Mental Health
Meaning of mental health
What is Mental Health?
When we talk about mental health, we are in the presence of a complex concept, which covers various areas of our daily life and our body, as well as the well-being and balance that a person must have in their mental, emotional and social aspects. It has to do directly with how a person determines how to handle day-to-day stress, how he relates to the people around him and what decisions he makes when faced with adversity.
Mental Health |
The World Health Organization has said that there is no “official” definition of mental health, however it says that it is a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being, and not only refers to the absence of conditions or diseases,
this obviously because any person can suffer from stress or some specific problem and it is not necessarily said that they are a person who does not enjoy mental health.
Mental health is associated with a person’s reasoning, their emotions and how they are controlled and externalized, as well as their behavior in the face of events of daily life such as paying bills, losing a job, changing residence, etc.
Mental health leads us to have a positive image of ourselves, so by having a good image of myself, I can project a good image to others.
Authors have said that mental health is the state of balance between a person and their socio-cultural environment, for which it can be said that they have well-being and that in turn enjoy a great quality of life,
and it is so, for that, who enjoys mental health, not only enjoys a positive aptitude, but also knows how to handle and face adversity in the face of adversity. Hence, it is directly associated with the terms health and physical condition, although mental health goes far beyond the physical part and state of a person’s body.
Mental health is a dynamic concept
which is linked to people’s living conditions, scientific advances and the evolution of culture, it is logical to say then that it is dynamic, because as people’s living conditions change people, the advances of science and the culture of the peoples, then the concept of mental health can vary depending on all of these, since what for one generation did not cause stress, perhaps for another it is unbearable or what for a population If it causes unhappiness for others it will cause happiness, as is often the case in overcrowded cities compared to the most remote villages.
This is why mental health manages vital areas in which it develops where a person must see if they have mental health or not, such as: spirituality, since people who believe in the spiritual tend to have better mental health than others and, they always keep themselves in constant maintenance and conservation of their internal or spiritual peace, as is the case of yoga practitioners; work and leisure because whoever is working and feels useful is inevitably happy and feels professionally fulfilled; friendship since whoever has friends has someone with whom to share her achievements, goals and adversities; in love since a person when they feel completely loved is said to be happy and the person who has self-control and control over their actions and emotions is a completely balanced person, and who manages to find solutions in the face of adversity, this is essential to be psychologically stable and in full mental health.
These are the vital areas on which a person’s mental health is based, if he manages to be moderately successful in them then it can be said that the person has an emotional, psychological and social balance, which makes him or her possess mental health.
A person who enjoys mental health is said to have three fundamental characteristics: he is satisfied with himself, he accepts himself as he is, with his virtues and defects; he feels good with others, that is, he is able to relate to, understand, understand and value those around him and, lastly, he is able to meet the demands that life presents to him, because people face the challenges and they must try to win out of them, but even if they fail, they manage to vindicate themselves and move on.
Mental health and mental hygiene
There is a much older term or concept than mental health, and it is mental hygiene, which was implemented by the American psychiatrist Clifford WhittIngham Beers, in 1908 and who was the founder of the National Mental Hygiene Committee, also carried out several campaigns for the rights of the mentally ill. That is why the vast majority associate mental health with psychiatry and in turn with psychiatric problems that people or patients may suffer.
Mental illnesses are serious conditions that can affect human thinking and people’s actions. That is why when talking about a person who does not enjoy mental health, it could be in the presence of a person who has a psychiatric illness or problem.
It is also In this way that the term mental health or hygiene is currently associated with those activities intended to achieve that necessary balance in people in their day-to-day lives, such as exercising after a hard day’s work, going to a retreat away from the city to enjoy silence and nature, as well as the well-deserved vacation after a year of work, or an anti-stress or relaxation massage, all these activities seek to improve the health or mental hygiene of the individual to maintain that necessary balance in your daily life.
What is Hygiene?
Hygiene refers to the care, practices or techniques used for the maintenance of health and the prevention of diseases. By extension, hygiene is related to the cleanliness and cleanliness of homes and public places. It comes from the French word hygiene.
Although hygiene care was already mentioned in ancient books, such as the Koran or the Bible, it is modern medicine that will systematize its practice in order to avoid diseases caused by unhealthy conditions, such as infectious diseases and epidemics. In this sense, hygiene has revolutionized human life in recent centuries, definitively changing the sanitary conditions of human populations, both rural and urban, and significantly lowering mortality.
Today, the concept of hygiene has evolved to such an extent that it is applicable to all areas of human life, such as collective, family, and school hygiene, as well as environmental, water, air, and food hygiene. , etc.
Personal hygiene
As personal or individual hygiene, the habits of body cleanliness that each person practices to prevent diseases and stay healthy are designated. Among them we can mention oral hygiene, hand washing, cleaning eyes, ears, face, hair, genital area and feet, as well as periodic nail trimming.
public hygiene
Public hygiene is that related to the practices and methods of grooming and cleaning public or common spaces, for which the authorities are responsible.
Oral hygiene
Oral hygiene is that which involves the care of the mouth and teeth, for the prevention of dental or stomach diseases (such as cavities, gingivitis, tartar or halitosis), for which correct brushing of the teeth is recommended, the habitual use of dental floss and rinse, as well as periodic visits to the dentist.
Industrial hygiene
Industrial hygiene is constituted by the set of methods and techniques that prevent diseases and health risks to which the industry professional is exposed, by contact with the physical, chemical or biological environment. It is made up of a series of measures that are responsible for recognizing, analyzing and controlling factors in the work environment that may put the worker’s health at risk.
Mental hygiene
Mental hygiene refers to the set of habits and practices that an individual must implement to maintain mental health. Among the habits of adequate mental hygiene are good self-esteem, positive thinking, good management and control of emotions, attention to physical health, the satisfaction of basic needs, such as food and rest, an intellectual life active, as well as moments of leisure, pleasure and socialization. Good mental health is key to a balanced social development, which involves the labor, intellectual and interpersonal areas.