Anyone can suffer from mental or emotional health problems — and over a lifetime most of us will . This year alone , about one in five of us will suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder . Yet , despite how common mental health problems are , many of us make no effort to improve our situation .
We ignore the emotional messages that tell us something is wrong and try toughing it out by distracting ourselves or self-medicating with alcohol , drugs , or selfdestructive behaviors . We bottle up our problems in the hope that others won ’ t notice . We hope that our situation will eventually improve on its own . Or we simply give up — telling ourselves this is “ just the way we are .”
The good news is : you don ’ t have to feel bad . There are practices you can adopt to elevate your mood , become more resilient , and enjoy life more . But just as it requires effort to build and maintain physical health , so it is with mental health . We have to work harder these days to ensure strong mental health , simply because there are so many ways that life takes a toll on our emotional well-being .
Even in today ’ s advanced world , many of us are often reluctant — or unable — to address our mental health needs . This can stem from a variety of reasons , including :