“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.“

In this age when technology has encroached our lives and AI is ready to take it to another level, each one of us is constantly being bombarded with lots and lots of information. And even if we are hesitant to accept, this information overload is draining us significantly. Although, some of the content is really enlightening, rest of it simply creates confusion, right from what to eat, when to sleep, how to earn money to what not. Mental health is not an exception to this. We can definitely agree that internet has helped raising awareness in the society about importance of mental health but at the same time, it also created doubts in our minds about what it actually is and is mental wellness achievable. Let’s try to clear some of the doubts through this post.

“When you hear the words ‘mental wellness,’ what comes to mind? Happiness? Therapy? No stress? Or something else?” For most of us, it is just absence of any serious mental illness. If I am not suffering from “depression”, “Schizophrenia”, “anxiety”, I am absolutely fine. For others, it means being always positive, feeling happy all the time and leading a perfect life without any problems!! But that’s not mental wellness all about because life doesn’t go our way, it gives us disappointments, frustrations, anger, and lot more to deal with and not just happiness. So basically, mental wellness is the ability to understand our emotions, maintain balance between mind and body, cope with challenges in healthy ways, adapt to changes in life, make meaningful relationships and seek support when needed. It is not just a state to achieve but an active, ongoing process of feeling balanced, resilient, and positive in our emotional, psychological, and social life.

Let’s now look at some of the indicators of good mental wellness

• Awareness of our own emotions
• Time to time recovery from setbacks
• Ability to communicate our needs
• Letting go of perfectionism
• Ability to adapt to the situations
• Ability to find happiness in small things

We can definitely work upon our mental wellness by following certain habits

• Physical movement and exercise
• Quality sleep
• Living in present
• Being kind to self
• Maintaining healthy relationships
• Perusing hobbies that bring joy.
• Taking professional help if necessary

Although, these are some of the basic habits to follow, remember that each person can experience mental wellness differently. For eg. for one person it may mean feeling safe emotionally and for someone it may be just being able to maintain healthy boundaries. In short, there is no one size fits all criteria here, so don’t fall for someone else’s idea just follow things that support the life you want to live.

Put in comments “What exactly mental health means to you?” and “What’s that one habit you’ll prioritize this week to achieve mental wellness?”

“Mental wellness is not a destination but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going!!”