HEALTH IN THE MENTAL

I would describe a healthy person as one who is free of diseases, debilitating injury and of sound mental faculties. Any wholesome definition of health has to capture both physical and mental aspects. Mental health is a major concern all over the world and Kenya is no exception. It is estimated that one in four persons who seek healthcare in Kenya have a mental health condition. Depression is common and there are increasing rates of substance and alcohol use disorders as a result.

We all experience challenges and it is in how we handle the stressors that separates the vulnerable from the resilient. I came across a concept of the Mental Health Continuum which basically puts mental health in a spectrum, rather than a binary classification of good or poor mental health. The four categories are Thriving, Surviving, Struggling and Crisis.

Individuals who have a strong sense of purpose and meaning in life fall in the Thriving Category. They characteristically experience a sense of well-being, normalcy, have healthy sleep patterns and good energy levels. To Thrive, these individuals sustain habits that promote both physical (e.g. exercise) and Mental (e.g. Meditation) health.

Those falling into the Surviving category may exhibit symptoms such as irritability, sadness, difficulty sleeping, low energy, muscle tension, and headaches. Individuals in this category can generally cope with these symptoms and maintain a sense of equilibrium.

Individuals in the Struggling category are unable to control the negative emotions and external help is needed. They encounter symptoms like anxiety, anger, sadness, or hopelessness, Restless sleep, fatigue, aches and pains which lead to a decline in performance at work and withdrawal from society.

People experiencing a Crisis may face excessive anxiety, extreme emotions, and depressed moods. They may struggle with sleep, feel exhausted, and be susceptible to physical illness. Avoidance of social events, work or school may become evident. Urgent professional assistance is crucial for individuals in this category to address their mental health concerns promptly.

Across our lifetimes, various factors at the individual, social, and environmental level will interact to either protect or hinder our mental well-being thus leading to a shift in our position within the mental health continuum. Protective factors occur throughout our lives and serve to strengthen resilience. They include our individual social and emotional skills, positive social interactions, quality education, decent work, safe neighbourhoods and community cohesion, among others.

?At the individual level, there is need to be proactive with building mental resilience. Just as consistent physical exercise is known to reduce susceptibility to diseases, there are activities that help individuals build up resilience. Experts confirm that resilience is a quality and a skill that can be enhanced, yet requires effort and consistency. Some examples of resilience building activities include; meditation, giving gratitude, journaling, volunteering, seeking laughter, enhancing ones talents amongst many others. Key is to find an activity that fits in to your schedule, start slow and build up the activity over time.

From the Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle, resilience activities for most people fall in the Not Urgent but Important Quadrant. This means that it becomes very easy to postpone these activities until it gets to the urgent and important quadrant, which by then we’re already in a crisis.

To become resilient, we need to seek out challenges to serve as anecdotes to the modern world of comfort and convenience. In facing these challenges, we build up mental fortitude that can serve to keep us thriving in the midst of chaos. The world wants to know what category to put us in, which is why it will occasionally send difficult situations our way. The philosophy of Stoicism encourages us to think of these challenges not as inconveniences or even tragedies but as opportunities, as questions to answer.

I’ll conclude by quoting on of my favourite rappers, Nas. In his song Reminisce, off the Kings Disease III album he says, “The things that shaped me would've murked (killed) you”.

Would you rather be shaped by difficulty or destroyed? Please share your thoughts on the comments section...

References

Blackbyrn, S. (2024, January 4). The Mental Health Continuum Model. Retrieved from Coach Foundation: https://coachfoundation.com/blog/mental-health-continuum-coaching-model/ ??

Defining the Mental Health Continuum. (n.d.). Retrieved from University of Waterloo: https://uwaterloo.ca/thrive/resources/thrive-toolkit/defining-mental-health-continuum

Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle. (n.d.). Retrieved from Mind Tools: https://www.mindtools.com/al1e0k5/eisenhowers-urgentimportant-principle

Marangu E, Mansouri F, Sands N, Ndetei D, Muriithi P, Wynter K, Rawson H. Assessing mental health literacy of primary health care workers in Kenya: a cross-sectional survey. Int J Ment Health Syst. 2021 Jun 1;15(1):55. doi: 10.1186/s13033-021-00481-z. PMID: 34074318; PMCID: PMC8170792.

Nas. (2022). Reminisce. Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7D8_VMs-fg

What Is Stoicism? A Definition & 9 Stoic Exercises To Get You Started. (n.d.). Retrieved from Daily Stoic: https://dailystoic.com/what-is-stoicism-a-definition-3-stoic-exercises-to-get-you-started/

WHO. (2022, June 17). Mental Health. Retrieved from World Health Organisation: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response/?gclid=CjwKCAiA_aGuBhACEiwAly57MZCfZXlSmMpQhcZB0iekQ1qdHM1B1qTrvSNubmEGSUWQa3ONXeLQbhoCxV4QAvD_BwE

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