If recent history has taught us anything about our approach to our health, it is that the more aware we become about certain issues surrounding health, the more driven we are to work towards finding viable, ongoing solutions to those issues. From your basic doctors’ appointments and nutritionist meetings, to processes like the removal of potentially cancerous moles, or even precision implant dentistry, our physical health is something that we are constantly striving to better nurture and understand. Throughout the years (and especially in recent history), the amount of research and studies that have accumulated to incorporate more in-depth understanding towards physical health has been nothing short of inspiring. It was a much-needed dose of reality that now seems to be a facet we cannot turn off. We are learning more about physical health all the time. And we can agree that this is nothing but a positive thing. Our mental health, on the other hand, is a facet of our overall health that unfortunately seems to be lacking in the same acknowledgement and support that our physical health has been garnering over the years.
Mental health refers to any aspect of health or the living experience that can be linked back to mentality and sound peace of mind. It might sound like an issue that is not altogether that common to some, but the reality is that mental health affects us all differently, and nobody is immune to its twists and turns. Quite literally anyone can be impacted by mental health struggles at any given time, and it is something that many people do not realise until they are faced with it themselves. This is the shocking truth, the harrowing reality, that so many people struggle to face every other day. While it is not exactly known how exactly the stigma surrounding mental health first came to be, it is undeniable that it has caused an exceedingly unhealthy approach to all things mental health. Many people consider mental health to be a behavioural issue that is a choice, rather than a disease. People look at mental health struggles and decide, without ever having experienced it themselves, that they are weaknesses. Not only is this categorically untrue, but it is unbelievably disheartening and entirely harrowing.
This stigma has created an approach to mental health from the masses that is unsupportive, unhealthy, and frankly nasty (to say the very least). This response is also partially responsible for why many people struggling with their mental health do not feel like they can possibly reach out for help. This leads them to struggle within themselves even more, which sometimes unfortunately results in dangerous, and even fatal, consequences. When you look at mental health with these facts, it is sadly easy to understand how this has become such a prominent health issue all over the world. Mental health has become such a prominent issue, in fact, that it is now considered to be a global epidemic. Millions of individuals all over the world struggle with their mental health, and the stigma and resulting attitude towards mental health has created a crater-like dynamic, wherein those suffering are trying to crawl out of the hole, while too many surround the peak of the sides, watching but not helping.
But now, this is finally changing. At long last, there are more studies and research being conducted. Unfortunately, the self-harm and death tolls surrounding those who have struggled with their mental health, have been rising. If there is any positivity to come out of this, it is that this is finally driving the conversation surrounding how to better approach mental health. Many people believe that mental health is easily seen, but the stigma has made it so that those suffering can often (if not always) put on a brave face all too well. Mental health can impact anyone, anywhere, anytime. It is so, so profoundly important that we all take a moment, take a step back, and realise this. Finally, the acknowledgement and public drive to make mental health awareness peak is creating a more supportive global infrastructure that makes people feel more comfortable in opening up about their struggles, and more supported in the process. Mental health is just as important (if not even more important, arguably) as physical health, and it is about high time that people took it as seriously as they should always have.
When it comes to nourishing, preserving, protecting, and understanding our health, it is fair to say that in recent years we have begun to learn more and more. In fact, never have we had as much information as we do right now. It is a facet that, now, will not turn back off. Of course, we are all for this. It is always a good thing to have more understanding of our physical health. But, we must have the same drive to nourish, preserve, protect, and understand our mental health as well. So far, this has unfortunately not been the case. There has been a preconceived stigma surrounding struggles with mental health that has been evident since the dawn of time. This stigma has essentially created what can only be described as a truly outrageous attitude towards struggles with mental health. We are finally reaching the point, however, where a turn in discussion is being reached. People are finally taking the adequate and much-needed time to approach mental health from a more honest, open, and supportive angle, rather than the judgemental and negative angle that has been taken in the past. There is still a way to go, but we are heading in the right direction.