Mental Wellness is.....

What is mental wellness?

     While there is a wealth of information on the varying definitions of mental illness online, it was not as easy to find information on mental wellness!! The best definition of mental wellness that I could find was by Dr. Jane Myers of the University of North Carolina, one of the founders of the concept. She says,

"Wellness refers to a holistic approach in which mind, body, and spirit are integrated. It is a way of life oriented toward optimal health and well-being in which body, mind, and spirit are integrated in a purposeful manner with a goal of living life more fully… Wellness is more than the absence of disease, [or] a state defined as “health.” [It] incorporates a concern for optimal functioning."

Being mentally well is intertwined with being physically and spiritually well

Mental wellness, physical wellness and spiritual wellness are co-equal

By its very essence, mental wellness cannot be separated from physical and spiritual wellness. The three work together to produce the very concept of wellness. They are also always changing!!! One cannot "achieve" wellness-- because day to day we change, our circumstances change, and challenges arise. ALL OF US are in fluctuating states of health, making mental illness and mental wellness varying degrees of our health. We  all work to maintain a level of that health where we can be comfortable. 

The following list was compiled by Dr. Myers as a general guide to what it is to live in wellness. These are essential areas of concern along life’s way and not an absolute checklist that measures success or failure. You may not even agree with them all. Choose the ones you want to aspire to and make them your milestones along the mental wellness continuum. Note that most of the points below deal with mental health and wellness in some way:

Creative Self

▪   Thinking. Being mentally active and open-minded. The ability to be creative and experimental. Having a sense of curiosity. The ability to apply problem-solving strategies to social conflicts.

▪   Emotions. Being aware of or in touch with your feelings. The ability to express appropriately positive and negative feelings.

▪   Control.  Beliefs about your competence, confidence, and personal mastery. Beliefs that you can usually achieve the goals you set out for yourself.

▪   Work. Satisfaction with your work. Feeling that your skills are used appropriately. Feeling you can manage one’s workload. Feeling a sense of job security. Feeling appreciated in the work you do.

▪   Positive Humor. Being able to laugh at your own mistakes. The ability to use humor to accomplish even serious tasks.

Coping Self

▪   Leisure. Satisfaction with your time spent in leisure. Feeling that your skills are used appropriately.

▪   Stress Management. On-going self-assessment of your coping resources. The ability to organize and manage resources such as time, energy, and setting limits.

▪   Self-Worth.  Accepting who and what you are, positive qualities along with imperfections. A sense of being genuine within yourself and with others.

▪   Realistic Beliefs. Ability to process information and perceive reality accurately. The absence of persistent irrational beliefs and thoughts and need for perfection.

Social Self

▪   Friendship. Social relationships that involve a connection with others individually or in community, but which do not have a marital, sexual, or familial commitment. Having a capacity to trust others. Having empathy for others. Feeling understood by others.

▪   Love. The ability to be intimate, trusting, self-disclosing with another. The ability to give as well as express affection with significant others and to accept others without conditions.

Essential Self

▪   Spirituality. Personal beliefs and behaviors practiced as part of the recognition that we are more than the material aspects of mind and body. Belief in a higher power. Hope and optimism. Practice of worship, prayer, and/or meditation; purpose in life. Compassion for others. Moral values. Transcendence (a sense of oneness with the universe).

▪   Gender Identity. Satisfaction with and feeling supported in one’s gender. Ability to be androgynous.

▪   Cultural Identity. Satisfaction with and feeling supported in one’s cultural identity. Cultural assimilation.

▪   Self-Care. Taking responsibility for one’s wellness through self-care and safety habits that are preventive in nature.

 Physical Self

▪   Nutrition. Eating a nutritionally balanced diet. Maintaining a normal weight (within 15% of the ideal).

▪   Exercise. Engaging in sufficient physical activity through exercise or in your work to keep in good physical condition.

 General Feeling of Well-Being

▪   Perceived Wellness. The extent to which you believe you have achieved wellness in all areas, or total wellness. Your estimate of your total wellness.

▪   Perceived Safety. The extent to which you believe you are safe in your home, neighborhood, and community, and the extent to which you feel safe from harm by terrorists.

▪   Context. The extent to which your wellness is influenced, in a conscious manner, by individual, institutional, and global contexts, and the extent to which you are aware of and intentional in responding positively to changes in wellness over time.

At our most recent Compeer poetry night, we wrote a group poem about mental wellness.....Seems fitting to share it here: 

Mental Wellness is.......

Mental wellness is...a feeling of security and open-mindedness.

Mental wellness is...when you feel good, when life is good......it is mind and body in sync.

Mental wellness is...what I strive for throughout my lifetime.

Mental wellness is...pure bliss- the personification of perfection. 

Mental wellness is...the sun, shining on your back...urging you to move forward. 

Mental wellness is...a confident spring breeze.  

Today let's remember that Wellness is not a 'goal' we can 'reach.' Rather, Wellness is living the best life we can live--- for us!!! 

-Jennifer

Starting the day laughing....

"Laughter is the best medicine......." It's an old adage, and that's probably because there is great truth behind it.

I was tired today. I was tired, and before I ate too many chicken wings for lunch, I was hungry too. Tired and hungry don't work well for me. In the least...... (neither does eating too many chicken wings, by the way, but that's another blog.)

Besides being tired and hungry, I spent the better part of my drive to work this morning going through my mental "to do" list, (and yes, paying attention to the road should have been at the top!) which left me walking into my office this morning tired, hungry and overwhelmed. That was even before I realized that I forgot to take out the overflowing garbage can this morning. UGH!!!

So, like the grown-up that I am, I flopped down in my chair with a big old pout on my face and turned on my computer- grumbling out loud, just waiting to find an e-mail that could make my morning any more unpleasant.

Low and behold- I found the opposite.

A wonderful friend had sent me one of those mass forwarded e-mails full of funny pictures. If you've never recieved one, they are just a compilation of funny photos- usually having to do with a theme that someone, somewhere out in cyberspace, put together. People forward them and forward them, and that's where the term "going viral" comes from-- these things spread like smiles in a candy store! I would link you to the e-mail here, but I'm pretty sure Compeer doesn't want me involving them in a copyright nightmare....so to view some, try google-ing "funny photos" instead.

I scrolled down through the photos this morning, and my grumbling turned to laughter.
After viewing maybe ten of these hilarious scenarios, I felt my mood to be entirely lifted.
I thought to myself, "I should do this every morning!"

What a thought- start every day laughing.

And why stop there?
Laughter produces endorphins, one of the body’s natural painkillers. Laughter improves immune function, and decreases stress hormones. In fact, a good belly laugh is literally good for the heart, because when we laugh it causes our blood vessels to dilate!

For those of us struggling with mental health concerns, sometimes the pain can get overwhelming. It can get frustrating when we have too many obstacles to overcome. We know it's been long understood that laughter heals the mind and the body, so let's take advantage of all the ways we can build it into our lives!
The web is chock full of comedy sites and funny photos.
The library boasts an endless collection of joke books, comedy novels, and even funny movies and CDs.

Why not pick up a comedian on CD and listen to them in the car, or on your headset while taking the train or bus?
Catch a funny movie instead of flipping channels.
Laughing changes the chemicals in our brains to support positive emotions and healing. I say we can't get enough!!
(Chicken wings, I'm finding out, we can get enough of.....)

What other ways do you fit laughter into your life? Favorite funny movies? Good (and clean) jokes??
Post a comment to share.

Let's laugh together!


-Jennifer
Compeer of Greater Buffalo, Adult Coordinator

If you have topics, articles, recipes, photos or stories to share, please send them to jennifer@compeerbuffalo.org.