Mental health and emotional well-being: why should we be aware of them?
- Chand, Chris, Emanuel, Lee
- May 12, 2016
- 3 min read
What Is Mental Health?
‘Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.’ WHO (World Health Organisation)
In essence Mental Health relates to the way people feel, think and behave on a daily basis. It helps us to understand ourselves better and how we as individuals can cope with the stresses of our fast paced lives.
Why Support Mental Health Awareness?
Unfortunately there are social taboos surrounding mental health and it is not a widely discussed topic. The symptoms are not physical like most other medical issues and it is therefore frequently misunderstood. It is often but not only those that people consider to have ‘the perfect’ lives that are at risk as they strive to sustain a persona for others which is not a true reflection of how they really feel. Additionally we as a society perform poorly in identifying the signs that our own or another person’s emotional and mental well-being is under threat. These signs include but are not limited to sleeping or eating too much or too little, having no energy, feeling like nothing matters, hopelessness, smoking or drinking more than usual, feeling unusually confused, angry, worried or scared.
The issue is further compounded as it is a medical fact that people cannot have a healthy body if they don’t care about their mind. There are different factors that can help you to remain healthy, such as good nutrition or healthy diet, taking part in any sport, physical exercise and above all good sleep. These steps can also help everyone to avoid stress. It is hard to remain relaxed and calm all the time, especially in big cities where life is fast and hectic, but is very important that each of us takes time-out to consider our own health and well-being. This can be as simple as going for a walk or talking time-out for a bubble bath. Especially considering us students, it is important to plan your work or study activity to avoid unnecessary overloading. Around 75% of illnesses appear as a result of stresses or depression as our nervous system becomes overloaded and our immune system feel the knock on effects. As the old cliché states’ Our Health Is Our Wealth’
Who Can Help?
Information from MIND a charitable organization who specialize in Mental Health Awareness and the World Health Organization, 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health issue each year. This is a frightening statistic and can really be realized when you look around your classroom and contemplate that nearly a quarter may suffer with a Mental Health Issue this year. In the UK and Ireland 6,122 people died by suicide in 2014 which equates to nearly 118 people per week. These figures do not just identify a problem but they identify an epidemic which can only be treated if we make a stand together and tell ourselves and others that ‘It’s OK not to feel OK’.
There is help available for anyone who feels they need it. In the UK MIND (http://www.mind.org.uk) are just one charitable organization who care about mental health and emotional well-being of everyone and they will assist everyone who requires their help in getting the best assistance available.
The students of MSc programme in Project Management of the University of Westminster will be conducting projects to raise Mental Health Awareness within the Westminster University and to raise funds help the organization to operate in the most effective way. So if you see any crazy fundraising ideas within the campus please support and above all let’s increase our awareness of Mental Health and its effects on our society.
If you as a University of Westminster student enrolled on another course want to help their colleagues in raising awareness or indeed take part in some of our fundraising ideas , it will be highly appreciated. You can also text MIND to 70660 to donate £3.
And please remember: your health is the most precious thing you possess therefore it should be your priority to care of it to live a long and happy life. You only get one shot at this life it is not a dress rehearsal so please do what makes you happy and greet everyone with a smile as you don’t know what they are going through.
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