbidity and disability of people with mental disorders. This plan aims to achieve 4 objectives:

• strengthen effective leadership and governance in mental health;
• provide comprehensive, integrated and responsive health and social care at the primary level;
• implement mental health promotion and mental health prevention strategies; And
• Strengthen mental health information systems, evidence and research.

The action plan places particular emphasis on the protection and promotion of human rights, the strengthening and empowerment of civil society, and the centrality of health care at primary level.

To achieve the plan's objectives, the Action Plan proposes and requires controversial actions on the part of governments, international partners and WHO. Ministries of health will need to take leadership, and WHO will work with them and international and national partners, including civil society, to implement the plan. Since there is no one-size-fits-all action, each country's government will have to tailor the Action Plan to its specific national circumstances.

Coping strategies test

Stress is most often viewed by many people from the negative side. But you must understand that stress is a natural reaction of the body, which helps it mobilize all its strength in a short period of time.

Stress is sometimes considered beneficial, because it activates brain activity, stimulates success, and makes a person more mentally stable [Health, 2018]. In addition, you have probably heard that a person develops when he leaves his comfort zone. This is a kind of stressful state. And existentialists believe that a person reveals himself precisely in borderline situations.

But despite all the beneficial properties of stress, it is very important to be able to not let it drain you. To do this, there are various ways to cope with stress, which in psychotherapy are called coping strategies (from the English “cope” - cope, withstand, cope).

A coping strategy is an adaptive form of behavior that maintains psychological balance in a problematic situation; these are methods developed consciously and aimed at overcoming a stressful situation.

To get acquainted with the types of coping strategies, we suggest you take a short test. It was created on the basis of the methodological development of scientists R. Lazarus and S. Folkman in 1980 - the Ways of Coping Checklist (WCC) questionnaire. The test is designed to determine ways to overcome difficulties in various areas: difficulties in work, difficulties in learning, difficulties in communication, difficulties in love, etc. Within the framework of this concept, overcoming difficulties is possible with the help of 8 strategies (behavior styles), which you will learn about after the test.

To correctly interpret the answers, you should follow several rules when taking the test:

• Based on the statements described, evaluate how often these types of behavior manifest themselves in you in difficult life situations.
• Answer as honestly as possible, only what is true for you, do not try to impress others.
• The test data will be recorded after you answer the last question and see confirmation of the end of the test. If you finish the test before the last question and close the page, the data will not be saved.
• The test can be taken any number of times, but remember that only the last one is saved. If you have already taken this test, a sign will appear in the left menu.

To complete the test, click “Next”.

Statistics Full screen

Now let's look at a few more important questions.

Criticism of oneself and one’s own mental production (activity) and its results.

“I know that I am a hypochondriac and for any reason it is easier for me to go to the doctor than to self-soothe. I don't believe in psychotherapy, although I know that I am physically healthy. I am ready to pay for consultations and tests, and these people in white coats with attentive eyes are my most effective psychotherapy. And this is the price of my hypochondria.”

This criterion can be designated as the ability for introspection and introspection, for reflection. The ability to evaluate what he says and does and evaluate the consequences of those words and deeds. And, on the contrary: “I don’t know what came over me, it’s beyond my control, it’s an obsession! I am not responsible for myself!

Mental health of children and adolescents

The psyche of children and adolescents is unstable and at a developing stage, so it is very important to try to protect their vulnerable mental health from negative impacts. The transition from late childhood to adolescence is accompanied by emotional ups and downs against the backdrop of hormonal changes in the child's body. Many teenagers are unable to cope with this condition on their own, so they need adult help.

School psychologists conduct educational activities in this direction. Their work includes the prevention of deviant behavior, preservation, strengthening and development of the psychological health of students through their acquisition of specific knowledge and skills. However, much also depends on the degree of parental involvement in the process of upbringing, motivation, and the formation of the child’s psycho-emotional state. They need to understand that teenage depression not only manifests itself in a bad mood, but can sometimes lead to serious problems: drug addiction and alcoholism, hatred of oneself and the world around us, early pregnancy, violence, and even suicide [Mayo Clinic, 2018].

It is important to identify mental problems in children in a timely manner and protect them from undesirable consequences through participation, advice, and, if necessary, seeking qualified help. The following symptoms may indicate the presence of such problems in a teenager: sadness, hopelessness, irritability, anger, hostility, tearfulness, loss of friends, loss of interest in activities, changes in sleep and eating patterns, anxiety, agitation, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, lack of enthusiasm and motivation , fatigue or lack of energy, difficulty concentrating [Mayo Clinic, 2018].

