According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is “a state of well-being» in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal life, can work productively and be able to contribute to his or her community.”
Mental health presupposes the development of cognitive abilities so that we can curb negative thoughts, focus on the positive and be mentally balanced.
It is important to understand that this does not preclude negative thoughts and negative emotions. After all, we are human beings and we face difficult and provocative situations that make us feel angry and sad. But what is indeed required is to understand and manage what is happening to us and not accept it with defeatism.
How can we achieve our mental balance?
• Setting realistic goals.
When we set a goal we must be able to assess whether it is achievable and at the right time. If we have unrealistic desires and ambitions we will feel disappointed, anxious and failed.
Consider, for example, a common goal, e.g. to start a diet, but you have daily meals with friends and colleagues. How likely and realistic is it to achieve your goal when the social obligations are not in your favor?
• Building a healthy self-esteem.
Self-esteem is to be able to see our strengths and weaknesses, to accept them and in this context to do the best we can to have a beautiful life. It is the sense we have of our personal worth. It is the degree to which we like and value ourselves.
This does not mean that those who truly love and value themselves always feel capable and wonderful. Often, they may question themselves or feel uncertain about a choice they will make. Most likely, however, all this does not shock them.
For example, you like tennis, but you do not play well enough. But you keep playing because it’s more important to enjoy the game and your friends’ company than to focus on what others can think of you.
• With emotional health.
Emotional health is not synonymous with mental health, even though the two terms are often referred to as alternatives or similar. It has to do with whether we feel calm, happy, sad and take care of ourselves.
Good emotional health is very important for enhancing authenticity, self-awareness and a sense of satisfaction. A person with emotional health is less likely to suffer from depression or other emotional-mental illnesses and psychiatric disorders that will negatively affect not only himself but also his environment.
Mental health affects the way we think, how we feel, how we behave in our daily lives. It helps us maintain and build human relationships and recover from difficulties and failures.
This can be achieved with mental balance where our heart and mind are synchronized and harmonized and as a result, we feel down to earth, less vulnerable, more positive and stronger.
