boiMAG.com "Mental Health and Happiness"

by: Dr. Charla Waxman BS, MBA, EdD Director of Business Development Lake Behavioral Hospital

As the title suggests, is it possible that these two concepts are connected? On the surface, it doesn’t seem like there is a match, but let’s probe deeper.

Sometimes we equate happiness with the dreams we have for our lives. Some we achieve, some we can only hope to see them become reality: cars, homes, jobs, material possessions of all kinds. In truth, the happiness of the external things just listed are often short-lived. Sometimes when we hit the mark and get just what we wanted, it isn’t long before we have our goals set on the next level above what we just obtained. According to the Happiness Alliance, mental health has more to do with one’s happiness and overall well-being, than many other factors.

When mental health becomes mental illness, it is certainly hard to achieve happiness. The material interests we once had pale in the light of just wanting to feel better or just feeling alone and in a dark place. Happiness, however is not just linked to material possessions. Happiness very often is found in relationships, things we love to do, and work that we value.

Mental illness can mean that we begin to isolate and feel alone and relationships are put at risk or put aside altogether, and the happiness of those relationships is rocked. Mental illness may mean that we feel so exhausted by our illness or so much in self-doubt, that the things we love to do are no longer of interest. The happiness we achieved by being actively involved in hobbies or sports, for instance, may become lost to mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. Any mental illness can drive us to miss work or not find our work satisfying. Mental illness may also mean that we cannot concentrate or relate to the work in the same way we have in the past. The Journal of Vocational Behavior indicates that unemployed people are less satisfied with their lives and relationships; marriage and family, and those elements of life are strained. Happiness, it seems, is hard to achieve when mental illness takes hold.

There are ways to thwart the kind of debilitating and happiness-stealing mental-illness-related behaviors discussed above. The first is to use resources that work within your interests and style.

There are plenty of ways to seek help and become informed. Try dialing 988. Although this is best known as the suicide helpline; there are lots of ways these teams of professionals can and will help you. There is even a special line of support connected at 988 for those in the military. SAMHSA (GOOGLE it!) has hotlines and resource listings for all levels of mental health and substance use and abuse. Also, use your local health department to find the help you need. Allow them to help you find a therapist or a program that is the best fit for you. Therapy helps. Don’t let stigma stop you from getting the help you need. Self-care is important. Diet, exercise, meditation and journaling, what combination of things seem right for you?

Happiness is not easily defined. We don’t all achieve it in the same way. What we do know is that we

certainly know when it is missing in our lives. Mental health and happiness are linked. A good balance of emotions and support for positive mental health makes the chances of finding happiness and keeping it much more likely.

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