Mental health isn’t just about whether you’re mentally ill or not; it’s also about how you feel about yourself, how you deal with life situations, and how you adapt to them.
Mental health affects everything we do.
Stress, challenges, building strong personal connections, and recovering from setbacks and hardships affect your emotional well-being.
Mental or emotional health is not just about being free from mental illnesses; rather, it involves having positive traits.
Here’s something really important for everyone to remember no matter who we are or where we come from:
1. Feeling good about yourself
Because they don’t let themselves be defined by others’ opinions of them. They know that compassion is so important for living and growing. What other peoples’ opinions don’t concern them.
2. Don’t get overwhelmed with emotions
You can’t always be happy, but you can always choose to focus on your positive emotions instead of your negative ones.
You should always be careful about what to say and do when you feel certain feelings. It’s up to you to control yourself.
3. Have satisfying and lasting relationships
Regardless of how much effort you put into making yourself mentally and emotionally healthier, you still need the companionship of others to be able to feel well.
Healthy people understand that humans are social creatures who require positive interactions with others to feel good.
They know that we all need positive interactions with people.
We’re not meant to live alone; our social brains crave companionships even when we’ve become shy and distrustful of people.
4. Being comfortable with other people
They know that if you don’t feel comfortable in your own body, you will always be anxious around others and constantly worried about what others might say about you.
People who are mentally healthy are comfortable in their own skins; they don’t need to pretend to be something they’re not; they just naturally act themselves.
They are fully present, individually or in groups, when they speak to others. They completely acknowledge themselves and are comfortable with their own identity.
5. Laugh at your mistakes and with others
If you’re not taking yourself too seriously, then you won’t be too stressed out by making mistakes.
They know that laughing at ourselves tends to lead us to feel better and worry less. Less worried individuals are less likely to experience chronic stress.
6. Self-respect and respect for others even at disadvantage
People who are mentally healthy understand that they need to show self-discipline and compassion even when they have differences with others.
They know that respecting people means accepting them for who they are, whether you agree with them or not.
Trust, safety, and wellbeing are built by respecting others.
7. Able to accept disappointments
It doesn’t matter whether we try our best to avoid disappointments or plan more efficiently; they’re going to occur.
We live in an imperfect world, so we must be willing to tolerate its imperfections rather than allowing them to permanently damage us.
Healthy people realize that disappointment happens to everyone; they learn from it and move forward. There is no point wasting time feeling sorry for yourself because of some temporary setback.
8. Make your own decisions
A mentally healthy individual knows that he/she is ultimately responsible for his/her own life.
They know everything we think, say, and do affects our lives. Over time, they affect who we become. We must take responsibility for ourselves.
Often, it’s the smallest decisions that can affect your life for good or bad. So learn to make your own decisions, and be prepared to deal with the consequences.
9. Shape your own environment
A mentally healthy person understands that they are ultimately responsible for their own actions.
It’s important to recognize that people influence us. As a result, we need to be responsible for ourselves.
It’s often the smallest decisions that can change your life for good or for bad. So be ready to take responsibility for them.
10. Be yourself even with your differences
How would you describe yourself? Is there anything unique or special about you?
If you don’t know who you are, you’ll never know where you want to go. And if you don’t know where you want to get to, you won’t know how to get there.
You are unique because you are you. There is no other person exactly like you. Your personality traits, values, beliefs, likes, dislikes, habits, interests, etc., are all part of who you are. They define you.
Being yourself reflects your strong mental health and the keeps it in great shape.
To conclude
We don’t always possess all of the traits of good mental health at any given moment. However, we should strive for daily mental wellness.
Those people who are mentally healthy can handle stress better, meaning they are less likely to get depressed and anxious.
Practicing at least two or more aspects of these characteristics will help improve your mental and emotional health.