On Mental Well-Being

By Paula Kanjanabout

When I think of mental well-being, I think of every aspect of one's well-being. There is emotional well-being which includes happiness, interest in life, and satisfaction. There is psychological well-being which includes liking most parts of one's own personality, being able to manage the responsibilities of daily life, having good relationships with others, and being satisfied with one's life. The ability to function in social roles and to participate in meaningful social interactions is an important aspect of mental health and it helps in preventing stress and mental disorders and illnesses. Having a harmonious relationship between body, mind and spirit will help prevent physcial health and mental health. Mental well-being is caring about oneself, caring for oneself, loving oneself and that means to eat well, sleep well, exercise and enjoy one's time alone as well as with others. Mental well-being is when one realizes one's own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to one's community. Well-being to me is the need to make time each day for silence and peace. The world is so noisy. As adults we are taught to never be still and never to be quiet. We are surrounded by constant noise. There is noise from people. There is noise from transportation. We rush outside to go into the noise then we have to go back into it to go home. There is noise from our phone. As our phones are ringing, our social media alerts are dinging, and noise fills our world and our minds with unnecessary and non-essential information. As technology grows, it seems to keep some of us in an unrealistic and unhealthy mindset. We watch and worry about what other people are doing instead of living our own life now in the present and that's what keeps us from moving forward in life. As kids, we were taught to be still and quiet but now the role has changed and we as adults have to force ourselves to go back to being a kid. Who wouldn't want to go back to being a kid? To get lost in what you love to do is what it means to be a kid. I am doing it! I have taught myself to go back to my childhood days and that is helping me have a healthier state of mind and that seems to be helping my overall well-being. It's so important that we take time out each day to clear the mind. Our minds are cluttered with stress, concerns, and worries especially with everything going on today, which also includes endless external stimulation. So many of us are listening and watching the news and most of it is bad news and brings negative energy and can leave us feeling sad and blue and that's not helping our well-being. We hardly ever just stop to be still to allow the mind to be in a quiet state and be quiet. I do believe that the mind that never expresses quiet, never turns off and that's what makes many of us anxious and that can cause anxiety and depression. There are many studies that have shown noise to have serious negative effects on our mental well-bein and by adding some silence to our day can bring peace and harmony and with that brings healing to the mind, body and soul. I practice meditation daily to clear and quiet my mind and I recommend that everyone add some meditation to their life. Being confident in your truth and speaking your truth is very important with one's mental well-being. Being in charge of your environment and being in control of what you have and who you have in your environment will play an important role in how your mental well-being is affected. I recommend to continue to learn and develop new skills and experiences that improve one's mental well-being is where one should focus the mind. Everyone should do things that challenge the mind and body like singing or playing an instrument, dancing, traveling, or spending time with good people in your life who reciprocate empathy, intimacy and affection. Those are some of my favorite things to do! We should have a purpose in life and should work on finding what it is. We should be giving and be willing to share our time with others. Connecting with others who share something in common with us and who is good for your soul is rare and we should care enough to fight for those kind of connections. In conclusion, there are many reasons to make time for mental health and well-being. It can help reduce tension and stress. It allows the brain a break so it can recharge to promote calm, and inner peace. One must be mindful and learn to be in the present moment. Mindfulness is so important especially with all the distractions there are now and as technology grows and more people are home due to our present circumstance, the mind seems to be growing further away from reality and away from what's important. We must learn to put down our phone and our shut down our computers and connect with what's real and stay present in order to have a healthy mindset and to have a healthy state of mental well-being.

By Paula Kanjanabout

Holistic Lifestyle Advocate Graduate