Mental Health, from the Perspective of a 13-year-old
By: Aliyyah Andrias
Tags: Perspective, Mental Health

Photo by Michael Lai on Unsplash

“If we start being honest about our pain, our anger, and our shortcomings instead of pretending they don’t exist, then maybe we’ll leave the world a better place than we found it.” — Russell Wilson

Different individuals tend to have VERY different views on what a “good mental health” is, don’t you think? Everybody has different expectations on what they consider as a desirable mental health, so one’s definition of a “good mental health” may not be the same to another. “Mental health” itself is already quite a broad term, and everybody has different aspects they consider to be a part of it; for instance, the World Health Organisation defines “mental health” as,

“a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

As for me, I define “mental health” as, “our emotional, psychological, and social well-being that is able to affect how we think, feel, and act,” quite simple if I do say so myself. But of course, you can’t just assume that my definition of “mental health” is the same to others’. Not every 13-year-old would think of “mental health” as the exact thing I mentioned — though more or less, that is the general concept of mental health.

To get a more well-expressed idea of what mental health is, try to imagine your mental health as a bottle; the negative circumstances of everyday life being the water that you pour into the bottle — for instance, academic pressure, work pressure, parental issues, overthinking, and all of the negative bubbles that causes you stress. Now, imagine having little holes at the bottom of the bottle; those holes are sort of like de-stressors — your friend circle, eating ice cream, watching Korean dramas, meditating, and all those little things that makes you happy; all of those stops the bottle from running over.

Now why exactly is caring for your mental health is important? Coming from a 13-year-old with average mental health and poor decisions, caring for your mental health is indeed important because it’s a critical part of your life. Your mental health is able to impact your thoughts, behaviours, and your emotions. Having ‘good’ mental health can promote productivity and effectiveness in activities like work, school, or caregiving (whatever activity you’re playing in your life). Your mental health also plays an important part in the health of your relationships (that is if you have any; if you don’t have any, I won’t judge), along with doing so, your mental health allows you to adapt to changes in your life and cope with adversity.

Certainly, you are able to take baby steps in improving your mental health. Small and simple things like exercising, eating a balanced and healthy meals, opening up to other people in your life, taking a break when necessary, remembering something you are grateful for, and getting a decent amount of sleep during the night, may be helpful in boosting your personal mental health. Just loosen up and be honest about it, you know?