We all must have come across several trends on Tik-Tok, Instagram, or other social media sites where people make reels on various mental health challenges (eg. Put-a-finger-down challenge) and self-diagnose themselves with ADHD, anxiety, or even depression.
Sometimes these topics are so relatable that we think, “Oh god, that’s totally me”. Of course we do, because the qualities the person describes are how most people experience life at our age. But, what exactly is this mental health? Why should this topic be a matter of concern?
How do we maintain it? Well, let’s see!
What is Mental health?
When we talk about mental health, we look at the person’s emotional stability, psychological, and social well-being. It has an impact on how we think, feel, and act. Mental health also helps decide upon how we handle problems and make decisions.
Mental Health isn’t limited to a certain age group and is important for everyone. However, when we look at the problems faced by people, most of the surveys indicate to a certain group of people who relatively face more mental health issues than the others do—yes, it’s us, the Gen Z.
In a survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review, it was revealed that about half of both Gen Zs and millennials ranked their mental health as their first or second priority in life amongst which Forty-eight percent of Gen Zs and 44% of millennials claim to be feeling anxious or stressed most of the time.
Mental Health Issues—Myth or Fact?
Mental health Issues affect everyone however there are myths about this topic which attempt to cover the importance of this topic.
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Myth: “This is just a phase of life, you will get over it once you grow older.”
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Fact: No! This isn’t just a ‘phase’. It is something that will affect us even in the future if ignored. Ignorance isn’t the solution.
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Myth: “Children don’t suffer from mental health Issues.”
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Fact: The point here isn’t about age, it’s the surroundings. The unnecessary stress put upon us by schools/colleges, parents, friends, in general, our surroundings are primary contributors to the deterioration of our health. Unfortunately, less than 20% of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need. Early mental health support can help a child before problems interfere with other developmental needs.
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Myth: “Personality weakness causes these problems. If they try hard, they can get over it.”
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Fact: These problems have nothing to do with the character of a person. They simply need support to get better and nothing more. There are other factors which contribute to these problems like biological factors; genes, injuries or life experiences; trauma, abuse. This can also be due to a family history of mental health issues.
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Myth: “If a person is suffering from mental health issues, they can’t recover at all.”
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Fact: This is a big NO! Do not have the perception that a person can’t recover because the whole point of this being a concern is to spread awareness and help people maintain or improve their situation and to not give up.
Maintaining and Improving Mental Health
There has been a common perception that maintaining mental health is hard and improving it is impossible. Wrong. Recovery is possible. Of course it isn’t easy, many have been through it or are still going through it and understand the seriousness of this situation but that doesn’t mean that you should give up.
—Start off with something simple like a plan.
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Point out the things you want to do and make a list.
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Set goals for yourself and how you plan on achieving them.
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Point out things/events you like and even the ones you don’t. This will help you manage your time better.
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Keep yourself busy with things you enjoy.
—Talk to someone.
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Reach out to someone for help.
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This might not be easy but trying it won’t cause harm when the other person is someone who you can trust and confide to.
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If you still aren’t comfortable with someone you know, you can always contact your nearest mental health support groups.
You can find helplines for certain regions here.
Mental health isn’t something that can get better over-night. It needs to be taken care of constantly just like how we take care of our body. At the same time, giving up won’t get you anywhere as that makes it even worse. There are various ways to maintain and improve mental health aside from the ones mentioned above, you just have to find the ‘right’ one for yourself.
