- \n
- reach our potential, using our abilities<\/li>\n
- form positive relationships<\/li>\n
- easy deal with life\u2019s challenges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How can we improve our mental health?<\/strong><\/p>\n
A few tips for positive mental health are:<\/p>\n
- \n
- set realistic goals and develop new skills<\/li>\n
- express your feelings or talk about<\/li>\n
- eat healthy meals, balanced diet<\/li>\n
- get enough sleep, exercise regularly<\/li>\n
- spend time with loved ones and friends<\/li>\n
- enjoy your hobbies and relax.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What is mental illness?<\/strong><\/p>\n
A health problem that significantly affects how a person behaves, thinks and interacts with other people is a mental illness. It is diagnosed according to standardized criteria.<\/p>\n
At some point in their lives, one in 5 Americans will suffer from a mental illness.\u00a0Mental illnesses are of different types and degrees of severity.<\/p>\n
Some of the major types are:<\/p>\n
- \n
- anxiety<\/li>\n
- schizophrenia<\/li>\n
- bipolar mood disorder<\/li>\n
- personality disorders<\/li>\n
- eating disorders<\/li>\n
- depression.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These illnesses may also be referred to as a psychiatric disability, mental impairment or mental disorder.<\/p>\n
What causes mental illness?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Mental illness results from complex interactions between environment, body and the mind. Factors which can contribute to mental illness are:<\/p>\n
- \n
- biological factors such as hormones, chemistry and genetics<\/li>\n
- use of drugs, alcohol and other substances<\/li>\n
- cognitive patterns such as low self-esteem and constant negative thoughts<\/li>\n
- social factors such as financial problems, isolation, violence or family breakdown.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These factors can be minimized by a strong and supportive community environment.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/wp\/..\/sites\/fksg\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Screen-Shot-2017-05-21-at-14.48.43.png\")
<\/p>\nWhat is good mental health and wellbeing?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Wellbeing and good mental health mean different things to different people and every person has to find their own way to a life that is satisfying and meaningful for them.<\/p>\n
Things that can contribute to positive mental health and wellbeing include:<\/p>\n
- \n
- spending quality time with family and close friends<\/li>\n
- finding an activity that is meaningful or working in job, which can provide a sense of purpose<\/li>\n
- learning a new skill such as singing, painting, knitting or a foreign language which can provide a sense of achievement and pride<\/li>\n
- finding a new hobby (such as playing sport, gardening, cooking, or craft and arts)<\/li>\n
- being there for friend in need, caring for animals or giving to others by volunteering<\/li>\n
- talk to someone who can provide reassurance and support<\/li>\n
- exercising regularly and eating healthily<\/li>\n
- spending more time with people who share similar interests<\/li>\n
- experiencing new things such as traveling, meeting new people or trying different foods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Ways to improve your wellbeing and mental health<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Having something to look forward to promotes wellbeing and positive mental health. Find out what works for you, because everyone is different.<\/li>\n
- Get enough sleep, you are more likely to feel worried and stressed, if you are tired. To avoid feeling tired, aim for around 8 hours per night.<\/li>\n
- If you learn to anticipate problems before they arise, it will help reduce stress and worry.<\/li>\n
- It is important to introduce a regular structure and routine to your days. Setting and achieving goals can give you a sense of purpose in life and can help to organize your time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Good mental health is a sense of confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing. It enables us to fully appreciate and enjoy day-to-day, our environment and other people. When we are mentally healthy we can: reach our potential, using our abilities form positive relationships easy deal with life\u2019s challenges. How can we improve our mental health? A few… Read More »What is Mental Health?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[141],"tags":[298,601,782,945],"class_list":["post-1057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mental-health","tag-confidence","tag-mental-health","tag-self-esteem","tag-wellbeing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1057\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}