The entire month of January is Mental Wellness month.
What does it mean to be mentally well or mentally healthy, exactly? Being mentally healthy does not necessarily just mean that it is the absence of a mental health problem. Some people call that ‘well-being’ or being ‘emotionally well’ but it’s all just as important as your physical health. In the same way as you go to the gym to exercise your physical muscles, you also need to exercise your mind to be healthy. Your mental health affects your physical health.
Every thought you think affects your physical body.
We usually have negativity in our life from many factors including low self-esteem and lack of confidence, or fear. This can lead to us not believing in ourselves and feel we don’t deserve things. Its really important to become aware of our thinking patterns at these times, because this is where it all stems from.
What are the four common negative thought patterns
There are many others, but the 4 main types of negative thinking are:
Perfectionist ‘All or Nothing’ thinking – “I must do things perfectly otherwise it means I’m a failure”
Discounting the positives – “Life is just one low ride” – this is when someone does not acknowledge the good in their lives.
Negative self Labelling – “I’m stupid” “people won’t like the real me”
Making a mountain out of a molehill (catastrophizing) – I’ve got a headache…I bet it turns into cancer or a tumour”
Can you relate to these?
What can I do?
First, observe and identify where you are thinking negatively because that is the first step towards changing your thinking and letting go of things you might be holding on to. Ask yourself for the facts of truth about the negative thinking until you reach a more balanced view.
If you have good mental health you can:
- Live your life more fully to your potential
- Manage life’s ups and downs with resilience and tolerance
- Have a full part in you family, friends, work and community
Mental Well Being is important to everyone.
We all have times of stress or fear. Most of the time, these feelings will pass but if they have continued for a long time…like the drip….drip…drip of a faulty tap, they can go unnoticed under the radar of faulty thinking until one thing becomes too much and a normal situation brings out behaviour that comes out of the blue…a real surprise.
As the world is changing, I think the stigma attached to mental health is slowly lifting…I think that more people are becoming a little more comfortable with talking about their feelings. It is healthy to talk about your feelings.
If you, or someone you know is suffering from a mental health issue, especially based on their negative thinking styles and is holding them back, please contact me on 07792 611406 to see how I can help.
