UNDERSTANDING MENTAL HEALTH Mental Health is often thought of as something someone has or does not have. In fact, like physical health, there is a wide range of mental health or illness. Rather than being 100% mentally healthy or 100% mentally unhealthy, we all fall somewhere on that continuum. Where a person falls on that continuum can vary from day to day. Even for people with mental health diagnoses, there will be days in which they are impacted more than on other days. In addition, people who are considered mentally healthy can have episodes of situational depression or anxiety that impact their ability to manage their lives as they would like. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? When we look at mental health as an all-or-nothing situation, we are likely to overlook or minimize our own mental health needs. With a traditional model of mental illness, people are not taught to be aware of their mental health until there is “disorder,” evidence that life is being negatively impacted. This is the equivalent of not watching what we eat until we have a medical diagnosis. Our mental health is something we can monitor daily. You might ask yourself what your stress level is at any given time, or how energized you feel to do things you enjoy. Taking this self-monitoring approach, we can practice self-care proactively. By doing so, we are more likely to avoid mental health disturbance or to have less intense and pervasive symptoms. SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES Mental health can vary widely but often includes emotional, cognitive, and behavioral changes. Common emotional symptoms indicating problems include persistent sadness, anxiety, or mood swings. Cognitive symptoms may be exhibited as difficulty concentrating, memory difficulties, or distorted thinking patterns, such as excessive guilt or hopelessness. Behavioral changes can include withdrawal from social interactions, changes in sleeping or eating patterns, or engaging in risky or self-destructive behaviors. Physical symptoms, such as unexplained aches or fatigue, may also be mental health symptoms. Visit allonehealth.com/member-support