Since the dawn of mankind, the human mind has significantly altered the course of life. It has massive capabilities that range from making daily life choices to great inventions and discoveries. Over the past few decades, people have started to bring the topic of wellness of mind to light. The discussions on mental health are now prevalant all across the globe. A noticeable change in awareness is seen as more individuals are actively talking about this subject. Mental health is now a topic of profound social importance. The following essay shall describe what mental health means, the related aspects of it and it’s existing picture in the social structure of the modern world.
What is Mental Health?
According to the World Health Organisation , the term Mental Health is defined as a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It has intrinsic and instrumental value and is integral to our well-being. The spectrum of mental health includes our feelings or emotions, our thoughts and social interactions. It is as important to our holistic well being as physical health. People have always stayed aware and taken care of their physical well being. They do not put much effort in being conscious of their thoughts or feelings on a daily basis. However, it affects us in more ways than known, in the way we feel, think or act. The condition of our mind can also change daily or over a period of time.
Good and Poor Mental Health
The status of mental health can be either good or poor depending on certain factors. Human beings are exposed to a variety of social, psychological and lifestyle related experiences that impacts their minds. A combined effect of these components decides the status of mental health of an individual. A state of good mental health can be determined when a person is optimistic, stays confident most of the time and is generally satisfied with life. Apart from these, there are several domains such as cognitive skills, academic or occupational performance, social skills and physical health among others that define a fairly good mental health. However, everyone faces several challenges in life and can go through sadness, fear, guilt and other negative emotions. The difference is that people with a healthy mind are more likely to be able to cope with these struggles.
On the other hand, poor mental health can affect a person’s thinking, emotions and behaviours. It can disrupt their ability to carry out daily life tasks and affect their relationship with other people. They may lose the capability of dealing with the stresses of life. This can land an individual into various mental health hazards that maybe symptomatic. A timely clinical diagnosis and early treatment can help these individuals to lead a healthy life.
Numerous causes can negatively impact our mental health. Some of these include alcoholism, diet pattern, disturbed sleep schedule, trauma, loneliness, work life balance, gambling, drugs and smoking. Many others like negligible physical activity, body image issues and financial burden etc may also contribute to it. The frequency of occurence of these factors decides the outcome on the mental balance of the people.
Status of Mental Health in the Contemporary Era
The mental health condition of people has been assessed by various studies in the recent times. The major half of the population comprises the young persons or the people in the working age group. This group comprises of the two generations, namely the Generation Z or Gen Z and the Millenials. There are many prevailing factors that are affecting the mental balance of this segment of the population all over the world.
One of the biggest factors was the occurrence of the COVID 19 pandemic. With the sudden arrival of this global health concern , people were forced to change their lifestyle. The implementation of lockdown had influenced many people. The lack of socialization and monotony in daily routine has been reported to take a toll on many young persons. Both the millenials and Gen-Zs were scared of losing their existing jobs and were concerned about their careers and future. The widespread news of fresh daily cases harboured a fear of contracting the infection, in the people living inside their homes. Additionally, the unfortunate death of close friends and family due to the disease worsened the wellness of mind even further. This created a period of prolonged stress for people of broadly all the age groups across the globe. The impact may last till this date in a lot of the affected people, considering the gravity of the pandemic.
Another great cause that influences mental health, mainly in both the Gen-Zs and the millenials is social media. The constant exposure to various social media platforms highly impacts the young people. Watching others live nearly perfect lives creates a feeling of comparison. The promotion of unrealistic lifestyle and beauty standards lowers the self esteem of people and makes them feel inferior or lacking. The never ending pressure of achieving high at a young age is heavily enforced by social media, leading to burnout and stress. All these problems can severely impact their mindset and create unecessary trouble and stress.
The economic instability in many nations is also worrying a lot of young people. Rise of freelance culture and the artificial intelligence based jobs is creating stress around employment. Both the generations are facing this concern. However, the millenials are also known to be more affected by financial debt. The impending home or education loans and the instability of the economic structure in the countries is influencing their mental health.
