What is Mental Health and When to Seek Help

 Mental health” seems a scary subject for all of us. Having a mental health problem is often associated with “mental illness”, although it is a much broader term. Therefore, a discussion about mental health tends to find many of us unguarded and in denial, since it is so stigmatized in our society, a label that nobody wants to have. However, what is mental health?

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services defines mental health as including “our emotional, psychological, and social well-being”. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also determines how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.”

During our lifetime, we all face problems that affect our well-being. Relationship problems, workplace stress, financial struggles, loneliness, indecision, or health issues can destabilize our balance. Sometimes there are cumulated stressors that we need to deal with in the same time.

The mental health issues may come from present stressors, or they are caused by layers of challenging experiences over the years.

That is why sometimes the root of the problem is obvious, sometimes it is not. It is usually hard to perceive when a life challenge went above our threshold of resilience; and when we see it, we may have gone already too far in trying to deal alone with this challenge. When problems are not successfully addressed, painful emotions may appear (anxiety, anger, fear, depression), life is “out of control”.

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