Mental health is extremely important for everyone
and it needs to be carefully taken care of in order to have a good quality
life. But what is this “mental health” since so many people are talking about in our
society nowadays? Well, before I progress with my thoughts on it, here I begin (as I often do) with the scholastic
definition, most accredited academics of the world agreed upon: "Mental health encompasses emotional,
psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behaviour".
According to several organizations from the health field, mental health is "the
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 can contribute to his or her community". In other words, "it determines
how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and
decision-making, including subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy,
autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of
one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others".
Pretty complex, isn’t it?! Of course it is, and that’s why governments allocate
tremendous resources (accessible and comprehensive)
in order to empower individuals with knowledge, but it is up to each person to
be willing to stay informed and up to date on this matter.
For your reference, here I’m sharing a fragment from the Government of Canada's website (the Division of Public Health Services), which lists few valuable points, concerning mental health:Fragment: "How can you
take care of your mental health?"
Take
care of your mental health in the same way you would take care of your physical
health. It takes practise, patience and support.
You
can maintain or improve your mental health by following the advice below:
- Know
and accept that life can be challenging.- Know
and accept your strengths and weaknesses.
- Set
realistic goals for yourself.
- Accept
yourself and others. This is the basis of self-esteem.
- Learn
to recognize and understand that you and others have both positive and negative
feelings.
- Create
a sense of meaning in your life by learning and trying new activities, like
starting a hobby.
- Create
healthy, trusting relationships with people who accept and support you.
- Building
a supportive community is an important way to improve mental health.
- Making
meaningful connections with your family, friends, peers, colleagues and other
members of your community can help you feel: like you belong, safe and secure, free
to express your thoughts and feelings on issues that are important to you.
- You
can help create a healthy and safe environment where you live, learn, work and
play by:
* knowing
and accepting that everyone has difficulties in their lives
* taking part in local events and getting to know your neighbours
* finding ways to get involved and giving back to your community
* supporting and including people of different ages and backgrounds in your
community
Also,
for my Romanian readers, below I’m publishing a text written by professor,
doctor Leon Dănăilă, for whom I have a tremendous respect. (As a courtesy,
here I’m publishing the text in original, asking the non-Romanian
speaking readers to use the automated translator installed at the bottom of the
page. Thank you!)
NOTE: Neuroplasticity
is the brain’s capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to
life experiences.
"Dragii mei, dragile mele,
Astăzi vreau să împărtășesc cu voi câteva modalități
simple de a stimula neuroplasticitatea:
- Utilizați mâna nedominantă: Faceți activități zilnice,
cum ar fi spălatul pe dinți sau folosirea furculiței cu mâna mai puțin
folosită. Acest exercițiu, cunoscut sub numele de neurobice, consolidează
conexiunile dintre celulele creierului.
- Călătoriți: Explorați locuri noi și expuneți-vă creierul
la stimuli inediți și medii înconjurătoare noi pentru a deschide noi căi
neuronale.
- Antrenați-vă memoria: Utilizați mnemotehnici pentru a
vă exersa memoria, stimulând conectivitatea rețelelor neuronale.
- Citiți ficțiune: Cititul unui roman și implicarea în
acțiunea acestuia îmbunătățesc conectivitatea creierului și activitatea în
regiunile responsabile pentru senzații și mișcare.
- Dansați: Practicarea dansului reduce riscul de
dezvoltare a bolii Alzheimer și îmbunătățește conectivitatea neuronală, datorită
implicării multiplelor funcții ale creierului.
- Asigurați-vă un somn adecvat: Somnul ajută la
consolidarea învățării prin creșterea spinilor dendritici și transferul
informațiilor între neuroni. Recomandat este un somn de minim 7 ore pe noapte.
- Faceți exerciții fizice și meditați: 30 de minute de
exerciții fizice zilnic sau meditația contribuie la formarea de noi sinapse,
iar consumul de flavonoide (cacao, afine)
și antioxidanți (ceai verde) susține
plasticitatea creierului.
Încercați aceste metode pentru a vă menține creierul în
formă și a spori agilitatea mintală, indiferent de vârstă!"
So,
dear friends, reading only the brief thoughts shared above, I guess we could safely
imply that more often than we think, our mental health is in our hands and
taking it seriously is an essential part of our
overall well-being.
Your mental health is crucial; make time for it like your life
depends on it, because it does!