However, the presence of these symptoms does not provide 100% evidence of mental illness. The best way to prevent undesirable consequences is to constantly monitor the teenager and record the manifestations of symptoms, as well as compare his actions with the behavior of his peers. The line between “diseases of age” and mental disorder is often not obvious to unprepared parents, therefore, only by paying due attention to children and participating in their lives can one identify susceptibility to depression.

You can and should learn to cope with many of the difficulties of adolescence by following some expert advice :

The issue of mental health of children and adolescents depends on many factors: upbringing, environment, and the child’s occupation. By consciously controlling these elements of teenage life, responsible parents can effectively promote the normal psychological development of their children.

Ability to stay active

Our distant ancestors in primitive society could not afford a passive lifestyle - they simply would not have survived.
Therefore, evolution has adapted our bodies for constant physical and mental activity—both of which are critical to our overall health. “Withdrawal,” isolation, and passivity are common symptoms in mental disorders (especially depression). Any activity (walks in nature and hiking, socialization, sports and creativity) in turn helps to fight these phenomena, experience positive emotions and not withdraw into oneself.

Positive thinking

Any situation in life can be assessed differently: someone is critical of everything and notices shortcomings even in the most pleasant event, while someone, on the contrary, tries to paint what is happening in cheerful colors and finds positivity in the most difficult situation. The ability to easily and humorously experience all the problems that arise will help you maintain your mental health and protect you from the negative effects of stress and anxiety. You will learn to look for positive moments in any situation, treat what happened as a life lesson, and not as a mistake or bad luck, extract experience and new opportunities from what is happening, and not become discouraged and depressed when obstacles and difficulties arise.

An excellent example of a positive thinking person is the famous philosopher Socrates, who treated any situation with humor. It is known that his wife Xanthippe was a terribly grumpy woman, and one day, in a fit of anger, she threw hot water in Socrates’ face, after which he was left with a scar. Later, one of the philosopher’s students, knowing about the problems in the sage’s personal life, asked him a question about whether he should get married. The scientist, without thinking for a minute, answered unequivocally: “It’s worth it.” If you are lucky, you will be happy, and if not, you will become a philosopher.”

Here are some helpful tips on how to think positively:

1. Avoid negative influences. Learn to say “no” to what you don’t like and what makes you uncomfortable. Surround yourself with positive people.
2. Look at things from different angles. Learn to extract useful experience from any situation and see bright moments in everything.
3. Smile more often. Remember that even smiling for no reason will definitely lift your spirits.
4. Make time. Do what makes you happy and gives you pleasure. Walking, shopping, reading, watching a movie will help maintain a positive mood.
5. Find something that motivates you and lifts your spirits. For example, a good quote that you can print out and put in your wallet, or a favorite song that, listening to it, will help you move through life more cheerfully and easily.
6. Set goals and achieve them. Start small, gradually switching to larger ones. This will make your life interesting and meaningful.
7. Don't be afraid of failure. As F.D. Roosevelt said: “The only thing to fear is fear itself.”
8. Do not give up. Persistence certainly contributes to achieving positive results.

Of course, it is impossible to collect in one lesson all the principles and techniques for maintaining a healthy mental state of a person, so we advise you to pay attention to the section of our blog dedicated to psychology, where you will find a lot of useful and interesting things, as well as to the “Human Health” program, where we consider a variety of issues, including mental health.

Ability to cope with negativity

Our psyche is structured in such a way that dangers and negative phenomena attract our attention more strongly than joyful and pleasant events. This was justified in a world full of dangers, and helped our ancestors survive.

Nevertheless, properly functioning defense mechanisms of a healthy psyche help to switch attention from unpleasant thoughts to joyful ones. For example, humor is one of the most powerful protective tools. Thanks to it, you can redirect accumulated negative emotions into a more positive and constructive direction.

Mindfulness practice and meditation may also be helpful. These techniques allow us to look differently at situations that spoil our mood, and understand that in fact everything is not so bad.

Adaptability

Life never stands still, and to maintain a healthy psyche it is important to be able to quickly adapt to unexpected changes. Lack of mental flexibility can lead to undesirable consequences and deterioration of the emotional state.

In turn, mental disorders often deprive us of the ability to adapt, as a result of which we lose motivation and begin to avoid life itself. A vicious circle arises that can be extremely difficult to break.

But difficult does not mean impossible. You can get out of a dead end with deliberate effort, gradually replacing unhealthy habits (for example, staying at home all the time) with more productive ones (for example, forcing yourself to go for walks or meet with friends).