Mental Health is becoming a commonly discussed topic, particularly in the wake of the bushfires and now with the COVID-19 pandemic. But what does this actually mean? What is mental health?
To be mentally healthy is to be more than just not sick, the World Health Organisation takes a more holistic stand-point and describes it to be a state of well-being. We’re able to work on our abilities, cope with life stressors and work productively to benefit both ourselves and the surrounding community. While we would love to only experience positive feelings, attitudes and encounters; the reality is that we all experience a range of emotions on a daily basis, feelings such as anger, joy, sadness, fear, disgust, guilt and shame). It is unrealistic and also unhelpful to equate good mental health with being constantly positive and happy. More often than not, mental health involves a dynamic state of being; we’re able to recognise, express and regulate our diverse emotions. We have skills for tolerating difficult feelings and not becoming stuck or overwhelmed.
Additionally, we’re able to cope with the curveballs life throws and work towards achieving both individual and interpersonal goals.
At the Centre for Clinical Psychology we aim to support people to live purposeful lives, not necessarily free from suffering or difficulty, but to find meaning and balance within complexity.
Galderisi, S., Heinz, A., Kastrup, M., Beezhold, J., & Sartorius, N. (2017). A proposed new definition of mental health. Propozycja nowej definicji zdrowia psychicznego. Psychiatria polska, 51(3), 407–411. https://doi.org/10.12740/PP/74145
World Health Organisation. (2018). Mental health: strengthening our response. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response
