Being healthy means different things to different people. Six-pack abs to a fitness freak who spends hours at the gym or size zero to actresses who want to look fab in the film or agility to sportspersons who are determined to bring laurels to the country. The bottom line, however, is that being healthy means being physically and mentally healthy – not vanity, and definitely not the absence of disease.
What does it mean to be mentally healthy?
Being mentally healthy is a bigger challenge than being physically healthy. Mentally healthy people feel good about themselves, make an effort to make their lives meaningful, manage the stress of everyday responsibilities and serious life events without losing the balance, and contribute positively to society. It doesn’t mean mentally healthy people don’t fall sick or they don’t experience despair, fear, anxiety or hopelessness. Being mentally healthy simply means a healthy body, mind and soul. It means no matter how many times you get knocked down, you lose faith, you hit rock bottom, or you want to quit – you get up and try again.
Mental Illness In India
- 1 in 7 Indians suffers from mental disorders. 381 deaths are reported by suicide daily.
- India has one of the world's highest suicide rates for youth aged 15 to 29. 20% Indian students between the age of 4 and 16 show signs of mental disorders.
- The statistics are heart-breaking, yet mental illness remains a taboo in India. How can we prevent these deaths? By paying attention to the signs of mental illness.
What Are The Signs Of Mental Illnesses?
Mental illness often manifests itself as poor academic performance, lack of motivation, social interaction issues, disruptive behaviour, prolonged sadness, erratic eating or sleeping habits, delusions or hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, addiction, physical ailments, anger issues, disobedience or throwing tantrums, excessive aggression, and constant feelings of hopelessness.
What are the qualities of a mentally healthy person?
- Since being healthy is more than just the absence of mental illness, being mentally healthy is a combination of feeling good and functioning well.
- It is alright to feel irritable, sad, angry, anxious, depressed, stressed, or unhappy on any given day. These emotions make us human. On the other hand, you can be physically fit, but may exhibit signs of mental illness.
- Mentally healthy persons have fulfilling and harmonious relationships, feel calm and energetic, don’t criticise or hurt others, manage emotions well, have higher self-esteem, happily attend schools or workplaces, take disappointments in stride, respond and not react to adversities, laugh at themselves and with others, and know how to get going when the going gets tough.
Tips To Boost Your Mental Health
- Small steps like being grateful, being appreciative, accepting yourself
- Taking care of your physical health (by exercising, taking nutritious diet, and maintaining your body's natural sleep-wake cycle)
- Playing your favourite sport, writing a journal, being expressive, loving what you’re doing
- Spending time in nature
- Paying attention to your thoughts (what you think, you become) help uplift yourself and boost your mental health.
- If you can’t follow any of these tips, seek help.
- Always remember: asking for help to boost your mental health is an expression of strength and wisdom, not weakness.
What causes poor mental health?
- Social, economic, biological, psychological and environmental conditions such as poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, social stratification, gender bias, Substance abuse, childhood abuse, and genes (mental illnesses sometimes run in families) often cause poor mental health.
- Other factors include pressure to conform with peers, increased access to and misuse of technology, sexual identity issues, abusive family, stressful events like losing a loved one, and childhood trauma.
- Brain defects or injury to certain areas of the brain as well as prenatal damage (loss of oxygen to the brain) have also been linked to some mental illnesses.
Conclusion
To live your life to the fullest, it is imperative that you spend your time, energy, and soul in making sure you stay physically and mentally healthy. Mental disorders are common, just like physical diseases. Everyone gets affected with one or two forms of mental illness at some point in their lives. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, working or unemployed, wise or eccentric. Mental health is your right. You are NOT crazy. Just observe what’s going on in your body and what’s happening around you, stay mentally healthy, live a more fulfilling and enjoyable life.
As people’s perception of mental health issues changes for the better, health insurance companies have started to offer medical insurance for mental illness. Earlier, health insurance plans catered only to physical illness. But after the implementation of the Mental Healthcare Act in 2018, health insurance companies are providing coverage of mental treatment similar to that of any physical illness.
Whether a plan covers mental illnesses specifically, or not, health insurance is imperative. Health insurance available on Bajaj Markets, offers extensive coverage to take care of your entire family’s health. Moreover, with the range of other benefits, you need not look elsewhere.
