Mental health is one of the world’s issues that has flown under the radar until a few years ago. The National Institute of Mental Health says one out of five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (46.6 million in 2017). The burden of mental illness in the United States is among the highest of all diseases. Nearly every deed a person acts stems from their mind; without a healthy mind, the person cannot be expected to function normally in day-to-day actions.
To maintain something, you must already have it. Fortunately, the processes for maintaining and gaining mental health are mostly the same.
“Usually when I get stressed out I start to fidget,” junior William Obrien said. “To relieve my stress I tend to draw pictures, as an outlet.”
The University of Michigan says taking care of yourself, including eating nourishing meals, drinking enough water, and sleeping the recommended hours all contribute to decreasing depression, anxiety, and improving moods.
“Usually when I’m stressed I either overeat or forget to eat, there’s no in between,” junior Amber Kost said. “Usually to maintain my mental health I will either draw and paint or get a healthy amount of sleep so I feel better.”
Mental health has shown to be one of the largest issues in the world currently, with awareness and treatments becoming more common. Simply stated, maintaining mental health is as important as gaining it.