Just like physical health, mental health has everything to do with a person’s overall well-being. Although in this case it has to do with emotions, psychology and your mental state. It’s about how you think, feel, and behave.
Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making.
Moreover, mental health includes subjective well-being, through self-efficacy, autonomy, and competence. It can also be intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one’s intellectual and emotional potential, among others.
When you have a good mental and physical health, you are happy, confident, and able to cope with whatever life throws at you. You are able to build a positive relationship with other people. You can concentrate on tasks, and handle your emotions in a healthy way.
Although, sometimes you can experience challenges with your mental health which can happen to anyone. This can happen when you experience a feeling of sadness or anxiety for a long time. It can even affect your ability to enjoy activities.
Making your mental and physical health a priority allows you to support yourself and others through their health journey. This includes talking to your friends and family about your feelings, seeking help from professionals like therapists. If you have really good friends too they can help you through your mental health journey.
It is just a way to talk or express how we feel on the inside. Just like we have to take care of our bodies, we also need to take care of our minds as well. Moreover, people can feel happy and full of energy. But other times, people can feel sad or angry. And that’s also a valid feeling. Your emotions are a normal part of life.
History Of Mental Health Education
Hippocrates was a very important person in history of mental health. He understands mental illness, like depression and schizophrenia. Although he was always sharing his knowledge so people can understand it too.
In the past, people used to think that if someone was feeling sad or down, it was their own fault or maybe there were bad spirits causing it. However, Hippocrates changed that. He made it clear that there was something physical happening in the body that causes mental illnesses. He thought that when people had too much of something called “black bile” in their bodies, they would feel really sad.
To help people with such illnesses, Hippocrates used a special medicine called “laxatives.” These medicines helped the body get rid of the excess black bile, and it makes people feel better.
Hippocrates was really important because he started to think about mental health as something that could be understood scientifically. Instead of blaming people or thinking it was as a result of bad spirits, he looked at the physical aspects of the body and how they might affect a person’s mood.
So, thanks to Hippocrates, we started to understand mental illness in a different way, and it helped us move toward using science to help people with their mental health. Mental health officially became recognized in the early 1900.
Importance Of Mental Health Education in Schools
01. It teaches students to prioritize their health
As a student that understands mental health you will also understand self care. Self care which helps to improve your health and practice activities that are helpful.This can include activities like exercising, meditation, spending time in nature, journaling, or practicing mindfulness. Prioritizing mental health is spending time to engage in this healthy activities.
02. It helps to build the Teacher-Student relationships
Teaching mental health in schools gives room for an healthy environment. This environment creates supportive relationships among students, teachers, and other educational staff. When you feel that you can talk to your peers and educators. You are more comfortable and able to trust your teachers. Students will no longer have any fear or feeling that the teacher will be judgmental .
03. It improves the quality of life of the students
The knowledge of mental health allows you to learn to Set healthy boundaries in your personal and professional life. You Learn to say yes or no when you need to and prioritize your own well-being. This allows you to limits your work load and take breaks when necessary. This improves your work-life balance and the quality of your life.
04. It encourages students to ask for help
A Student that understands mental health is confident and expressive. They are able to build healthy relationships. These relationships provide a safety net and a sense of belonging, creating an atmosphere of mutual understanding. Prioritizing mental health in schools often leads to the freedom of expression and ability of students to ask for help. They tend to see it as the normal thing to do.
Conclusion
It is important for schools to teach students about mental health. When schools talk about mental health, it helps students to feel better and do well in their studies and personal life.
It also helps people to not feel bad about having mental health problems. Teaching about mental health can also stop problems from happening in the first place. So when schools focus on mental health education. It makes sure that students feel good and do well in school and life.
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