Have you ever thought about what mental health actually means or where you encounter it in your life? It has no color or shape, you can’t touch it and yet it affects you every day: it determines how you think, feel or behave in every minute of your life. It determines the nature of your lifestyle, your ability to form relationships or even how you deal with stress.
Mental health is invisible and yet so ubiquitous because you will encounter it every day of your life! What relationship do you have with your mental health? Is it a caring or critical relationship? When we think of “mental health”, we all have certain images in mind – and not all of them are positive. We live in a time where this topic is gaining importance and has arrived at the heart of our society. This development is very understandable when we look at the numbers: Did you know that every third person suffers from a mental illness in the course of his or her life? It becomes clear that psychological stress is widespread and has long ceased to be a marginalized phenomenon. That’s why it’s important to think about your mental health – and preferably not when it’s too late. We can do a lot to strengthen our mental well-being!
If you promote your mental resilience, you can build protection against mental illness and strengthen your mental health preventively. Resilient personalities have very specific characteristics that help them to survive crises and emerge stronger from them: For example, they are not afraid to take responsibility for their lives and consciously step out of the passive victim role. It’s about feeling that you can influence your situation and make an active contribution to your well-being. So ask yourself the following question: In which area can I take responsibility for my needs and wishes? Where do I blame others and shirk responsibility? The more you acknowledge responsibility for the small or big things in your life, the more actively you can influence your current situation and strengthen your mental health.
The internal Check-In
To strengthen your mental health, it’s helpful to build a good relationship with yourself by getting to know you and your needs. Because in stressful everyday life we often completely lose sight of ourselves – we are permanently distracted and only notice that we are not feeling well when something hurts or when we are infinitely stressed. So do an inner check-in every once in a while: Close your eyes, take 3 deep breaths and ask yourself the question “How am I feeling right now?”. Feel inside yourself and pay attention to the physical sensations without judging them. Perceive your feelings and thoughts and imagine yourself looking up at yourself from the observer’s perspective. Do these little check-ins regularly to figure out what you need and how you can meet your needs throughout the day.