How and why take care of your mental health?

Poor mental health can lead to many ills. One of the best known examples would be depression. The latter causes great suffering and can affect the professional, school and family life of the person concerned. In the most severe cases, depression can even lead to suicide. Taking care of your mental health is therefore as important as taking care of your physical health.

What is mental health?

Mental health is a state of well-being. It allows an individual to fulfill himself, to face the normal difficulties of life, to work successfully and to contribute to the life of his community. According to the WHO, "health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and does not consist only in the absence of illness or infirmity." There is no health without good mental health.

You must therefore succeed in balancing the social, physical, mental, economic, spiritual and emotional aspects of your life in order to maintain good mental health.

Mental health problems can be associated with different events. For example: rapid social change, difficult working conditions (pressure, hours, etc.), a feeling of discrimination or even social exclusion, an unhealthy lifestyle, etc.

Certain types of people are more likely than others to be mentally ill through influencing biological, personal, physical, social and economic factors.

Why take care of your mental health?

Good mental health is synonymous with balance in personal and professional life. It is essential, to be in good health, to preserve one's mental health because it fuels a feeling of general well-being.

Impaired mental health can have a variable impact on a person's daily life, both individually and collectively. These alterations can cause daily activity limitation and lead to isolation.

Mental health problems cause a lot of suffering. Depression is a serious example of a mental health problem. It’s a disease that causes negative thoughts, a loss of self-esteem, a feeling of guilt, an interest in one's deteriorating social life… We see “all in black”. The disease causes a general slowing down at all levels of life (social life, intellectual functioning, physical health, etc.). What makes depression such a serious illness is the intensity of the pain experienced by the person: Indeed, depression is the leading cause of suicide.

What habits are to be adopted?

Indeed, there are different habits to integrate into everyday life in order to take care of your mental health.

Avoid stress

Try to control your stress: relax, play sports, breathe.

Try to manage your emotions: if you are going through difficult times, talk about it around you, participate in support groups.

Trust yourself

Keep a positive mindset in your life and at work

Ask your employer to take measures to limit sources of stress, for example:

Set up training programs

Organize team meetings more often

Preventing psychological harassment at work

Maintain your social network

Take part in outdoor activities that you enjoy and take time for leisure

Avoid being alone when you are going through difficult times

Maintain and maintain positive relationships with your family, friends, colleagues ...

Adopt a healthy lifestyle

Eat a balanced diet and avoid consuming stimulants (coffee, tea, energy drinks)

Reduce or stop your consumption of alcohol, tobacco, drugs.

Do regular physical activity

Get enough sleep