When we hear the word “Health” or we strive to be “Healthy”
– the components we automatically associate with this are usually based solely
on fitness & nutrition. While it is true that the foods we consume &
how frequently we move our bodies do play a significant role in fighting
illness & maintaining a healthy weight, an important (and too often
overlooked) aspect is our mental health. To look and feel our best, we must
address both physical and mental elements. To achieve optimal health, we
cannot have one without the other.
Health itself is multi-faceted and is affected by every aspect of your life – whether it be physical, mental, emotional or social influences. All these factors contribute to your overall health & wellbeing – which is strongly linked to your personal happiness and life satisfaction. Listed below are some of the vital elements thought to shape your health as a whole:
- Happy relationships with friends, family and/or partner
- Enjoyable & fulfilling career
- Enough money
- Regular exercise
- Nutritional diet
- Adequate sleep
- Beliefs(spiritual and/or religious)
- Hobbies & leisure activities
- Healthy self-esteem
- Optimistic outlook
- Realistic & achievable goals
- Sense of purpose
- Sense of belonging
- Ability to adapt to change
- Living in a fair & democratic society
In short, Health is so much more than eating well and keeping fit.
The main focus of this post is to draw more attention in particular to MENTAL HEALTH. This holds a personal significance for me and through my own experiences has created a purpose and a passion to continue to create awareness about something that could affect any of us at any time.Mental Health is something we all need to be more aware of, understanding of and educated about. It is both sad & hard to believe that in a society where mental illness is so common – there is still a stigma attached. I strongly believe that the more people talk about it, seek help for themselves and offer support to others , the sooner we will be on our way to ‘normalising’ mental illness, in the same way that we would any other illness – be it a broken arm or the common cold. A mental illness is just as real, just as painful and just as debilitating as a physical illness. By the same token, it is also just as treatable – but there needs to be equal understanding & support when it comes to our brain as there is for any other physical part of our body or body system that is damaged or ill.
Let’s start with the facts. In Australia, it is estimated that 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime – Depression and Anxiety being the most common. In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression and over 2 million have anxiety. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. While depression and anxiety are different conditions, it is not uncommon for them to occur at the same time. Over half of those who experience depression also experience symptoms of anxiety. In some cases, one can lead to the onset of the other – which in my case, was exactly how it happened.Years of built up anxiety surrounding study, work, relationships, body image, social situations & personal circumstances, gradually led to an onset of depressive symptoms that became so debilitating I was no longer able to work and dreaded being around other people. I no longer enjoyed the things I used to, was constantly tired and every little thing was too much of an effort. The only things I wanted to do on a daily basis were to eat and to sleep. Anything further than this would have me constantly on the verge of tears and in a constant state of anxiety - heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, shaking and panic attacks. There would be days where I would sit in my car for hours and cry for no reason other than feeling so completely alone. For those of you who know me, you would know that this is not due to lack of amazing family & friends – had I gone to them for support, they would have welcomed me with open arms. It was my own insecurities that led me to feel embarrassed to ask for help, assuming that no one would understand and that I needed to just ‘get over it’ and ‘get on with it’. This attitude towards my condition only made things worse until I finally things became out of control. The first step for me was acceptance. Accepting that it was not a sign of weakness and having the courage to trust in others for guidance and support. Though I am by no means at the end of my journey – a weight was lifted from my shoulders the day I accepted things as they were and sought help to do something about it.
I hope that my story inspires more people to open up, ask for help and realise that it is not your fault and it will get better. Have faith in humanity that compassion still exists. For those of you that haven’t had a personal experience with mental illness (whether it be yourself, a friend or family member) I urge you to remember this:
Mental Illness does not discriminate. Even the most extraordinary and privileged life can be miserable and isolating when the mind is sick. We don’t get to decide how happy someone should feel by how wonderful the world is around them. This is something I struggled to understand about my own situation, as I felt guilty for feeling anything other than happy. With everything going my way, beautiful family and friends, a good job and good physical health – I was still not immune to mental illness.
My advice to anyone currently struggling, don’t blame yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help. It doesn’t make you any less brave, smart or grateful for the things you do have. If anything it makes you more so!
Be kind to others and be kind to yourself – your happiness is your health!
If only ONE person reads this and is able to either help themselves or help a friend, then I have succeeded in what I wanted this post to achieve.The quote below was given to me by a beautiful friend and is an important reminder for when things seem too tough to continue. Remember you are always stronger than you give yourself credit for!! Both physically and mentally, your mind and your body are capable of amazing things!
