A nation woke up to disturbing news of a 4-year-old boy killed by his mother, a CEO of a start-up. As details of the crime emerged, a shocked nation wondered why an educated mother with a successful career would kill her beautiful son. This isn’t a single case; the world has numerous stories of shocking crimes and suicides. After committing the crime, the 4-year-old’s mother tried to end her life too. This indicates a sense of immediate remorse. Then why commit the crime in the first place?
When we talk about problems we assume financial problems, health-related problems, relationship problems, problematic in-laws, lovers that turned away, and professional problems but we fail at times to realize that these problems do lead to mental health problems. It can be the other way around too, mental health problems lead to various problems in our life.
Now life isn’t a bed of roses we have all heard of this. So, problems, tragedies, disappointments, etc. are sure to meet our paths. While some juggle through these rough patches very well and deal with them with complete composure, some end up like this CEO mother killing her 4-year-old son.
So, what differentiates a person successfully tackling life’s gravest problems from a person destroying others and themselves when problems occur? The answer is very clear – one’s state of mental strength or in more common terms one’s mental health.
What is mental health in the first place?
Mental Health is a state of well-being or mental strength that enables a person to deal with stress, unexpected incidents, or any problems that arise in life. It involves qualities like:-
- Ability to analyze a situation
- To arrive at a rational and logical solution to the problem
- To control one’s impulsive thoughts and behavior
- To feel a sense of hope even in the worst situation
- To have faith in one’s ability
- To accept rejection
- To accept that things will not always go my way.
- Develop positive coping mechanisms
Mental health isn’t something that arises out of thin air. Mental health is a state that is acquired over a period of time.
Some people naturally develop good mental health because of their surroundings like:-
- A happy childhood
- Nonviolent environment during developmental years
- You learned problem-solving skills in childhood from how your elders solved problems
- Surrounded by healthy relationships
- Received acceptance for who you are
- Loving and kind relationship with your siblings and extended family
- Space and time to play and grow.
- Good nutritious food, ample water, and non-scarcity of basic needs.
Not all are fortunate to have such favorable conditions to grow up in. A lot of people grow up with a feeling of rejection, experience abuse or sexual abuse, indulge in drugs at a young age, violence between parents, poverty, lack of opportunity, and harshness. Many carry their childhood traumas into their adulthood because of the past that they still carry in their hearts and minds. This results in Mental Health problems which can be described as:-
- A sense of distress
- Causing harm to oneself
- Depression, anxiety, or emotional outburst
- Extreme eating disorders like excessive eating or no eating
- Sleep problems like no sleep or excessive sleep
- Lack of concentration
- Destructive behavior, causing harm to others
- Withdrawal from social activities
- Consuming harmful substances like drugs
- Suicidal thoughts
- Feeling worthless
Mental health can be revived. We all can work on ourselves, while some need professional help to strengthen their mental health. One of the main causes of poor mental health in our society is the lack of awareness. Many fear going to a Psychiatrist or counselor for being labeled as mad. It is as important for our well-being as going to a dentist. We make efforts and spend time and money on our appearance and look similarly for a more meaningful and joyful life, we must make efforts to understand and upkeep our mental health.