An unhealthy culture of eating more processed foods and living a sedentary life is also increasing. Our minds are affected by our diet and physical activity. Therefore, this can lead to various diseases and increase tension. Moreover, the heightened use of drugs, alcoholism and substance abuse also causes negative effects on fitness of the mind. People choose these escapes to cope with the daily stresses, ultimately getting addicted to these habits. Such a lifestyle can also result in a lack of life direction and decreased motivation. Thus, it leads to poor mental health.
The modern era is known to have less incidences of large scale global wars as compared to the past, with the last World War ending in 1945. However, there is still ongoing violence and atrocity on a smaller scale. There are still ongoing international wars between one or two rival countries and also brutality within the nations. This has a lasting impact on the civilians. The racial violence, mass shootings and encounters instills fear and hopelessness in the minds of the public. People affected by any type of war are forced to leave their home and evacuate to a safer place. The particularly young generation is worried about the possibility of their future due to these incidences of political tension.
A gender gap in the trends of mental health is also noticed. Women are known to have worsened mental health than men. This can be attributed to various factors like gender discrimination, hormonal changes, issues regarding pay parity in work culture, career and family expectations from them among many other ethical reasons.
The functioning of the contemporary society in the above described manner is largely affecting the mental balance of the people. The impact is far severe on the working or young population. This can be harmful to the world as it would lead to inefficient and exhausted human resources. It is detrimental to both the well being of the individuals and the progress of the world and thus a change is needed by increasing awareness around this concern.
Reforms towards achieving good mental health
With the advancement of time, the awareness about mental health has increased. There are many practices that are being introduced to the masses about improving their mental fitness. From common people to medical experts, people are carrying out their joint civic responsibility of promoting mental wellness rituals. The current digital era is a major advantage in achieving this goal of increased consciousness about mental health.
One of the most important ways of maintaining good mental health is nervous system regulation. There are a lot of science backed practices that help in calming the nervous system. Through the growth of social media, this information is being made available worldwide. Establishing a sound connection between the mind and body through yoga and mindfulness is also highly beneficial. There are many classes, workshops and camps being run at various levels, that are dedicated to the same. Besides, focusing on boosting our physical health plays a large role in the fitness of mind. This can be achieved by a fixed sleep schedule, balanced diet and regular body movement.
Emotional health is a significant part of overall fitness. A lot of people are choosing to actively seek out therapy. This is a crucial exercise towards achieving better emotional stability. Many certified professional therapists are helping millions of people worldwide in overcoming mental health struggles. These people then recommend therapy to other people which further increases awareness.
Since the progress of human civilization, every generation is known to live by its own rules. Thus, the millenials and the Gen-Zs are redefining what success in life means to them. This is a radical approach towards reducing unecessary comparison with others and the pressure of excellence. They are steadily condemning the glorification of hustle culture in the workspace and instead choosing a healthy balance between personal and professional life. A lot of people struggle to find fulfillment in their jobs and are constantly drained, which worsens their mental health. Thus, choosing to adopt a sustainable lifestyle will help further in maintaining their well being.
Additionally, the youth today is also becoming inclusive of the people around them which is leading to a positive change. It is largely accepting and owning the differences in mindsets, culture, values and thus promoting co existence. The young minds are strongly busting the social stigmas around gender, identity and mental status that is causing more people to feel safe in embracing their authenticity. This is a great approach towards helping the public in leading healthy lives.
Mental health and the path ahead
The current situation of mental health is an indication of an affirmative change. Individuals, especially the aware population are constantly trying to understand the spectrum of mental health and introduce practices for holistic well being. This contribution of people is an inspirational force that will drive the society towards a better future.
Poor mental health is a prevelant concern and is a major component of sociology. It is the moral as well as communal responsibility of the people to raise this concern and find solutions to overcome this struggle. Although there is a major improvement in the current scenario, there is still a long way to go. There are countless people who are not accessible to the available information and thus are unaware. The goal is to reach out to as many people as possible to guide them on how to achieve wellness of mind.
With the improvement in digitalization, there will be further progress in connecting with many people worldwide.
There is substantial hope that with the presence of responsible citizens, who will utilize the resources to increase awareness, we as a global society, can visualize a brighter picture of mental health in the times to come.
By: Harshita Dubey
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