Lesson One - What is Mental Health?
Lesson 1 Introduction
What does Mental Health Mean?
Mental health can mean different things to different people. Some people might think of depression or anxiety, while others may think of schizophrenia. All of these are correct, but mental health is so much more. It is being proactive to stave off extreme stress, staying healthy, and creating a support network that you can turn to in times of need. It can be learning to live with a mental illness, or learning to support those around you that are living with a mental illness.
Everyone has mental health, regardless of whether or not they have a mental illness.
There are a variety of definitions of mental health depending on what organization you look at. For the purposes of this course, we will be using the Canadian Mental Health Association definition:
Mental health is knowing and accepting yourself, understanding what makes you happy, building meaningful relationships, coping with problems of day-to-day living, and maintaining a sense of humour. It also means striking a balance in all
aspects of your life: social, physical, spiritual, economic, and mental. Mental health is [also] about coping with the challenges of life.
Courtesy of Canada.ca/Health, HBSC