Example Of Mental Health And Well Being Essay

In philosophy, self-knowledge refers to knowledge of one’s own self in terms of one’s beliefs, thoughts, mental state, sensation, etc. A person’s knowledge about self has an important influence on how a person perceives events happening in the outer world. Introspection could be a good method of knowing about one’s self. In introspection, a person tries to understand his own mental states and beliefs. It is a way of observing one self. It helps to identify our true intentions and beliefs in doing an action. Certain sensations like cold, heat, etc. can help to create awareness about self. Likewise, feeling associated with these sensations like pain, discomfort, etc., also help in creating awareness about self. Certain experiences help a person to clarify certain doubts about self or helps reinforce certain beliefs about self. For example, if I could consistently win all tennis matches, it can reinforce my beliefs and thoughts about winning the match in the future. Knowledge about self will provide confidence and courage to face a situation.
A person’s knowledge about self also influences his or her appearance, behavior and personality. Biological factors, social factors, cultural factors and personal situations, influences a person’s concept of self. Personality is an amalgamation of various aspects of self like: emotional state, openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness. In most cases, people are unaware about their true state. The person collects information about himself, through intuition and through the process of sensing. Thus, a sensitive person is more aware about one’s self.
Knowledge about self, will enable coping during stressful situations. Knowledge about self will help to take conscious efforts that will help to solve a problem. Personal and interpersonal problems are very often the source of stress in most people. Coping strategies will help to minimize stress or to overcome stress. One way of dealing with stress is by distancing once self from the problem or denying the existence of the problem. Some people alter their thinking to distance themselves from the problem. Seeing humor in a problematic situation is a form of stress moderator and is found to work well with certain people in relieving stress. Developing an adaptive behavior is another way of facing the stress. In this strategy, the person takes conscious effort to eliminate the source of stress or the problem that causes stress. This process involves gaining information on the problem, developing new skills to take control over the situation. People also choose to reduce stress by altering their emotional state. For example, techniques like meditation and relaxation techniques help to manage emotions associated with a stressful situation. These techniques help to change the meaning of the stressor or to direct once emotions away from the stress. All these three or any of these coping strategies can be used by the person, based on what works well in a situation. Maintaining health and having the ability to remain relaxed is very useful in coping with stress.
Human being is a thinking animal and our rational behavior is often the source of our emotion. Thus altering once thinking pattern, can help to control emotion. Emotion gives people meaning to their lives. The basic emotions in human are: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise. However, more than one basic emotion can act simultaneously to result in complex emotional patterns. Emotions influence a person’s psychological and cognitive ability. It can alter the sleep pattern and affect wellbeing. Based on the outcome, emotions are grouped as positive and negative. A common negative emotion we see today in most people is anxiety and rage. These are some extreme forms of emotions that can negatively affect health and well-being. While genetic factors have a role in influencing once emotions in most situations, very often memory or certain cognitive states, motivate people to act violently or to become anxious. People have a certain level of control over events and thus a certain level of control over their emotions. Emotions are essential for existence and the right emotions will make life more enriching. Positive emotions motivate people to live a positive life. The concept of holism or positive psychology, is based on helping humans realize their true potential and encourage human development. The process of knowing once talents, capabilities and potential, is called self-actualization.
We human beings have a massive functional cerebral cortex that helps us to develop abstract thoughts, use languages, coordinate activities, cooperate with others and to empathize. Most people are in a calm state of mind when not feeling threatened. Feelings can be associated with a person’s emotion. Creativity often stems from a calm mind. Negative emotions also serve some purpose in people’s life. People learn more quickly when in pain than when experiencing pleasure. However, there is no shortage of negative experience in this world and what the world wants more is positive emotions that give hope to people and motivates them to live better lives. These positive thinking and positive emotions are called optimism. A certain amount of optimism will prevent people from overestimating a threat and prevent them from being overwhelmed. Optimism generates positive emotions and this helps to manage stressful situations. Stress and anxiousness in moderation are useful. However, prolonged anxiety can lead to negative health outcomes. Exercise, good sleep and nutrition are some interventions that will help to promote mental well-being. For some, spirituality helps to bring mental balance. Very often, people are habituated to seeking negative emotions that cause stress. Conscious self-effort is required to break the stress cycle.