Why People Without Mental Illness Should Care About Mental Health

Mental health is a major topic right now. However, most articles and blogs discuss mental health in relationship to anxiety, depression or another disorder or illness associated with it. What seems fairly obvious, but is not often discussed, is that mental health affects everyone. If you think you are exempt, you are incorrect and here’s why.

Deep breathing, meditation, alone time and recharging your batteries are all things everyone should do (at least in some respect). You may be doing great now, but eventually you could burn out, and being proactive with mental health has immediate benefits: more productivity, more quality sleep, less agitation and being generally happier.

If you already care deeply about your physical health, then add some mental health exercises to your regiment. A lot of times they even overlap. Yoga, tai chi and dance have all been proven to increase both physical and mental health.

This is what you should do right now:

1. No matter if you have a mental illness or not, take some time to figure out how you can improve your mental health. Remember, do what is right for you! Meditation may work for some people, but not others. I personally love curling up with a good book and my pets.

2. Don’t pass up on blog articles discussing mental health. I guarantee you can take something from it. Everyone needs to take care of their mental health, just like they need to take care of your physical health.

3. Don’t shy away from discussing mental health. It is not a taboo topic. And you may inspire someone along the way to make small changes and take some time for themselves.

4. Invite friends and family to join! If you like reading to relax, start a book club with your friends. Then you can all read to relax on your own time during the month and come together to hang out and talk about the book. Maybe you like yoga, so bring a friend along. Pass on your passion for an activity to someone else.

Always remember that no matter who you are, mental health matters in your life.

Follow this journey on My Multifaceted Life.

We want to hear your story. Become a Mighty contributor here.

Thinkstock photo via solarseven