Love, CharenLeigh

What is mental health? Well lets break it down and start off defining what each word means.

Mental: [men-tl] adj.

1.  of or relating to the mind: mental powers; mental suffering.
2.  of, relating to, or affected by a disorder of the mind: a mental patient; mental illness.
3.  providing care for persons with disordered minds, emotions, etc.: a mental hospital.
4.  performedbyorexistinginthemind: mentalarithmetic;amentalnote. 
5.  pertainingtointellectualsorintellectualactivity.
6.  Informal.slightlydaft;outofone’smind;crazy: He’smental.
   

Health: [helth] noun

1. the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor: good health; poor health.
2. soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or ailment: to have one’s health; to lose one’s health.
3.   a polite or complimentary wish for a person’s health, happiness, etc., especially as a toast: We drank a health to our guest of honor

Each person who has been directly affected by mental health issues has their own definition of what it means to them. Mental health is more than what meets the eye. Mental health can be genetic or it can be something that changes over time. When I think of my own mental health I think of my thoughts, feelings, emotions, reactions, triggers, coping, and awareness. I think of these things because it is what has been changed the most and what I have to fight with daily just to feel a tad bit normal. (Well my kind of normal.) Mental health is more than just feeling sad, or acting crazy; mental health can be the chemical imbalance your body has created to deal with this world.

Working in the healthcare field I see a lot of mental health cases being pushed aside just from the fact of most do not understand it. It literally eats at me knowing that people are not getting the care they need just because something is not easy to understand. I mean if it has taken me years to understand my own mental health I’m sure it takes more than one encounter to understand a strangers mental health capacity or mental health illness. This is why I feel so strongly about counselors and therapists and their work. Oh, and they put in work by the way. I personally cannot imagine sharing my thoughts with anyone without speaking to my therapist first. (She gets me through the things I cannot comprehend while steadily pushing me and holding me accountable. )

Therapy post will be coming soon, along with the different types and what has worked for me!