How is your mental health?

Mental Health is one of the most concerning issues of our nation .It used to be that we had time to process situations and make really good decisions. But now our world is so fast paced it requires new skills. In the old days of writing high school or college papers, Back when we used typewriters or actually hand wrote them, we would make a rough draft. Then we could sift through our thoughts and ideas and correct and improve. Then we could write a decent paper. Nowadays we  put out 29 characters and then hit send, or make a video and see how many likes we get. Not a lot of thought goes into what people put out there.

We have healthy and unhealthy states and then you have mental illness outside of that.  If I mention the word disorder, everyone knows of someone with some kind of disorder. OCD, ADHD, ASD, PTSD, and then all the personality disorders.  

 It is a primary source of court decisions in all kinds of areas. Education, workplace, and  domestic disputes. The medical community is all over the place in descriptions, remedies, and causes. We have been afraid to talk about mental health except in extreme situations.

But now we are beginning to have some meaningful conversations in everyday lives about how to maintain our mentally healthy lifestyles. It is somewhat different from physical health. Taking some vitamins, running some laps, and doing aerobic activities are frequently recommended.

 But what do we need to help our mental health in our lives and work? Why can’t talking about mental problems not be taboo? Our brains are the most powerful organ that we possess. We need to embrace the conversation, just like heart and stroke concerns.

Professional Sports figures are under constant strain to perform to keep their jobs. So are car salesmen, store managers, and the ever-stressful educators. I used to use my sick days at school and plan some mental health days. Just get away.

Now athletes are recognizing that they need to keep a sharp and close eye on the temperature of their mental health. It can certainly derail their performance and hence their paycheck. Many people deal with stress in various ways. Alcohol, drugs, sex, and gambling are frequently done to relieve stress. Unfortunately, many of those vices turn to addictions and then families and careers are damaged or lost.

If we incorporate this language into our insurance policies and paid leave at our jobs maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to accept that like our hearts and muscles, we need constant attention to our mental health. We can fight for acceptance with the medical, insurance, and political communities to get this help that’s needed. And as always this is just one man’s opinion.

Sincerely and God bless