Understanding Your Mental Health: A Guide

Your mental health is something that’s a little less tangible than your physical health. It’s obvious when you’ve broken a bone, cut your skin, or knocked your leg to produce a bruise. It’s far less clear when something that’s happened in your life has produced a psychological injury, or if you’re developing a mental health issue that you should be treated for. In order to become better acquainted with your mental health (helping you avoid difficulties in life and remain positive), this article shares some key tips to help you reach a better understanding of yourself. 

Openness

Being open is a key aspect of building mental health literacy. When you’re talking to your friends, feel confident in mentioning that you’ve been feeling bad, or asking how your friends are feeling. Don’t treat mental health as a taboo, and you’ll not experience the stigma that used to go along with these conversations. As you discover more about your friend’s mental health, you’ll be able to decide which of their insights applies to you. 

You’ll also gain the language and the confidence to respond with your own internal world, helping those around you know you better, building intimacy with loved ones, and helping you know yourself better too. It all starts with openness, which you should strive to achieve as much as possible in life.

Research

If you’re still struggling to understand what it might be about the mental health that sets you apart, you might want to do a little research of your own. Now, here’s where you have to be careful. The internet is awash with poor information and finding the true nuggets of useful insight can be difficult when you’re searching on Google.

Instead, it’s better to find ways in which you can access professional opinions about you and your mental health. For instance, you could visit changefutures.org.au to find a counselor you could talk to about how you’re thinking and feeling. Alternatively, you could search for books that have been written by psychologists and clinicians about mental health. They’ll give you a better idea of what could help you remain positive in the future. 

Journalling 

Without a doubt, the journalling revolution that’s been happening within the past handful of years has been one of the most positive for individual and collective mental health. It’s only by setting aside a little time each day to reflect on your mood that you’ll come to realize that certain things are affecting you in life. Connecting events with your emotions, and getting all of it on paper, is a great record of who you are as a person and how your mental health naturally fluctuates over time. 

Don’t just journal when you’re feeling down. Try to include in your journal those moments of joy and love that you feel, so that you have a balanced representation of your mental health. It’s in these pages that you may well come to terms with your mental health and how you might be able to improve it over time. 

Make the most of the resources available to you in order to gain a better understanding of your mental health.