Mental health illness is real because it impacts a person’s life completely. It can reduce the quality of relationships, decrease self-confidence and impact decision making ability. According to the statistics of National Institute of Mental Health, the prevalence of mental health issues is common in the USA. It can be clearly understood that approximately 1 in 5 Americans struggle with it. It means 52.9 million people in the year 2020. A serious problem that can surface is societal stigma. Societal stigma means unfavorable views present in society about a particular thing. In this context, it will be mental illness. Although there are above mentioned problems, the importance of mental health can never be ignored. 

 

Importance of Mental Health

Several reasons can motivate one to take care of their mental health. For example, it is important to build healthy habits, experience positive emotions and lead a happy life. It also enhances positive emotions, and increases the quality of relationships. 

We know that the mind and body have a strong connection with each other. If somebody is suffering from mental health issues, it is obvious that they will also suffer from physical health issues. For instance, depression has been associated with many bodily chronic diseases e.g. asthma, cancer, arthritis, and diabetes. Another mental health condition that is associated with respiratory and heart diseases is Schizophrenia. Consequently, the importance of mental health cannot be ignored. 

 

How does Mental Health Impact Physical Health?

Some people might think that mental health is different from physical health. In fact, both are closely connected. Just as mentioned above, stress has been associated with worsening heart health. According to the research mentioned in NCBI, it was concluded that stress (specifically acute psychosocial stress) negatively impacts heart health. So, it worsens the symptoms of Myocardial Infarction and arrhythmias. 

 

Poor Mental Health decreases the Quality of Relationships

Mental health impacts oneself on multiple levels. No doubt, it impacts relationships as well. For example, if somebody suffers from depression, they actively seek social isolation. It can negatively impact loved ones and friends. Communication plays an important role in maintaining the quality of relationships. Poor mental health can result in poor communication style e.g. irritation and shouting at others. 

Mental Health: The Impact on Professional life

When somebody suffers from mental health issues on a personal level, it also influences productivity levels. In this situation, employers can see low progress, poor communication, and absenteeism. According to the surveys conducted on employees, it was found that 82% of them felt that poor mental health impacts the quality of their work significantly. Moreover, only 53% of employees responded that poor physical health impacted their performance. 

 

How Does Poor Mental Health Impact Emotional Health?

Emotional health plays an important role in managing one’s unhealthy thoughts and feelings. It allows one to deal with the challenges of life effectively. Somebody who is emotionally intelligent can successfully maintain their emotional health. They are equipped with coping strategies that help them deal with trauma, bereavement, divorce, and joblessness. 

Importance of emotional health: We know that emotionally healthy people can regulate their thoughts and feelings successfully. Some people might have the misconception that increases in emotional health mean no unpleasant thoughts and feelings ever. It is not the case at all. Emotional resilience allows one to mature and become an internally strong person. Other benefits of emotional health are high self-awareness and increased well-being. 

In the above context, it has become easier to see that emotional health impacts productivity, the ability to give and receive feedback, and leadership. Undoubtedly, it influences your ability to get out of your comfort zone. 

In today’s world, it has become increasingly important to take care of your emotional health. We know that uncertainty, and stress has increased externally due to the pandemic. Therefore, it is important to take care of your mental health for better emotional health. 

Some tools and strategies that can help improve emotional health are:

• Staying honest
• Practicing gratitude
• Focusing on balance in life
• Working on hope
• Building connections with loved ones

 

What is the Significance of Professional Help?

One should assess the intensity of their mental illness. If it is mild, it can be easily tackled at home. However, if it is severe, the individual should seek professional help immediately. Some mental health issues that require professional help are Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Schizophrenia, Substance Use Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder. 

Moreover, professional help facilitates the development of insight, learning coping mechanisms, and practicing the strategies to maintain mental health. In this way, It can increase resilience against future mental health issues. 

Following are some Indicators that signal that someone needs help with mental health issues. 

• Mood changes: People who stop taking care of their hygiene and experience irritation frequently should seek professional help before the symptoms get worse. 

• Changes in sleep and hunger: These are very good indicators of mental health issues. For example, these symptoms are used to diagnose depression. Of course, a proper diagnosis is required from a professional to label someone with it.

• Social Withdrawal: Social withdrawal means that the person does not want to engage with others. It can mean that they are dealing with something on a personal level that they have become hesitant to engage with others. 

• Loss of functioning: it means that the person has stopped going to the office or engaging in daily activities. They do not even get up to feed themselves (problem with hunger). 

• Cognitive Distortions: Problems with thinking can trap one in a single perspective. It can decrease their decision-making ability. Hence, it can badly impact problem-solving at work and home.

• Lack of initiative: it takes motivation and courage to do something new. If somebody is suffering from mental problems, they do not feel the motivation to take initiative. Within a workplace setting, they hesitate to take on more responsibilities. So, it can hinder their professional growth.

 

Final Remarks

Mental health is extremely important to work on because it impacts all areas of one’s life. It influences physical and emotional health. When there is a negative impact on them, it decreases productivity, confidence, and problem-solving ability. Courses offered by the platform of Farskills are important for boosting mental health. 

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