Mental health is a very far-fetched concept. Everybody likes it, and everybody wants it, but if asked what mental health is, not everybody will have a clear definition of it. For most people, mental health is an ideal mental state where everything in life fits in place. We have no concerns and no preoccupations and can enjoy every moment of our lives. It is a vague feeling of safety, well-being and content. It feels very much like paradise, never close but always in the horizon for us to long for. Sometimes a tinge of nostalgia is also added to the theme. It turns into something that we used to have in good old days, but somehow, we missed it on the way.
What do experts say about mental health?
It seems that even for experts in the field, the definition of mental health is not easy. The World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” Apparently, the emphasis here is mostly on our interactions with the community around us. Phrases like ” normal stresses of life,” “work productively and fruitfully,” and “make a contribution to her or his community” all point to the social aspects of our existence. From this point of view, a mentally healthy individual is someone who is in a very smooth and productive interaction with his or her society. Being happy and joyful is not, according to the above definition, parts of mental health.
For many experts, mental health is more about what you feel inside. They consider it a subjective experience. Feelings of happiness, fulfilment and content are cornerstones of mental health. The findings of positive psychology, as a science of happiness, seem to be in favour of this viewpoint. Scales like The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scales ask a series of questions like the degrees of happiness, optimism, feeling relaxed, feeling good about oneself, feeling confident and the like to measure the mental well-being.
No matter how different the above definitions are, they have one thing in common. None of them focus on the lack of psychopathology. We can infer that not having psychological problems is necessary, but not enough for being mentally healthy. Yet the question is still there: Is it possible to define pathology if we cannot elucidate the healthy state is?
How can we get close to mental well-being if we do not know what it is? Until the experts make up their minds about what mental health is, maybe the safest way is to take the middle path. We can get a combination of the above definition. Perhaps mental health is a state of harmony and peace both with ourselves and our community. The level of this harmony may change from day to day based on our growth and the demands of society. It is not a point to reach or a goal to achieve. It is like obtaining quality and cherishing and nurturing it. It is like sowing a seed and looking after it. It needs our daily attention and care. Mental health is not the product of this daily activity; it is THE activity.
