According to the World Health Organization, while treating mental health problems is often possible at a relatively low cost, psychological health services around the world are often underfunded and underutilized. This is problematic as mental health issues can have a drastic effect on your relationships, sense of life satisfaction, and overall well-being.
Difficulties like depression and anxiety are increasingly prevalent, with the pressures and complexity of modern life giving rise to a mental health crisis. Thankfully, it’s possible to take responsibility for improving your mental health.
By learning to be self-aware, developing resilience, and educating yourself about psychological health, you can lower your stress levels and live a more fulfilling life.
Are you interested in learning more about effectively taking care of your mental health? Read on to learn more about this crucial topic.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is a key part of mental health; simply put, it refers to being able to recognize, understand, and manage your emotional state. According to Daniel Goleman, proficient emotional intelligence could also be more important than traditional intelligence for determining professional and personal success.
The elements of effective emotional intelligence are the following:
- Self Awareness: The first step towards effective emotional management is being aware of your feelings and how they affect yourself and others.
- Self Regulation: Being able to control or redirect undesirable or disruptive emotions is also a key skill.
- Motivation: To live a fulfilling life, you need to have a reason to pursue achievements beyond money and status.
- Empathy: The ability to understand other people’s feelings is essential in building meaningful relationships.
If you lack these key skills, your mental health will suffer. It’s self-evident that having good relationships is a key part of being mentally healthy, but many don’t realize the key role emotional intelligence plays in building and nurturing these vital human connections.
The Cost of Poor Emotional Intelligence
According to Psych Central, having a rich social network is essential in beating depression and anxiety. Without good friends by your side, depression is tough to beat. If you lack self-awareness, it could have a devastating impact on your relationships.
Self-awareness means being aware of your emotions and being able to discuss your emotional state with others. It doesn’t mean avoiding problematic feelings like jealousy or anger; instead, it involves discussing and processing these feelings with your friends in a positive and appropriate way.
People lacking self-awareness might feel the whole world is against them, resulting in impulsive overreactions during disagreements with friends. When you downplay your role in interpersonal conflict, you create tension, and eventually, people will stop calling because they feel unsafe or undervalued when you’re around.
So, if you’re struggling with your mental health, consider exploring the principles of emotional intelligence. These key mental health skills will help you:
- Strengthen your relationships
- Learn vital coping skills
- Enable you to build a strong social support network
- Prevent negative emotional patterns
The Importance of Therapy
While emotional intelligence is the first line of defense against poor mental health, it’s not always an appropriate strategy. For example, if you’ve suffered a recent tragedy, you might need more robust grief support from a mental health professional. Great relationships with friends and family are the first line of defense against mental health problems, but for more complex or serious psychological problems, you need professional support.
Too often, people are reluctant to go to therapy. Sadly, there’s still somewhat of a stigma surrounding things like depression treatment centers or outpatient therapy. For example, some people are afraid of being seen as weak or broken for pursuing therapy.
Some may also struggle with going to therapy because they lack the all-important emotional intelligence skills described in the previous section. Those who struggle to identify their feelings and confront them are often resistant to therapy because the process feels uncomfortable or overwhelming. Sadly, those who are open to seeing a therapist regularly can’t because of accessibility constraints like costs or lack of local mental health services.
These barriers to accessing therapy are unfortunate because therapy can be incredibly effective. Those who get treatment for conditions like depression and anxiety will often:
- Report improved mental health and reduced symptoms of depression or anxiety
- Achieve significant personal growth and make progress toward goals
- Reduce the emotional burden of loved ones or family members
While talking through your issues with friends and family can be incredibly effective, you can’t always be open about your problems. For example, if you’re suffering from suicidal thoughts, you might not feel comfortable sharing these feelings with even your closest friends.
Therapists excel at addressing sensitive issues because they offer unbiased and non-judgmental support. They’re also bound by strict confidentiality regulations, meaning that no one outside your sessions will ever hear about your difficulties without you giving them explicit consent.
Uncover the Root Causes
One of the key benefits of therapy is that it often helps uncover the root causes of your mental health struggles. At times, difficulties like depression and anxiety are a symptom of an underlying condition. When you lack self-awareness of these issues, you’re facing a losing battle.
Thankfully, therapists are well-equipped to help uncover these fundamental problems. For example, consider neurodevelopmental disorders like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). These disorders frequently occur alongside depression or anxiety, and simply treating these without identifying the underlying disorder is usually ineffective.
According to ADDitude, those with ADHD struggle to take action and achieve their goals, which can lead to depression. Conventional wisdom suggests depressed individuals can turn things around by boosting motivation. Sadly, for people with ADHD, this can be counterproductive.
ADHD causes structural differences in the brain, leading to impaired executive functioning. In simple terms, this means those with ADHD struggle with converting their internal motivation into external action. People with ADHD are often highly motivated to achieve their goals but appear lazy and unmotivated to others because they struggle to turn their intentions into concrete actions.
When someone doesn’t know they have a disorder like ADHD, it’s difficult to achieve good mental health outcomes. The conventional approaches to depression will often make people with ADHD feel worse because they don’t account for the unique problems they face.
Thankfully, all it takes to avoid these challenges is an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Those with ADHD might appear to have “treatment-resistant depression,” but with a correct diagnosis and medication, their mental health struggles are often fairly straightforward to treat.
Whether it’s an underlying disorder, addiction, or childhood trauma, it’s vital you uncover the root causes of your struggles. When you lack self-awareness, beating depression or anxiety will feel like an endless struggle.
It’s Not All Individual Responsibility
While taking responsibility for yourself is key to good mental health, it’s not always down to you. Self-awareness and emotional intelligence are key skills, but they can’t protect you from every external factor.
Your mental health is highly influenced by your environment, so psychological difficulties are often caused by structural or systemic issues. For example, if you’re forced to flee your country because of civil war, or if you’re living in poverty due to an economic recession, there are limits to what you can achieve with individual introspection.
Excessive focus on individual factors can lead to a problematic protagonist mentality. This is when you focus too much on your personal story, discarding the wider narrative experience of others.
This mindset isn’t wholly negative; in fact, it can be helpful in achieving goals and finding motivation. But, if you consistently see yourself at the center of everything, it undermines the key role of wider society in ensuring positive mental health outcomes.
The environment highly influences your mental health. If you don’t have access to suitable housing or effective education, it’s tough to have a positive outlook.
Assigning sole responsibility to yourself ignores the role of systemic barriers that can exacerbate mental health challenges. While it’s important to have self-awareness, you shouldn’t take sole responsibility for your problems. Achieving good mental health involves a combination of individual reflection, strong support networks, and robust healthcare services.
According to Psychologist Dr. Stephen Braren, humans are inherently social. So, if you’re struggling with your thoughts, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. We’re simply not wired to face these things on our own.
The Road to Better Mental Health
In conclusion, mental health is a complex but crucial aspect of well-being. Emotional intelligence, therapy, and self-awareness are key tools for managing your mental health.
However, systemic factors and social support also play vital roles. By taking small steps, reaching out for help, and addressing both personal and external challenges, you can build a healthier, more fulfilling life.
Remember, it’s okay to ask for help. You don’t have to face this alone. Therapy can uncover the root causes of struggles, helping even those who feel they are beyond hope to reclaim their lives.
Are you interested in learning more about mental health and other related topics? Check out the rest of our blog posts.
