What is mental health?
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Mental health is sometimes known as emotional health.
The Mental Health Foundation says that good mental health is characterised by a person’s ability to fulfil several key functions and activities, including:
- the ability to learn
- the ability to feel, express and manage a range of positive and negative emotions
- the ability to form and maintain good relationships with others
- the ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty.
Factors that can contribute to poor mental health include:
- A mental health condition, such as depression, bipolar disorder or PTSD
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Loneliness
- Illness
- Bereavement
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health and it’s important to look after it. Having poor mental health can affect your physical health – and vice versa. Your mental health can also change over time.
More people are finding it difficult to maintain good mental health in the face of COVID-19 because of loneliness, a change in routine and being unable to do things that bring us joy, and the fear of becoming unwell. Find out how you can maintain good mental health during COVID-19.