Mental health

What does ‘mental health’ mean?

Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is a “state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community”.

What does good mental health mean?

I’m not wild about the wording of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, but it’s how lots of us think about mental health, rather than our mental health operating on a sliding scale, which is probably more realistic.

However, some examples of ‘good’ mental health are: 

What does bad mental health mean?

Again, I think people are becoming much more aware that mental health isn’t good or bad, but it’s more on a sliding scale.

Some examples of mental health experiences which are probably unhelpful are:

Are mental health issues hereditary?

There are various schools of thought about mental health and genetics. Many genetics professionals are involved in ongoing projects to explore the relationship between genetics and health.

Separate to genetics is the topic of learned behaviours and habits, which are often borrowed from those we go up around. This is a hugggge topic with a lot of resources available on its many many perspectives, I’m aiming to develop some downloadable resources to help you in this area soon.

Are mental health problems increasing?

For a really, really long time, people have been rejected for honestly expressing emotions or difficulties.

Think about the ‘stiff upper lip’ or similar sayings associated with being “British”; unemotional and resolute. These can certainly be commendable characteristics in certain situations and experiences, but bottling things up all the time is rarely healthy or helpful.

Or what about “man up”, the outdated quip intended to immediately stop someone displaying their emotions or struggles, especially men. “Man up” implies that showing emotion or struggling in a situation is “bad” and something that “real men” don’t do. I’m cringing while writing that, and I hope it really is a saying that’s on its way out, because it’s immensely unhelpful.

These are just two examples of how in the not too distant past, people were absolutely discouraged and even forbidden from opening up about emotional struggles, or talking to someone about their worries. They would be shamed, criticised and shunned, just for being brave enough to be honest.

Mental health issues may be becoming more commonplace, but it could also be the case that talking about mental health is becoming more normalised and encouraged, so people are less terrified of speaking up or seeking help.

Can mental health affect physical health?

Yes, absolutely!

Have you heard of the term somatic health? It’s a growing body (pun intended!) of health professionals who use the mind-body connection for movement. While the idea appeared in the 70s in the Western world, it has lots of Eastern influences. Yoga is an example of a somatic practice. 

How to improve your mental health

tcIt sounds cheesy, but just talking to someone about things you’re keeping to yourself that are troubling you can be an absolute gamechanger.

Talking to a trusted friend who will listen is perhaps the easiest thing to do first for a lot of people.

Talking to a qualified mental health professional such as a therapist can often be arranged through private health insurance, or you can self refer yourself for NHS talking therapies. 

There are many different types of therapy available, including:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – uses mindfulness skills to help people live and behave in ways consistent with their personal values, while developing psychological flexibility.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – a talking therapy that helps people understand and change their thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) – DBT is based on CBT and is adapted for people who feel emotions intensely. Dialectical means trying to understand how two apparently opposing ideas can both be true.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) – a powerful, scientifically proven methodology to help people to recover from trauma and traumatic events. The EMDR Association has a great video overview about EMDR here.

Physical activity can be a great way of distracting your mind from overthinking or repetitive thinking, and even just doing an alternative activity to distract your brain can help – for example, doing a crossword, or doing some mental arithmetic, saying a riddle over and over or knitting. These practices need your brain to engage in them, which means that it can’t continue its repetitive thoughts all the time you pre-occupy it in a constructive activity.

Sleep is also, thankfully, becoming more precious and appreciated, and less like something that tough people or high performers can do without because they’re too busy for sleep.

A good night’s sleep is widely reported as being one of the best self care acts you can prioritise and a key contributor to a healthy mind.

When mental health affects work

Advice on what to do varies hugely, from detach your mind from work and crack on, through to offload to your manager and tell them all your feelings; and everything in between.

It’s totally your choice when considering what your options are and which you want to take. There are probably many factors to take into consideration when you’re wondering whether, or how, to talk to your employer if you’re struggling with mental health.

If you’re worried about bringing up mental health at work, or don’t know what to say, it’s worth confiding in an HR professional for some off the record advice, or ACAS if there’s nobody at work you want to start a conversation with.

However you approach opening up about your mental health at work, it’s really important that you appreciate that you absolutely have the right to discuss your mental wellbeing in a confident and respectful environment.