Friday, 29th March 2024
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Why Your Relationships Are Important To Your Well-Being!

In relation to the Mental Health Awareness Week’s theme; “Relationship,” this article tends to help you see how celebrating the connections, relationships, and people in our lives can add to our well-being and protect our mental health. It is important to note that the relationships in question range from family and friends, to colleagues and…

In relation to the Mental Health Awareness Week’s theme; “Relationship,” this article tends to help you see how celebrating the connections, relationships, and people in our lives can add to our well-being and protect our mental health.

It is important to note that the relationships in question range from family and friends, to colleagues and neighbours and other healthy relationships that are extremely important to our well-being, both physically and emotionally, which help us validate our self-worth at large.

Let’s take a few minutes to examine what mental health is and what role our relationships have to play to boost our individual mental health.

FIRST; what is Mental Health?

Mental Health refers to the state of emotional, Psychological and social well-being, which affects how we think, feel or act. It also determines how we handle stress, relate to others and make important choices regarding life generally.

Meanwhile, the free encyclopaedia defines Mental Health as a level of Psychological well-being, or an absence of a mental illness.

Simply put, Mental Health is the “Psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioural adjustment

It is undeniable that we are all social creatures who seek the comfort and support of others from time to time no matter what status of relationships we are in. Like most of us do regarding balanced diet and exercise, we don’t always pay enough attention to what we know will help our well-being.

After the release of a survey by Mental Health Foundation to mark Mental Health Awareness Week which revealed that about 46 per cent of the 2,000 adults in the UK who took part in their survey had admitted that they regret not investing more time in their relationships; Mental Health Foundation now encourages that people make a relationship “resolution” to encourage mental well-being!

The Foundation added that those who sign up on their website regarding this adjustment will receive a text on New Year’s Eve to check their progress, and prompt them to continue their efforts into 2017.

The Foundation however recorded some testimonies on the importance of relationship towards mental well-being which I trust will help you see what level of importance one should attach to committedly investing in “Relationships” to help Mental Health.

Here are a few testimonies recorded by the foundation:

Luke Tyburski, a 33-year-old Endurance Adventurer from London admits that social media can be a source of insecurities, as we watch seemingly perfect lives unfold online. Here are his thoughts; “But the reality can be starkly different, as an endurance adventurer, my life online, and in the flesh, may look and sound amazingly perfect to many. But after suffering in silence for nearly a decade, it’s only been over the past 12 months that I have felt the courage and strength to speak openly about the darker side of my life, and the battle I constantly have with depression.”

Luke adds that he gained the strength to deal with and speak openly about his struggle with depression thanks to his friends and family.

Nia Charpentier, a spokeswoman from the charity Rethink Mental Illness says; “What we hear time and again from our supporters is how important friends and family are on the road to recovery from severe mental illness.”

Peter Saddington, a Counselor for Relationship Advice Service Relate, suggests that simply saying hello to neighbours can heighten a sense of belonging, while banning technological devices from the home for an evening, a week can allow partners to enjoy quality time together. “Is there a colleague who you haven’t got to know yet? Make an effort to chat to them each day and make them feel welcome. Call your parents once a week to see how they’re doing rather than waiting for them to call you.”

Meanwhile, while relationships can be a source of strength, they can also be extremely damaging if a person is manipulated, feel trapped or is taken for granted.

In other words, the commonest way in which a person’s mental health can be damaged relationship-wise, is by isolation, intimidation, bullying, coercion or a feeling of being taken for granted. Such pressures can lead to psychological disorders and (or) depression.

Healthy relationships are therefore extremely important for one’s well-being both physically and emotionally. It doesn’t matter what it’s about, but just start a conversation with a person you have a relationship with, and you may begin to smile on the inside, as well as the outside.

So folks, that’s all I have for you for now. Bottom line; make friends, revive old ones if need be, go all out to make your relationships fun and you might just be on your way to enjoying all that life has to offer your health through people around you!

Peace!!!

Photo credit: bougieblackgirl.com

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