Mental health is a term used to describe either a level of intellectual or emotional well being or an absence of a mental disorder. Mental health may include an individual’s ability to enjoy life and bring a balance between activities of life and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. The World Health Organization defines mental health as ” a state of well being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”
Mental health is the balance between all aspects of life – social, physical, spiritual and emotional. It impacts on how we manage our surroundings and make choices in our lives – clearly it is an integral part of our overall health. Mental health is far more than the absence of mental illness and has to do with many aspects of our lives including:-
(a) How we feel about ourselves, (b) How we feel about others, (c) How we are able to meet the demands of life.
Maintaining Mental Health Involves:-
(i) Attention to lifestyle – We need a good balance between work and study and leisure pursuits. (ii) Social contact – having contact with others whose company we enjoy. (iii) Reviewing our lives from time to time. (iv) Having people in our lives we trust. (v) Awareness of what can go wrong. (vi) Taking steps to resolve problems.
