Understanding Mental Health Concepts

Mental health encompasses our thoughts, feelings, and interactions. Good mental health is about feeling adequate, doing meaningful activities, and having resilience. It can be visualized as a scale that shifts based on life events and support systems. Challenges to mental health can be temporary or long-lasting, often resulting from life circumstances. While challenges are inevitable, support systems can help maintain balance. Normalizing mental health discussions encourages seeking help when needed.

What does mental health include?

• Our thoughts, feelings, and daily functioning

• Only our thoughts

• Only our relationships with others

• Only our feelings

What is good mental health about?

• Always being happy

• Having no mental health problems

• Feeling good enough about ourselves

• Never facing difficult situations

How can we think of our mental health?

• As a fixed state

• As something that is always good

• As a scale that moves

• As something that never changes

What can shift the balance of our mental health scale?

• Only positive events

• Only negative events

• Life circumstances and support systems

• Nothing can shift the balance

What can challenges to mental health leave us feeling?

• Always energetic

• Indifferent

• Stressed, sad, and overwhelmed

• Always happy

Do mental health difficulties usually have a single cause?

• No, they are always random

• Yes, they are simple to understand

• No, they rarely have one cause

• Yes, always

What can help us cope with life's challenges?

• Ignoring our problems

• Things that support our mental health

• Always being alone

• Avoiding conversations about mental health

Can supportive things prevent all mental health challenges?

• Yes, they can prevent all challenges

• No, but they help us cope

• Yes, they make life perfect

• No, they have no effect

Why is mental health complex?

• Because it is the same for everyone

• Because it is personal and unique

• Because it never changes

• Because it is always poor

What makes it easier for people to seek support for mental health?

• Avoiding the topic

• Normalizing conversations about mental health

• Ignoring their feelings

• Only talking to friends