When people think about being healthy, we most often think about our physical health. Eating better, exercising, and taking vitamins come to mind. Routine doctor’s visits also make the list to maintain optimal health. When obvious physical indicators reflect something other than good health, we jump to making changes or going to a physician to make sure that everything is okay, and if it’s not, what can be done to get back on track.
What we so often neglect is taking care of our mental health. Maybe because it isn’t as obvious or because the symptoms are often less tangible, but mental health is often more important than physical because it most certainly can negatively impact someone in optimal physical health. It’s unfortunate that many people wait until something negative to happen to see the red flags that were waving for quite some time.
Take for instance, the recent incident of the woman who deliberately ran over pedestrians in Las Vegas. Clearly, there is more going on with her than what may be visible on the outside, but I wonder how many signs were there prior to that irrational behavior? The indicators are not always there, so there isn’t always action to be taken, but sometimes the opportunity is there if people would simply pay attention.
In a society that seems to be intensely fixated on anything celebrity, it’s great to see celebrities being more supportive of the importance of mental health. Some notable celebrities who have struggled with some form of mental health are Jenifer Lewis, Amy Winehouse, Lee Thompson Young, Amanda Bynes, Russell Brand, DMX, and Chris Brown. All of these celebrities at some point or another have been open about their struggles with mental illness, and in a world where most people epitomize the rich and famous, having that perspective offers a wonderful and sobering dose of reality for everyone to take mental health seriously!
There’s no better time than right now to take inventory and action toward preserving and increasing your mental health. Every other area of your life will surely benefit!
