Mental and behavioral health is more than an individual issue
Mental health is more than an individual issue- it is a relational issue, a family issue, a community issue, and a societal issue. Likewise, mental health or perhaps what we should more appropriately call psychological hygiene is the product of numerous lifestyle factors in addition to brain function. Ultimately, we behave or act according to our beliefs, thoughts and attitudes. Thus, mental and behavioral health are extensions of one another- causes and effects.
Mental and behavioral health relates to all spheres of life
We identify, react, respond, relate and behave (lead our lives) according to our perceptions of self, family, safety-security, relationships, our needs, our values and more. Together these form our personality and world view. These aspects are interconnected and dynamic. They are fluid and subject to constant influence and change.
Mens sana in corpore sano – a healthy mind in a healthy body
Borrowing from the health science of nutrition, nutrition emphasizes more than what we eat. Nutrition is a sum of factors. Firstly, nutrition relates to the nutrients consumed and the ability to effectively remove waste. Other important factors include the quality of water, quality of sleep, time outdoors, physical activity and rest, positive and loving relationships etc. The same may be said for Mental and Behavioral health.
Differentiating symptoms from core problems
Mental and behavioral health is therefore more than managing stress, anxiety, depression etc. Those are symptoms of disrupted psychological hygiene. Effective mental and behavioral health addresses factors that make us who we are, drive our sense of self and the world, our sense of purpose, our sense of security, purposeful existence, our relationships…
Towards a psychological hygiene
The purpose of the articles in this section is to provide thought provoking, inspirational and effective tools to engage the reader in his or her ability to deconstruct the mental prisons we subject ourselves to. To build a state of mental and behavioral health, a psychological hygiene, that is conducive to self-acceptance, purpose and joy, self-respect and positive contribution to the community.
