The Viewpoint January/February 2022

Page 10

Let’s Talk Mental Health Learn more about what mental health is and different types of issues one can face by Tiara Bigelow Mental Health According to Manitoba Healthy Schools website, mental wellness or good mental health is feeling, thinking, and interacting in ways that help you enjoy life and deal effectively with difficult situations. It is a feeling of emotional and spiritual well-being that respects the importance of culture, equity, social justice, relationships and personal dignity. Mental Health Problems are struggles and difficulties that affect everyone from time to time. Everyone experiences mental health problems at some time, and these problems can affect their ability to handle day-to-day situations and enjoy life. Mental health issues can include many areas, from enhancing our emotional well-being, to treating and preventing mild to severe mental illness, to the prevention of suicide. Mental Illness or Mental Health Disorder Mental Illness or Mental Disorder refers to a diagnosed condition (e.g., Depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Addiction, or Schizophrenia) that may require medical treatment according to Manitoba Healthy School’s website. The exact cause of many mental illnesses is unknown, but current theories suggest that some illnesses are related to the chemistry of the brain. There are many things that may play a role in causing or triggering a mental illness. Jonathan Day, psychology teacher, said, Stress may act as “Stress that helps us get things on time a trigger for a mental disoror motivates us to move forward is a der or may good form of stress. Stress that deals make it with relationships or focusing on how worse.

we look towards others is a bad form of stress.”

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Taking care of Mental Health The National Canadian Mental Health Association has ten tips for good mental health: 1) Build Confidence - Identify your abilities and weaknesses together, accept them, build on your abilities, and do the best with what you have. 2) Eat Right, Keep Fit - A balanced diet, exercise and rest can help you to reduce stress and enjoy life. 3) Make Time for Family and Friends - Important relationships need to be nurtured. If taken for granted, these people may not be there to share life’s joys and sorrows. 4) Give and Accept Support – Positive friends and healthy family relationships show their strength during difficult times. 5) Create a Meaningful Budget - Financial problems cause stress. Over-spending on our “wants” instead of our “needs” is often the culprit. 6) Volunteer - Being involved in the community gives a special sense of purpose and satisfaction. 7) Manage Stress - We all have stress in our lives but learning how to deal with it when it threatens to overwhelm us helps to maintain our mental health. 8) Find Strength in Numbers - Sharing a problem with others who have had similar experiences may help you find a solution and will make you feel less isolated. 9) Identify and Deal with Moods - We all need to find safe and constructive ways to express our feelings of anger, sadness, joy and fear. 10) Learn to Be at Peace with Yourself - Get to know who you are, what makes you really happy, and learn to balance Ioana Lupu Pitulice, a junior, what you can recommended “To seek help, whether it and cannot be your parents, counsellors or anyone change else. Always go to someone that is about beneficial or helpful to you.” yourself.

Katherine Zendek, a junior, said, “I usually eat a snack or two and avoid what I need to do so that I can relieve my stress” regarding her coping mechanisms. type u december 2019 u the viewpoint u3


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