What is mental health?

Mental health is one of the parts in the state of health that allows us to recognize our own potential, handle stress, and work effectively. The mental health condition is the factors that decide our destiny from childhood to adulthood. Mental health problems may occur through biological factors, surrounding environment, or family background. Fortunately, it can be recovered by taking some time through medical methods.

Based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey, it states that three out of ten adults with 16 years old or above in Malaysia are suffering mental health problems in their life. What’s worse is that COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 makes more the mental health problems due to lay-off, economic depression, pandemic of fear or financial problems. The suicide case becomes serious in the world due to job loss and pressure.

Early Warning Signs

In order to determine whether someone is facing mental health problems, there are some early warning signs for you to observe:

• Loss or excessive of appetite

• Lose interest in everything

• Having Self-injury or suicidal ideation

• Hearing voice, seeing or believing things that are not real

• Heavy smoking, drinking or taking drug

• Reluctant to socialize and interact with people

• Emotional instability such as depression, anger, anxiety or excitement

• Chronic insomnia

• Unable to work properly

Why a positive mental health is important in our life?

From childhood into adulthood, mental health plays a vital role in our daily life to face different challenges.

1. Cope with the stresses of life

Stress is common in our life that affected by the surrounding things such as works, family and money matters. In order to maintain our physical health, positive mental health is the key to cope with our stresses. When we are able to cope with our stresses, it helps us to prevent from health problem, including blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

2. Promote productivity and effectiveness in activities

It cannot be denied that positive mental health can help to promote our productivity and effectiveness at school or at work thereby improve economic performance. If the mental health problems occur on employers and business, the chance of absenteeism of work is higher. Indirectly, employee morale will be impacted adversely and thus deteriorate the proper operation of the business.

3. Benefit to physical health

The mind-body connection is true on us. If there has been a problem in mental health, the chance to get sick is higher due to it lowers our immune system to defend the body against sickness. In contrast, positive mental health improves our physical health because it helps us to cover the negative emotions thereby preventing from the mental illness.

4. Make meaningful contributions to communities

With a positive mental health, the surrounding people can be influenced by our positive energy through verbal and nonverbal communication or group activity. As a result, the spread of positive energy will be larger and larger indirectly. In addition, positive mental health makes us want to do right things rather than to do bad things.

5. Realize our full potential

Full potential can be realized if we have a positive mental health. The principle is that it makes us to get active and ambitious, then we will be willing to attempt try new and unfamiliar things. Over a long period, we may find out our favourite things to do and continuously to practice it well. Unlike negative mental health it makes us self-distrustful to face a challenge and escape from reality.

6. Not easily subject to external disturbance

People with negative mental health can be easily influenced by the external disturbance or trifling matter, even it is none of their business. It makes us depressed and afraid in their life. Positive mental health will make our life better because we will more focus on our goals and dreams and have no time to concern about insignificant things, which makes them feel unrestrained and prospective.

7. Proceed to success

As we know, positive mental health allows us to set specific goals and put effort to accomplish their dreams with positive thoughts. We will put our mind on what we want to realize actively. Compared with negative mental health, it makes us not dare to do what we love due to worrying about failure, mistake, difficulty, and frustration during the process. It is impossible for them to become successful in their life.

8. Build a better relationship

In this society, people with positive mental health will be more appreciated than with negative mental health due to their attractive personality and make others want to know you. However, people with negative mental health may scare others away by their negative emotion and thoughts.

9. Maintain a regular lifestyle

Depending on our mental health, the regular lifestyle can be influenced, including eating habits and sleep quality. For example, binge eating or anorexia probably happened to those who have mental health problems. It can also lead to insomnia due to stress in workplace, finances, school or family. Positive mental health

10. Determine your quality of life

Mental health is one of the factors that determines your life is good or bad. Positive mental health leads our life with full of positive energy and directional. Failure to maintain our mental health will destroy our normal life and make it fall into confusion.

How to maintain and improve positive mental health?

• Seek counselling services if necessary, to speak out your personal, emotional or mental health issues

• Eat well to get sufficient nutrition for your body because physical health is also good for your mental health

• Get enough sleep to improve mental and body health (at least 8 hours a day)

• Do exercise regularly (e.g. jogging, yoga, workout, aerobic exercise)

• Do what you are good at to find pleasure in it

• Take a break when you do something to relax yourself

• Meet positive friends and avoid negative people

• Help others so that you can feel happy