KEEPING HEALTHY MENTAL HEALTH HEALTHY volume one

ENJOYING AND ENRICHING PERSONAL MENTAL HEALTH
TO CONTRIBUTE TO LIVING THE ABUNDANT LIFE

volume one of KEEPING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH HEALTHY

Stephen D. ZoBell, PhD

This part of my blog is for those who are functioning well regarding mental health or who may have mild problems.  Instead of ignoring mental health issues, why not prevent potential challenges? or do what you can to make yourself more fully functional?  Enjoy life to the fullest.  If you have mental and emotional strength, why not reach out and help others?   Here are some ideas that may help.

I have found that most of those seeking assistance from me for mental health challenges were 'stuck' and feeling 'cornered' and in many ways unable to find alternative approaches to the ones that were not working for them.  Most people have internal resources to deal with mental health challenges, but they need some ideas to get them moving.  Can some of these ideas help you to become 'unstuck' so you can move forward to face your challenge with confidence?  My belief is that within each person is the knowledge of the problems they face, how they occurred and what keeps them stuck.  I also believe that each person has ideas of potential solutions.  Generally, people are competent when it comes to mental and emotional health.  However, through the various techniques that people tend to use to avoid difficult issues, those problems and their subsequent solutions can easily become masked, hidden or avoided.  I resist telling my clients what problems they are facing and avoid giving them my advice on how to solve their problems.  Rather, I am more comfortable in providing consultation to facilitate the person's attempts as they explore the problems they face and formulate their own solutions.  This way the client can come face to face, on their own, with the root of the problem he or she faces and then can explore ideas to develop their own personal resources so that they can find their own answers and solutions.  This process builds self reliance and self confidence.  In the long run, the client identifies the problem and the client finds the solutions.  The helper is merely a consultant or a facilitator.

Documents that I will post on this blog are merely prompts to 'prime the pump' of client personal introspection so that he or she can develop a personal treatment plan.  These documents should not be seen as a treatment plan.  They should be treated as catalysts for each person to develop their own treatment plan.

Here are some ideas that may prompt a person to find inner resources to deal with mild mental or emotional challenges, or to help another find their own solutions.  Each idea is given more detail
below.


This volume, Volume one, includes points 1-5

Volume two includes points 6-9

Volume three includes points 10-13

1.  WHY FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING MENTAL HEALTH?

2.  GENERAL CONDITIONS CATEGORIZING MENTAL HEALTH

3.  TYPES OF MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES

4.  OBSTACLES TO DEALING WITH MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES

5.  BEING PROACTIVE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

1.  WHY FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING MENTAL HEALTH?

to learn mental health self management

to build self confidence

to learn to act rather than being acted upon

to develop useful mental/emotional skills to face challenges, trials and successes

to develop compassion and understanding for those who struggle with mental/emotional challenges

being relatively free from mental health challenges will allow a person to live life more fully

to find correct information so that faulty ideas are not applied to mental health issues

to instill in others and in ourselves that THERE IS HOPE! regarding mental/emotional issues

to encourage others, and ourselves, to never quit on self, to keep trying


if we are correctly informed, could we do more to bring light to those in darkness?

could we help lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees?

could we in some way be the answer to a mother's prayers?

could we participate in helping those in mental/emotional prisons to be set free?

2.  GENERAL CONDITIONS CATEGORIZING MENTAL HEALTH

LEVELS

Functional  

Mild Challenges  

Moderate Challenges  

Severe Challenges  

Emergency


Functional.  If a person is functional regarding mental/emotional health in day to day living, then s/he should keep doing what s/he has been doing.  Good for that person!  This is also a time to generate mental and emotional strength and conditioning in case circumstances deteriorate.  Then the person will have inner resiliency to deal with an increase of challenges if and when they come.  Being functional also offers the opportunity to reach out and assist others who may be struggling with mental or emotional problems.

Mild.  Most individuals with mild mental health challenges have the inner resources to think through, deal with and overcome.  It takes effort and planning but it can be done.  This is where self reliance is applicable.

Moderate.  If a person struggles with moderate mental/emotional health issues, then it may be helpful to seek outside resources.  The first place to start would be reviewing material from a trusted source.  Determine the best definition of the problem and then try to find a resource that can assist in developing solutions.  Self reliance is important in this category, but outside assistance may be required.  Consideration could be given to consult with trusted 'others' such as a family member, the Bishop or a reliable friend.  Seek consultation from those who can be trusted and be cautious in seeking assistance from someone who would be critical, demeaning or guide you in a way that would be counter to the standards of the gospel.

