Do you ever think about why mental health is important? You’ve heard what they say: Mental health is as important as physical health. But you hardly heard why people or mental health experts tell you why it is of paramount need. That’s why most people with mental health issues don’t come to the therapist’s clinic as much as they come to the dentist for a toothache. Some of them remain undiagnosed because they think that their behavior or habits are normal.
But not until they experience a drastic change in their quality of life, they come to the therapist’s door for a check-up or someone else refers them for therapy. These people have not been taking care of their mental health well enough because of some reasons but one thing is certain: the stigma still lives. Mental health should be taken seriously. In this blog, we’ll give you 12 reasons why mental health is important?
12 Reasons Why Mental Health is Important: Your Self-Care Guide
When was the last time you took a break? When was the recent “me” time that you have for yourself? If you answered no to the two questions, chances are, your mental health is declining. This is where you should improve. Below are the following reasons why mental health is important:
- You get a better performance
When you have optimum mental health as well as physical health, you are more likely to perform better. Whether it be for school, work, or a game, you’ll be able to give a high-quality performance. It’s important to pair mental health wellness with your physical health so that an individual can perform well. This means utilizing a healthy mind and body.
- You get a bright mindset
If your mind is in the game, you’ll be able to practice optimism and increase motivation to overcome whatever challenges you have. Getting this kind of outlook in life will benefit you because there are times we face problems. The struggle is normal, but you must deal with struggle with an undefeated mindset.
- You begin to acknowledge your feelings
When you feel tired, sad, angry, unmotivated, psychologists and other mental health professionals would encourage you to feel your emotions and acknowledge that they are there. Most people would repress these emotions, a form of toxic positivity, that would manifest in ugly ways if left bottled up. One of the reasons why mental health is important is because of self-awareness, a technique in acknowledging your feelings.
- You begin to think rationally
As per the previous item, acknowledging your feelings is a must. Once you identify the emotions that you are feeling you begin to find the root of the problem. You’re asking yourself, “why am I feeling this way?” or “did something recent trigger my emotions?’. Self-awareness is rationally thinking about what you are feeling and why you are feeling that way.
- You get better at planning
When you acknowledge that there’s something that you need to work on, you start to get better at planning strategies that may work for you. Like for example, experiencing difficult emotions like feeling anxious may be triggered through some sort of event, so you do your best to avoid that circumstance or work on your reaction.
- You can cope up with stress
Getting into a working plan to deal with your emotions effectively can help minimize stress. It can also maximize productivity. In life, there are many stressors that may push us to the edge but when you take good care of your mental health through careful handling of emotions, you can cope up with high levels of stress.
- You can get better communication skills
Have you ever had an emotional outburst like getting angry at people for little or no reason at all? Yes, that is a sign of poor mental health. If you’re a person who finds it hard to communicate effectively when angry, you may have anger management issues. On the other hand, if you tend to sulk in after having a bad conversation, you may withdraw from people for a long period and bottle up your feelings. When you value your mental health, you can work on anger management issues or other mental health-related communication deficits like dysphasia.
- You build healthy habits
When you know the importance of mental health in your life, you begin to get rid of bad habits such as overthinking, gaslighting, excessive alcohol and substance abuse. Instead, you’re going to build up healthy personal development habits such as telling yourself self-affirmations, doing meditations, or even journaling your emotions! There are so many things to do that can boost your mental health.
- You get your body to move
Give your body those much-needed endorphins when you allow yourself to workout or go for a walk! When you do this, you’re actually telling your brain to release those happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin. Some of the sweat-inducing activities also include yoga, belly-dancing, jogging, cycling, and swimming. Further researches say that working out has a significant boost in mental health and prevent regression.
- You get along with people
With great mental health comes great social health. People with declining mental health tend to socially withdraw. However, when you make that move to take good care of your mental health, you will eventually find yourself more connected to people. Because getting along with people means caring about their mental health, too so you do your best to be kind to them daily.
- You set healthy boundaries
It’s not everyday that we have the energy to have some social time. It’s important to have a “me” time, too. Mental health is about yourself and the people around you. The first thing you have to prioritize is yourself, so set healthy boundaries whenever you need to rest. Take that vacation leave, go to a park, and enjoy what you love. You should connect to yourself, too.
- You love yourself
The best image you can have is your self-image. When you take care of your mental health, you’re allowing yourself to see your value. You’re not just an employee, student, boss, volunteer, retiree, you’re also human with emotional needs. With the acknowledgement of emotional needs like love, forgiveness, patience, and encouragement, you will realize that you deserve these things.
M Psych: Your Mental Health Partner
If you want to achieve these benefits, then you should consider doing them one at a time.
Do you need a little push? We at M Psych can help you. Whether it be for healing trauma, working on your anger issues, or improving the way you look at yourself, we’re opening arms for you. Book our online counselling services.