MelHealth itself is multi-faceted and is affected by every aspect of your life – whether it be physical, mental, emotional or social influences. All these factors contribute to your overall health & wellbeing – which is strongly linked to your personal happiness and life satisfaction. Listed below are some of the vital elements thought to shape your health as a whole:
- Happy relationships with friends, family and/or partner
- Enjoyable & fulfilling career
- Enough money
- Regular exercise
- Nutritional diet
- Adequate sleep
- Beliefs(spiritual and/or religious)
- Hobbies & leisure activities
- Healthy self-esteem
- Optimistic outlook
- Realistic & achievable goals
- Sense of purpose
- Sense of belonging
- Ability to adapt to change
- Living in a fair & democratic society
In short, Health is so much more than eating well and keeping fit.
The main focus of this post is to draw more attention in particular to MENTAL HEALTH. This holds a personal significance for me and through my own experiences has created a purpose and a passion to continue to create awareness about something that could affect any of us at any time.Mental Health is something we all need to be more aware of, understanding of and educated about. It is both sad & hard to believe that in a society where mental illness is so common – there is still a stigma attached. I strongly believe that the more people talk about it, seek help for themselves and offer support to others , the sooner we will be on our way to ‘normalising’ mental illness, in the same way that we would any other illness – be it a broken arm or the common cold. A mental illness is just as real, just as painful and just as debilitating as a physical illness. By the same token, it is also just as treatable – but there needs to be equal understanding & support when it comes to our brain as there is for any other physical part of our body or body system that is damaged or ill.
Let’s start with the facts. In Australia, it is estimated that 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime – Depression and Anxiety being the most common. In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression and over 2 million have anxiety. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. While depression and anxiety are different conditions, it is not uncommon for them to occur at the same time. Over half of those who experience depression also experience symptoms of anxiety. In some cases, one can lead to the onset of the other – which in my case, was exactly how it happened.Years of built up anxiety surrounding study, work, relationships, body image, social situations & personal circumstances, gradually led to an onset of depressive symptoms that became so debilitating I was no longer able to work and dreaded being around other people. I no longer enjoyed the things I used to, was constantly tired and every little thing was too much of an effort. The only things I wanted to do on a daily basis were to eat and to sleep. Anything further than this would have me constantly on the verge of tears and in a constant state of anxiety - heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, shaking and panic attacks. There would be days where I would sit in my car for hours and cry for no reason other than feeling so completely alone. For those of you who know me, you would know that this is not due to lack of amazing family & friends – had I gone to them for support, they would have welcomed me with open arms. It was my own insecurities that led me to feel embarrassed to ask for help, assuming that no one would understand and that I needed to just ‘get over it’ and ‘get on with it’. This attitude towards my condition only made things worse until I finally things became out of control. The first step for me was acceptance. Accepting that it was not a sign of weakness and having the courage to trust in others for guidance and support. Though I am by no means at the end of my journey – a weight was lifted from my shoulders the day I accepted things as they were and sought help to do something about it.
I hope that my story inspires more people to open up, ask for help and realise that it is not your fault and it will get better. Have faith in humanity that compassion still exists. For those of you that haven’t had a personal experience with mental illness (whether it be yourself, a friend or family member) I urge you to remember this:
Mental Illness does not discriminate. Even the most extraordinary and privileged life can be miserable and isolating when the mind is sick. We don’t get to decide how happy someone should feel by how wonderful the world is around them. This is something I struggled to understand about my own situation, as I felt guilty for feeling anything other than happy. With everything going my way, beautiful family and friends, a good job and good physical health – I was still not immune to mental illness.
My advice to anyone currently struggling, don’t blame yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help. It doesn’t make you any less brave, smart or grateful for the things you do have. If anything it makes you more so!
Be kind to others and be kind to yourself – your happiness is your health!
If only ONE person reads this and is able to either help themselves or help a friend, then I have succeeded in what I wanted this post to achieve.The quote below was given to me by a beautiful friend and is an important reminder for when things seem too tough to continue. Remember you are always stronger than you give yourself credit for!! Both physically and mentally, your mind and your body are capable of amazing things!
“Breathe. You’re going to
be okay. Breathe and remember that you’ve been in this place before. You’ve
been this uncomfortable and anxious and scared, and you’ve survived. Breathe
and know that you can survive this too. These feelings can’t break you. They’re
painful and debilitating, but you can sit with them and eventually, they will
pass. Maybe not immediately, but sometime soon, they are going to fade and when
they do, you’ll look back at this moment and laugh for having doubted your
resilience. I know it feels unbearable right now, but keep breathing, again and
again. This will pass. I promise it will pass” – Unknown
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