Step 1:
Understanding
What Is Mental Health
Mental health is all about our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It’s how we think, how we feel, and how we act. It is a crucial part of our health and well-being that helps us make decisions, build relationships, realize our abilities, cope with stresses of life, and shape who we are.
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Self Acceptance
Self acceptance is the act of understanding and recognizing one’s own attributes and skills. When we’re practicing self-acceptance, we are recognizing our weaknesses and strengths, and fully accepting ourselves for being ourselves. This will help understand the best way to approach your mental health.
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Stressors
There are two types of stressors that can affect us mentally: internal stressors and external stressors. External factors are forces that you may not have total control over such as major life events. Internal stressors on the other hand come from your thoughts and behaviors. Understanding these stressors can help improve your emotional intelligence and improve your mental state.
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Physical Health
Our physical health and mental health are closely connected. Mental health problems can come with physical symptoms. Depression, for example, can come with lots of headaches, fatigue, and digestive problems. Staying physically active and healthy can reduce these issues though, and improve both your physical health and mental health.
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Signs
There are a number of signs that could potentially indicate mental health issues, however they do not mean that you should self-diagnose. Some of these signs include changes in sleep patterns, weight or appetite change, personality or behavior changes, and excessive alcohol or drug usage. If you truly feel you are experiencing or witnessing these signs, talk to a professional or visit the third step “reaching out.”