Severe.  In severe cases of mental/emotional struggles it would be important to seek out and utilize outside resources who are trained and skilled in the type of challenge being faced.  Consider consulting with the Bishop who can assist in locating resources that may be helpful and also trustworthy.  It is important to receive assistance in a safe arena.  Professional resources such as social workers, psychologists, counselors or those in the medical arena may be able to provide assistance.  In severe cases, medication may be helpful to stabilize mood and thought processes.  Whenever possible, using professionals or being on medication should be considered a short term solution.  These options should be carefully managed and monitored so that the individual can return to a state of self reliance as soon as possible.

Emergency.  When mental or emotional health deteriorates to an emergency situation, then the circumstances should be left in the hands of competent institutions such as hospital, police, medical practitioners, group homes or any system whose design is to respond to such issues.  Contact these types of resources as soon as possible when the emergency arises.  Interested others can stand by to assist if requested by the institution that will be providing the help.





3.  TYPES OF MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES

formal

the most common formal types of mental health symptoms diagnosed by professionals may include:

 impulse control disorders

mood disorders

anxiety disorders

PTSD

 personality disorders

 substance abuse disorders

 adjustment disorders

 eating disorders

 and others 

Professionals use these categories to label a symptom.  This assists in communicating with other professionals, clarifying information with insurance companies and in finding solutions.  It is not helpful for a person who is not professionally trained to use formal diagnoses of mental/emotional symptoms.

It is more appropriate for lay people to use informal language to define mental/emotional challenges which often deteriorate into behavioral problems.



informal

Informally we can think of mental/emotional challenges in terms of descriptions that can define harmful and disruptive behavior to functional day to day living.  Following are some informal types of difficulties:

 excessive stress

 anger out of control

 over/under eating

poor hygiene

dishonesty

excessive media use

relationship challenges

grieving of losses (all types of losses including death)

adjusting to change

sadness

loneliness

overly critical of self or others

afraid including financial agony

low self esteem

conflicts of philosophies and purpose

historical/current abuse or abusing including theft

avoidance of people or responsibility

negative self talk

addictions

etc.

4.  OBSTACLES TO MENTAL/EMOTIONAL STABILITY

It seems that many of the mild to moderate mental/emotional health problems could have been prevented or dealt with years earlier.  During one season of my professional career, I asked many of my clients:  What kept you from seeking some type of help earlier?  Many responses were similar and can be grouped as follows:

I didn't know what to do or where to go for help

I thought my problems were normal

I was too busy

I was afraid, I was ashamed

I was unwilling, in denial, avoiding, ignoring, resistant and blaming others

The problems became useful and comfortable to me

I was into an addiction and couldn't control myself

My anger was too strong

Other people's opinions discouraged me from getting the help I needed

Another obstacle has to do with the fact that things and circumstances tend to deteriorate if they are not tended.  Things break.  Left alone long enough, things fall apart.  Sometimes, just when we put them back together, they fall apart again.  If we ignore our mental/emotional health long enough it will tend to deteriorate and deteriorate and deteriorate.        Therefore it is important to be...proactive...

5.  BEING PROACTIVE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

Anything left alone long enough will deteriorate, including mental and emotional health.  People are complex and complicated.  Problems can arise suddenly often when least expected.  It is therefore advisable to take a proactive position, to predict possible challenges and to prepare for them.  This requires the willingness to be proactive regarding mental and emotional health.

Act rather than being acted upon

Take responsibility regarding your own mental health

Predict potential problems that could come your way and prepare early to deal with them

Generate potential specific solutions to mental/emotional problems

Be proactive by being informed and making preparations

Avoid victimization mentality

Make regular effort to keep things in good condition

Stay solution oriented

Seek knowledge and skills regarding mental/emotional well being

Remember, one size does not fit all so personalize a proactive plan for yourself

It is important to tailor the solution uniquely to fit the unique problem of the individual

THIS SPEAKS TO THE NEED OF HAVING A PERSONAL QUEST 

FOR A UNIQUE SELF CARE PROGRAM 

PER  INDIVIDUAL 

IN THE AREA OF MENTAL HEALTH