Are you mentally healthy? 15 signs to look for

Are you mentally healthy? 15 signs to look for

When you think about improving your health, you may focus on finding time to exercise, breaking bad habits, or changing your diet. But prioritizing your mental health is just as important. 

By prioritizing self-care and considering therapy, you can maintain good mental health and prepare for challenges before they arise. Taking a proactive approach to your well-being can equip you with the tools you need to manage stress, face adversity, and handle unexpected changes with resilience and confidence, Rula explains.

Key Takeaways

• Good mental health doesn't mean being happy all the time. It's about having the coping skills to navigate life's challenges, manage emotions, and maintain positive relationships.
• Good mental health involves preventive care and being able to cope with emotions, life stressors, and crisis situations using coping skills.
• A therapist can help you prioritize your mental health by offering support, showing you how to handle strong emotions, and helping you change behaviors that may be holding you back.

Characteristics of good mental health

Good mental health isn't something you're born with. Rather, it's a set of skills you can develop over time. Your experiences and the environment you grew up in shape how you handle stress and solve problems. Some people learn these skills from their families growing up, while others pick them up later in life.

If your coping skills aren't helping you, it's never too late to learn better ones. A therapist can guide you in recognizing what isn't working and teach you healthier ways to deal with life's challenges. It's important to know that it is possible to achieve good mental health even after going through very difficult experiences. 

Good mental health means feeling capable and confident enough to manage daily stresses and more serious crises. Signs of strong mental health include:

1. Coping with change: Handling setbacks, challenges, and changes without feeling overwhelmed
2. Confident decision making: Trusting your ability to solve problems and make decisions effectively
3. Healthy relationships and boundaries: Maintaining meaningful relationships while confidently saying no when needed
4. Sense of purpose: Having a purpose in life or the ability to find meaning so you can recover faster after experiencing negative stress 
5. Positive outlook and strong coping skills: Using healthy strategies, like seeking support or practicing gratitude, to avoid harmful behaviors
6. Stress management: Managing stress in a balanced way without anxiety or excessive worry taking over
7. Self-awareness and self-worth: Accepting and truly seeing yourself, imperfections and all, while realizing your strengths
8. Emotional regulation: Managing your emotions effectively, allowing you to stay calm under pressure and expressing your feelings in a healthy way
9. Work-life balance: Prioritizing time for yourself, your family, and your work responsibilities
10. Self-care: Engaging in activities that recharge you, such as exercise, relaxation, and hobbies
11. Empathy: Understanding others' feelings and working to foster deeper connections and mutual respect
12. Ability to be present: Living in the moment and reducing worry about the past or future
13. Gratitude and appreciation: Finding joy in life's little moments and being appreciative of what you have
14. Flexibility: Adapting to new situations and being open to unexpected changes or paths
15. Optimism with realism: Maintaining a positive outlook while staying grounded in reality

Life-changing benefits of mental wellness

Having good mental health can positively impact every aspect of your life, boosting your happiness and overall well-being. Some of the benefits include:

• Lowering health risks: Reducing your chances of developing conditions like heart disease and high blood pressure
• Promoting better sleep: Supporting restful and restorative sleep that helps recharge your body and mind
• Enhancing productivity: Improving focus, decision-making skills, and overall efficiency
• Reducing mental health risks: Lowering the likelihood of developing conditions like anxiety and depression
• Increasing personal growth: Building self-esteem, confidence, and a stronger sense of self-worth
• Improving relationships: Enhancing communication and conflict-resolution skills, as well as the learning to establish boundaries, which can lead to deeper connections
• Easing life's challenges: Helping you feel less exhausted, worried, or overwhelmed and more in control
• Improving financial well-being: Helping you make better financial decisions and reduce impulsive spending driven by stress or emotions
• Boosting physical health: Encouraging healthy habits—like regular exercise and balanced nutrition—that support your mental and physical well-being

Good mental health doesn't mean you'll never face challenges or that every day will be perfect. Rather, it means you're prepared to cope with the stresses of life and can establish and maintain constructive relationships.

Seeking support for better mental health

All too often, people wait until they experience a crisis to prioritize their mental health and seek support. Being proactive about your mental health isn't a sign of weakness. In fact, it's a sign of strength and self-awareness. Taking steps to nurture your mental health before challenges arise can make all the difference in your well-being.

One recent survey found that taking a "bite-size" approach to improving your mental health can make a big difference. By taking multiple short breaks throughout the day to engage in activities that reduce stress and anxiety, 46% of participants maintained or improved their mental and emotional health.

This story was produced by Rula and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.