[dropcap]N[/dropcap]agaland joined the rest of the world in marking this year’s World Health Day on 7th April 2014 on the theme “vector borne disease – small creatures: big threat”. World Health Day is celebrated on 7th April every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of World health Organization (WHO) in 1948. Each year, a theme is selected that highlights a priority area of public health. The day provides an opportunity for individuals in every community to get involved in activities that can lead to better health. A lot of focus and importance is given to the promotion of physical health and wellbeing as it is vital for the development of any society. As physical health is vital to each one of us, mental health also is important. Good health makes us live our lives comfortably but good mental health will enable us to live happily. Positive mental health needs attention and we have to promote it in all areas of life to improve the quality of our life and well being.Positive mental health is a state of well-being in which we realize our abilities, can cope with life’s normal stresses, and can work regularly and productively. Good mental health is the foundation for a person’s effective functioning. Focusing on mental health involves all the domains of Total Force Fitness: spiritual, psychological, behavioural, social, physical, nutritional, medical and environmental. As individuals, we must focus on the integration of mind, body and spirit in order to be balanced and strong, and to maintain our own good health. Mental health is more than the absence of mental illness. The World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her society.” According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, positive mental health has been described as “the capacity of each and all of us to feel, think, and act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with the challenges we face. It is a positive sense of emotional and spiritual well-being that respects the importance of culture, equity, social justice, interconnections and personal dignity”.
We know that people who are emotionally healthy are in control of their emotions and their behaviour. They are able to handle life’s challenges, build strong relationships, and recover from setbacks. But just as it requires effort to build or maintain physical health, so it is with mental and emotional health. Improving our emotional health can be a rewarding experience, benefiting all aspects of our life, including boosting our mood, building resilience, and adding to our overall enjoyment of life. It includes the way we feel about ourselves, the quality of our relationships, and our ability to manage our feelings and deal with difficulties appropriately. Mental health will enable us to handle life’s pressure in a proper manner that can make us mature individuals.
Good mental health isn’t just the absence of mental health problems. Being mentally or emotionally healthy is much more than being free of depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues. Rather than the absence of mental illness, mental and emotional health refers to the presence of positive characteristics. Similarly, not feeling bad is not the same as feeling good. While some people may not have negative feelings, they still need to do things that make them feel positive in order to achieve mental and emotional health. Positive thoughts will promote positive vibrations into our being and will promote positive mental health.
Being emotionally and mentally healthy doesn’t mean never going through bad times or experiencing emotional problems. We all go through disappointments, loss, and change. And while these are normal parts of life, they can still cause sadness, anxiety, and stress. The difference is that people with good emotional health have an ability to bounce back from adversity, trauma, and stress. This ability is called resilience. People who are emotionally and mentally healthy have the tools for coping with difficult situations and maintaining a positive outlook. They remain focused, flexible, and creative in bad times as well as good. It is a need for us today as we face more challenges of life more than ever now.
In order to maintain and strengthen our mental and emotional health, it’s important to pay attention to our own needs and feelings. Don’t let stress and negative emotions build up. Try to maintain a balance between daily responsibilities and the things enjoy doing. If we take care of ourselves, we will be better prepared to deal with challenges if and when they arise. Positive thinking will help us build positive lives with good values and attitudes towards life and its challenges. Positive mental health can help us deal with emotions such as anger and depression during difficult times and situations in a mature and appropriate manner.
We are social creatures with an emotional need for relationships and positive connections to others. We’re not meant to survive, let alone thrive, in isolation. Our social brains crave companionship, even when our experiences have made us shy and distrustful of others. Social interaction specifically talking to someone else about our problems can also help to reduce stress. The key is to find a supportive relationship with someone who is a “good listener” someone who can talk to regularly, preferably face-to-face, who will listen to us without a pre-existing agenda for how we need should think or feel. A good listener will listen to the feelings behind our words, and won’t interrupt or judge or criticize for whatever we share with them. It is time that we develop a friendship with someone we can talk to regularly, and then listen and support each other. Most of us feel alone and lonely in this beautiful universe where we could be enjoying life with everything in it to the fullest. We don’t have meaningful relationships that are supportive and healthy.
Our mental health is very important today. We will not have a healthy body if we don’t also take care of our mind. People depend on us in many respects and want to establish relationship that can ease their pain and stress. It’s important for us to take care of ourselves so that we can do the important things in life whether it’s working, learning, taking care of our family, volunteering, enjoying the outdoors, or whatever is important to us and we like doing. Good mental health helps us enjoy life and cope with problems. It offers a feeling of well-being and inner strength. Just as we take care of our body by eating right and exercising, we need do things to protect our mental health. In fact, eating right and exercising can help maintain good mental health. We have to work to keep our mind healthy.
The emergence of a positive mental health perspective needs shift in the focus of educators and health professionals. In educational institutions, positive mental health initiatives/programs need to focus on increasing students’ understanding of mental illness and preventative strategies through the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. Enhancing the quality of life of children and youth through prevention approaches has been shown to be very effective at reducing the risk of developing mental health-related concerns. It is time we prioritise the promotion of positive mental health. As we give importance to physical health and well being we need to educate ourselves on the need and importance of mental wellbeing and growth. It is a challenge to all of us that we seem to sleep over the problem not realising that it has long term impact and effect in each of us and the generations to come. Mental health affects the way we think and act and our behaviours so we need to focus our attention on mental health promotion for positive living.
Fr. Joe Mariadhas
St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama – Nagaland
