- [Narrator] When we think of mental health,
we can often brush aside any worries or concerns
we have on the matter.
And instead, choose to only focus on our physical health
but this can be a mistake.
While some may choose to ignore their emotional wellbeing.
Others realize that mental health
is an important part of our health as a whole.
It is certainly far from nothing.
In fact, physical health and mental health, often coincide.
If you are emotionally unhealthy,
you're likely to see physical symptoms
as well as mental ones.
If you're physically unhealthy
your mental health could be affected.
Did you know stress can cause your hair to thin
and become brittle?
Or what about chest pains you've been having.
That could be a sign of stress as well.
So why is it that we treat
our physical and mental health so differently
if they're both linked closely
in a chain reaction of symptoms?
According to the 2017
National Survey on Drug Use and Health,
nearly one in five American adults
will have a diagnosable mental health condition
in any given year.
And according to a comparative study,
46% of Americans will meet the criteria
for a diagnosable mental health condition
sometime in their life.
With half of those people developing conditions
by the age of 14.
The number of US adults with a mental illness,
a whopping 44 million.
And those with a mental illness
are at higher risk of physical disease
and have reduced access to adequate healthcare.
That's only the beginning.
Take depression for example,
according to a study published in The Lancet Psychiatry,
those with depression have a 40% higher risk
of developing cardiovascular and metabolic disease
than the general population.
People with serious mental illnesses
are nearly twice as likely to develop these conditions.
Hm, sounds pretty important to me.
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Now onto the video.
So why do some of us still brush off
our mental health as nothing?
We all deserve the time and attention needed
to address all of our problems and concerns,
mental and emotional as well as physical.
Mental health is not only our emotional wellbeing
but physiological and social as well.
It affects how we think feel and react.
It affects how we handle situations and stress.
How we relate to others and our decisions.
There are many ways in which our mental health
can affect us.
Here are just a few to start you with.
I'm sure a lot of us suppress our emotions.
It can happen without us even fully realizing it.
Suppressing emotions is yet another example
of how our mental health can affect us.
If we choose to ignore certain symptoms
and suppress negative emotions,
we're only doing more harm than good.
Just because you consciously suppress your emotions
does not mean they go away.
Instead, they build up.
You should instead express emotions,
such as sadness, anger or anxiety to someone you trust.
Research published in the APAs
Journal of Experimental Psychology
show that expressive writing
reduces suppressed and intrusive negative thoughts
and can improve our working memory,
which can then allow us to use our cognitive resources
to focus on what's important to us
and improve how we handle stress.
Still choosing to ignore your symptoms or emotions?
Let's say you haven't been feeling well lately
and have suppressed a lot of anger that you've been feeling.
You tell yourself, you have more important things to do.
And what if you let that anger build up?
Well, holding in that anger means the emotion lasts longer
as it's hidden inside of you.
It can have a physical impact on you as well.
Get ready for a long list.
Anger has been linked to obesity,
low self-esteem, migraines, drug and alcohol addiction,
depression, sexual performance problems,
increased heart attack risk,
lower quality relationships,
higher probability of abusing others
emotionally or physically or both,
higher blood pressure and stroke, says Dr. Schinnerer,
an anger management coach
who was also a consultant on the Pixar movie Inside Out.
You know, the animated film about emotions.
Anger can also lead to insomnia, anxiety,
self-esteem issues and mental or brain fog to name a few.
This is just anger.
There are physical and mental problems
that can arise from any suppression of emotion it seems.
Because if these emotions build up
they will eventually arise to the surface
and likely explode out of you like a volcano.
Just giving you a visual example.
So what are we supposed to do about all of these feelings?
Well, Schinnerer suggests, one way to break this cycle
and that begins with mindfulness.
One way to do this, he says,
is by becoming more aware of when you are angry
in the present moment,
than looking at the emotion
in a nonjudgmental and curious way.
So instead of beating yourself up,
acknowledge how you're feeling and think about ways to cope.
Still not convinced?
You want another example
of how your mental health can affect you.
Okay.
Well perhaps you don't suppress your emotions
but instead let your insecurities get the best of you.
Insecurities are a perfect example
of a small mental health struggle
that we can all relate to.
An example that not only affects our health,
but our behavior as well.
Everyone has insecurities.
It's a normal part of being human.
But if you're constantly thinking of your flaws
and how others might judge you,
it can be the beginning of a very unhealthy habit.
Even if you want to change yourself
for the better and improve yourself,
don't beat yourself up over it.
It's a great goal to try to improve yourself in many ways,
perhaps starting with your mental health.
But telling yourself that these goals
are the only thing that can make you happy
is a recipe for disaster.
Because even if you do accomplish
the goals you're striving for,
the added weight and importance you place on them
can make the great feeling of achievement
and accomplishing your goals
not all that you thought it would be in your mind.
We tend to build things up in our heads
and that's the reality we tend to strive for.
But maybe the life in your head
is not all you thought it would be.
When you finally reach the mountaintop
and take a look at your long awaited vista,
there's always a time
when you'll have to start the long track back down
because not every moment will feel
as high as the mountain tops.
And that's normal.
The point is to keep moving forward on your path,
on your journey.
Bettering our mental health takes patience.
It takes time and patience to heal these wounds,
big or small.
And while others may tell you
what you're feeling may be nothing,
you know better.
You know it's time to give your mental health
the time and attention it deserves.
So how do you view your mental health?
Did you learn something new?
Let us know in the comments below
and feel free to share this video
with someone who could benefit from it.
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for more psychology content.
And as always, thanks so much for watching.