Mental health is a crucial element of our overall well-being. It determines how we think, feel, and act daily. Understanding and taking care of our mental health will enable us to have a happy and full life. Further, we shall look into what mental health is, why it’s important, and ways through which we can maintain it.
Understanding Mental Health
Mental health is how we think and feel. It is very important. Everyone—every single person—has mental health. Just as physical health, mental health can be strong or weak; we need to take care of it every day.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is inside our mind. These are our feelings. These are our thoughts. Sometimes we feel somehow. Sometimes we feel a different way. This is all normal. But if we feel a different way for a long period, it is not good. We need help.
Our minds are extremely essential in different aspects. It helps us learn something, remember, talk to people, and even decide on what to have as a decision on something to do. Our mind makes us feel a lot of things; it can make us extremely happy, sad, be scared, and be excited.
When we are mentally healthy, we can do a lot of things. WE can attend school. WE can play with our friends. WE can enjoy our favourite food. We can sleep well at night. WE feel safe. WE feel loved.
Why is Mental Health Important?
Mental health enables us to leave well. It enables people to enjoy life. That’s when we are happy; we can do a lot of things like play, laugh, learn new things, spend time with family, and make friends.
It gets hard to do all this when we are not happy. To smile is hard. Learning is hard. Playing is hard. Talking to friends is hard. We feel alone. We feel scared. We feel sad.
It teaches us how to be strong. It teaches us how to be brave. It helps us to feel safe. Helps to feel love. Helps to like every day. Helps to create a problem. Helps to choose good decisions.
Signs of Good Mental Health
Excellent mental capacity is really vital. When we are healthy, we feel happy. We feel strong. We feel brave. We feel safe. We feel loved. We feel ready to learn. We feel ready to play. We feel ready to talk.
Good mental health means we can smile. It means we can laugh. It means we can enjoy the sun. It means we can enjoy the rain. It means we can enjoy our friends. It means we can enjoy our family. It means we can enjoy every day.
Good mental health means we can talk to others. When in good mental health, we can share our thoughts, share our feelings, and tell someone when we are happy, sad, or scared.
Good mental health means we can solve problems. We can think about what to do. We can ask for help if we need it. We can make good choices. We can take care of ourselves.
Signs of Poor Mental Health
Bad for our mental health It might make us feel very sad It could make us feel really angry It could make us very scared This could just make us feel so helpless This could also make us feel like not wanting to do anything.
Poor mental health can make us cry a lot. It can make us tired. It can make us feel weak. It can make us feel like we do not want to play. It can make us feel like we do not want to talk. It can make us feel like we do not want to eat.
Mental health problems should make us feel hopeless, as if nothing can change, that no one understands, that we are alone, that we will never be good enough.
Poor mental health can make us feel like we are always worried. We could be worried about school. We could be worried about friends. We could be worried about our families. We could be worried about everything.
How to Take Care of Mental Health?
Taking care of mental health is very important. There are many ways to do this.
- Talk to Someone: If we feel sad, we should talk to someone. It can be a friend. It can be a teacher. It can be a parent. Talking helps us feel better. Talking helps us not feel alone.
- Do Fun Things: We should do things we like. We can play games. We can draw pictures. We can listen to music. Fun things make us happy. Fun things help us forget about worries. Fun things help us feel good.
- Eat Healthy Food: Good food makes our body strong. Good food makes our mind strong too. We should eat fruits. We should eat vegetables. We should drink water. Healthy food helps us feel good. Healthy food gives us energy. Healthy food helps us think better.
- Sleep Well: Sleep is very important. When we sleep, our body rests. Our mind rests too. We should sleep for 8-10 hours every night. Sleep helps us feel good. Sleep helps us feel ready for the next day. Sleep helps us think better. Sleep helps us learn better.
- Exercise: Exercise is good for our body. It is good for our mind too. We can run. We can jump. We can dance. Exercise makes us feel strong. Exercise makes us feel happy. Exercise helps us have fun. Exercise helps us sleep better.
What to Do When We Feel Bad?
Sometimes, we may feel very bad. We may feel sad. We may feel angry. We may feel scared. We may feel like nothing will get better. This is a sign that we need help. We should not keep these bad feelings inside.
We can talk to a parent. We can talk to a teacher. We can talk to a friend. Talking helps us feel better. We can also do something fun. We can play a game. We can draw a picture. We can listen to music. Doing fun things helps us feel better.
We can take deep breaths. We can close our eyes. We can count to ten. This helps us feel calm. We can also write down our feelings. Writing helps us understand what we feel. Writing helps us feel better.
We can also spend time with a pet. Pets make us feel happy. Pets make us feel loved. We can play with a dog. We can cuddle a cat. Pets help us feel better.
If we still feel bad, we need more help. We should tell someone. We should not be afraid to ask for help. There are people who can help us.
Getting Help
If we feel badly, we are in need of help. We should not be afraid to ask for it. There are people who can help us out: doctors, including those who cure our minds; they’re specifically called therapists. They talk to us. They help us understand our feelings. They help us feel better.
Therapists are like friends. They listen to us. They don’t judge us. They show us how to feel safe. They help us feel strong. They help us find ways to feel better.
Sometimes, maybe we need to take medicine. Medicine can make our thoughts feel better. But a doctor can tell us if we need that medicine. There are right ways to take the medicine by the doctor. We feel very good with the medicine.
Could also join a group. In a support group, others are like us. We can talk with them. We can listen to them. We can learn from them. A group helps us not feel so alone. It helps us feel better.
Conclusion
Mental health is very important. It helps us live a happy life. We should take care of our mental health every day. We should talk to others when we feel bad. We should do fun things. We should eat good food. We should sleep well. We should exercise. We should take breaks. We should spend time with friends. We should spend time with family. We should enjoy nature. We should learn new things. We should always ask for help when we need it.
Mental health is like a garden. We need to water it. We need to give it sunlight. We need to take care of it. When we take care of it, it grows. It blooms. It makes us happy. It makes us strong. It helps us enjoy life.
