Sometimes people are not sure what mental health is and feel a bit afraid of it. Think about physical health, that doesn’t have the same negative impact does it?

Our physical health can be good or bad and can vary from day to day. When our physical health is good, we can live life to the full.

At other times we can be unwell, and this can last weeks or months. Or we might ‘feel off’ for a couple of days then we are back to normal.

Sometimes our physical health  is poor because we have not taken good care of ourselves or because we were born with a tendency to certain illnesses. When we are unwell, we are likely to have less energy and motivation and find taking part in work or play mode difficult.

All of these characteristics are true of mental health. The main difference between physical and mental health is that our emotions, our ability to work and our relationships are the main factors to be influenced by our mental health.

When our mental health is positive, we can cope with life’s ups and downs. Our mood is stable, and we feel optimistic. When we are mentally unwell, we may experience mental or emotional pain. Our mood may be low and this can in turn aid our loss of confidence and our ability to cope with life’s challenges.

Of course, the other big difference is that you can’t ‘catch’ a mental health problem from someone else, it isn’t like catching the flu. Physical and mental health have an effect on each other. If your physical health is poor, then your mental health is likely to be low. If your mental health is poor, then you are more likely to get physically ill.

The good news is you can make a massive difference and be aware of your own mental health.