How frustrating it is when you want to fix something but your tools aren’t working properly. Especially when you knew they were broken, but didn’t think it would be a problem until you needed them!

We generally assume that work is done best when the tools needed are kept in good condition; the same could apply for ourselves. In order to get the most of our lives, it is important to keep our own “tools” in check, so we need to maintain a healthy mind and body.

People who take care of their mental health are better-equipped to deal with their emotions. They are able to build healthy relationships, deal with life’s day-to-day difficulties, and lead fulfilling lives. When inevitable challenges arise, being mentally healthy will help to deal with these challenges better.

In order to keep our mind strong and in good health, we need to invest our time and effort. Unfortunately, too many people take their mental health for granted, and tend to focus on it only when problems arise and reach a critical point. However, if we take care of our mental health on a regular basis, we can prevent being faced with certain problems in life, and overcome the inevitable ones more easily.

What is mental health?

Mental health, also known as emotional health, involves the way we think, feel and behave. It includes our self-image, the way we treat our relationships, and the ability to manage our thoughts, feelings and behaviour, particularly during difficult times. Being mentally healthy does not mean simply being free of depression, anxiety, or other psychological problems. It focuses more on the positive aspects of our mental state, rather than the negative ones. People with good mental health usually have:

• A sense of satisfaction and contentment;

• Enthusiasm about life and the ability to laugh and have fun;

• The ability to deal with stress and bounce back from problems;

• The flexibility to improve, and to accept change;

• A good balance between priorities, such as work and hobbies;

• The ability to build and maintain healthy relationships;

• An appropriate level of self-confidence and self-esteem

How can we take care of our mental health?

There are plenty of ways to boost our mood and maintain good mental health on a daily basis. This will help us be more emotionally flexible, and get the most out of life while remaining enthusiastic about our opportunities.

• Talk about your feelings: Rather than keeping our emotions bottled up inside, one may find it’s much easier to see things clearly when feelings are shared with a trusted person. Talking about feelings is not a sign of weakness, but it shows we are in control and doing our best to take care of our mental health.

• Keep active: Research has shown that exercise makes us feel good, because it releases chemicals in the brain that affect our mood. Not only does it make us feel better, but it helps us maintain our physical health, sleep better, look better, and it boosts our concentration. It is recommended that we dedicate about 30 minutes a day to exercise.

• Eat well: Food can strongly affect our mood. Sugar and coffee are a clear example of this, as they usually have an immediate effect, and make us feel more agitated. The way we eat can also have long-term effects on our mind, and if we eat healthily we are keeping our brain nourished in order to function well.

• Take a break: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Quite cliché, but true! When we realise that our crazy schedule and tedious day-to-day routine seem to be depriving us of having some leisure time, perhaps that’s exactly when we need to stop and take a break from it all. Getting away, or simply slowing down our fast-paced life for a moment is sometimes all we need to refresh our mental health and feel revived. A break can be anything from five minutes to calm down during a tough day at work, to a couple of weeks abroad for that much-needed change of scene.

• Do something you’re good at: Sometimes, doing things we enjoy and know we’re good at, can work wonders to our mental health. Every now and then, if we break away from the many roles we assume throughout the day, and inject a little fun in our lifestyle by doing things we like, it not only helps to beat stress but it also greatly boosts our self-esteem.

• Accept who you are: Identifying our qualities and accepting them, is often just what we need to boost our mental health. Embracing our uniqueness will improve self-confidence, and it will give us the mental strength we need to continue developing ourselves even more. Self-acceptance also helps us through difficult times, because by accepting ourselves we can also accept the things we can or cannot change in life.

• Care for others: Our mental health often depends on the quality of our relationships. Caring for the people around us, building and maintaining friendships, are all excellent ways to maintain our self-confidence and get that warm sense of belonging. The ways we show our concern towards others can take many shapes and forms, such as volunteering for a charity, or simply lending an ear to a friend who needs to talk.

• Ask for help: Family and friends may be able to offer practical help when needed, and they might also be willing to listen when you voice your concerns. Additionally, there are plenty of local services available to get in touch with. Confiding with a family doctor or local health centre could point us in the right direction. It is especially important to contact a doctor if our difficult feelings keep us from getting on with life, or if our mood has been affected for several weeks. While discussing this with a doctor it may also be a good idea to consider referrals to different services which could help us gain the strength to cope with our difficulties.

The sooner we take the initiative to take care of our mental health, the better. It’s much easier to overcome a mental or emotional problem when it’s dealt with while it’s small, rather than waiting until it has turned into a crisis. Approximately one in every four people experience mental health problems in a given year, and local mental health services are rapidly expanding. So one thing’s certain – if you feel you could do with some help, you are not alone. A healthy mind will pave the way for a fun and fulfilling life, and we deserve every bit of effort we dedicate towards our own growth.

Irene Galea is a Community Social Worker at Mount Carmel Hospital