What is “Mental Health” ?

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. (source: https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health).

You can think of your mental health as a continuum. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England illustrates the continuum really well below:

The Mental Health Continuum (https://mhfaengland.org/).

The mental health continuum demonstrates that whether a person has, or does not have, a diagnosed mental illness, they can still live above the centre line, towards their maximum mental wellbeing. It also highlights the barrier of stigma; a barrier that can prevent a person seeking help to improve their mental wellbeing, or obtaining a diagnosis that can help them understand how to improve their mental wellbeing.

A helpful tool in considering your own mental health is the Stress Vulnerability Bucket (Brabben et al, 2002). A handy adaptation by MHFA England is the ‘Stress Container’, shown below. The Stress Container shows how we take on stress, when this can become a problem, and how we can empty the container, by using helpful coping strategies.

‘The Stress Container’ (https://mhfaengland.org/)

Stress can come in many forms, such as pressures at work or difficulty at home. These stresses will fill your container. If your stress container becomes full, then problems can develop, such as “emotional snapping”. Luckily, you can ‘drain’ the container, by using helpful coping strategies, such as doing enjoyable hobbies, spending time outdoors, exercising and talking to people (be that friends and family, or a professional). We can also block the drain, with unhelpful coping strategies, such as excessive drinking, drug consumption and overworking.

For more information on the above, please visit the Mental Health First Aid England website (https://mhfaengland.org/).

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