Our mental state or health, like our physical well-being, is shaped by a myriad of overt and covert circumstances in our lives. Mental well-being is defined as the ability to manage with emotional concerns on daily basis while maintaining a comfortable lifestyle. It is all about developing the skills that we will need to be adaptive while life gets tough. Once you’ve been identified with a persistent mental condition like depression or anxiety, there still are solutions and alternatives to be mentally stable amid ups and downs of life.

January is the Mental Wellness Month and during these hard times a vital message that you are not alone is being shared. The pandemic has intensified social isolation, anxiety, tension, despair, and melancholy in most of us. Since the pandemic began, the incidence rate of mental illness has skyrocketed, particularly among adolescents and young adults, with most of it propelled by solitude and loneliness.

Taking a few minutes on daily basis to focus on improving and strengthening the mental well-being can boost endurance, reduce and alleviate stress, and contribute to a general sense of significantly improved well-being.

What can we do for ourselves?

• Adopt a grateful perspective: While every day might not have been ideal, there is always something positive to be recognized. Take a couple of minutes to look at the bright aspects of your life and divert your mind away from anything that is weighing you down. Sometimes it is beneficial to keep an appreciation journal, while some others find it worthwhile to show gratitude through prayer, discussion, or writing a statement.
• Make time for your favorite activities: We can easily be confused and burdened by the things that we have to achieve and let go of what brings us joy and meaning to our lives. This could be something as simple as taking a walk, soaking in a hot bath, or indulge in a pastime each day to do something enjoyable and meaningful to you.
• Relax and unwind: Eliminate or reduce the factors in your daily living that are not at all healthy or beneficial to you. Remove unpleasant people from your social media feeds or take regular breaks from following the news. Set reasonable limitations in your life and know when to say no where needed.
• Slow things down: Pay close attention to what you’re really doing and what is the purpose. Focusing your attention to what is happening, including positive times, boosts our ability to be thoughtful and attentive to ourselves and others.
• Start taking care of your own selves: Working to improve our physical health benefits our emotional well-being as well. Exercise more, eat well, and curing physical ailments are all essential measures in developing a state of general well-being.

What can we do for others?

• While discussing mental health issues, use sensitive terms.
• When you see or hear a fallacy, correct it.
• Focus on the individual, not the situation.
• If you sense someone is facing challenges, lend a helping hand.
• Avoid using labels that are detrimental and toxic.

Although stress can have a constructive and adaptive effect on some people, it can also create a lot of hardship for a huge numbers of people. Understand how societal factors impact mental health, the beginning and progression of mental illness, and the care and management of mental conditions. A person who is emotionally well and strong, feels energetic and truly conscious most of the time, and therefore can effectively handle psychologically tricky times.