By: Rebecca Rondone
Owner of Pura Vida Yoga
& Physical Training
Focus on the word Hope just for one min. Our Amazing Human mind, body, and soul will lighten and look colorful in immediate response. When applied perfectly to the larger topic of Mental Wellness, Hope is used in a way a painter can take a single drop of paint and create a masterpiece. Hope provides many with insights that can be utilize to improve your happiness and Mental Wellness.
Mental Well-being is much more than absence of symptoms of mental illness. Every person has two separate spectrums of symptoms related to both Mental Illness and Mental Health. These spectrum’s range from negative/bothersome symptoms to positive/ optimal symptoms.
For example, a person may have an anxiety disorder. At anytime their symptoms of mental illness (Anxiety) can range from strongly negative (high anxiety, impairing daily functioning) to strongly positive (absence of symptoms, no anxiety). At the same time this person has a separate set of symptoms related to Mental Wellness. These also range from strongly negative (i.e. poor wellness, distressed, unhappy) to strongly positive (i.e. mentally fit, mentally well, happy, fulfilled).
Mental Health and Mental Wellness are related, however, they also must be addressed independently to achieve both optimal Mental Health (lack of disease) and Mental Wellness (presence of positive well-being).
While many individuals have no symptoms of Mental Illness, many would rate their Mental Wellness not so positive. This helps everyone to realize how easy it could be to lack disease (Mental Illness) and yet not have Mental Wellness. For example, you can lack Mental Illness but be unhappy in your professional or personal life.
It’s encouraged to assess your Mental Health and Mental Wellness often. Its cautioned about individual tendency to stop assessing when symptoms of Mental Wellness elevates and any situational or chronic Illness subsides. If one does, they neglect to evaluate and improve their Mental Wellness which may continue to be sub-optimal. Mental Wellness continuous individual self evaluations creates an extensive opportunity for us to help yourself Mentally and Physically in our Health beyond what we might have thought possible. Mental Wellness also improves our Physical Health.
Here are just a few suggestions provided to improve our Mental Wellness:
By doing more of the things that make us feel good. These activities include: Having meaningful conversations, listening to music, meditation, reading and playing with your children. Be mindful of the activities that decrease our Mental Wellness: working long hours, extensive use of the home computer and having boring or superficial conversations where our minds wander. While it may be impractical to avoid things like working, we can be mindful and make sure we take the time to enjoy more pleasing activities and minimize the ones that detract from our Mental Wellness.
Yoga also helps individuals learn optimism and authentic happiness. Yoga focuses on topics such as improving “Positive Emotions” and cultivating a “Meaningful” and “Engaged” Life.
The discussions or thoughts about cultivating Hope and Mental Wellness motivates people to improve self evaluations and action. It improve both their Mental Health and Mental Wellness. It will help focus on cultivating Physical, Mental and Social wellness as well as targeting the absence of disease. I encourage you to focus on both aspects in your life as well and I hope these resources can be foundation of a better you!
