When our mental health goes wobbly, life can easily get turned upside down. Often it causes a loss of focus, and decision-making becomes harder. We’re likely to disengage socially, and may seek solace in food, or increase dependence on alcohol, drugs or tobacco. Enjoyment and happiness may give way to feelings of disappointment, discontentment or despair. By learning to POWER UP YOUR MENTAL WELLBEING, you can build resiliency, and protect and nurture your mental health.
Muscles grow and become stronger, through regular exercise. Similarly, by learning and consistently practicing mind-health skills, we can increase and strengthen mental wellbeing which is self-care, and helps safeguard our health.
Surprisingly, mental ill-health is all around us. About 20% of Australians experience mental illness every year. Close to half the population will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their lifetime.
At any given time, an expected 1 in 6 Australian workers are having mental health problems. The National Mental Health Commission say that about 8 million workdays are lost to mental illness annually. The Australian Government’s Productivity Commission released a report in October 2019 that estimates the yearly cost of mental illness and suicide at $43-$51 billion. That’s staggering, however, what’s particularly important to recognise is that mental ill-health is common, and therefore, we need not be scared to speak up and have a conversation about it.
Mental illness left untreated, can impair our ability to function effectively. Frequently, people delay or resist getting treatment. This may lead to lasting health impacts that were otherwise potentially preventable and/or treatable. Early intervention is crucial because of its bearing on the speed and quality of recovery. By developing the traits and skills that strengthen mental wellbeing, that helps to place a person at a greater advantage of minimising risk to their mental health in the first place.
Imagine if you knew the signs and symptoms of mental ill-health to be watching out for, and understood the different types of mental disorders. Picture having the knowledge of how to go about protecting and nurturing your mental wellbeing and where to find the resources and support networks that could help you, in that quest.
The FREE eBook “Power Up Your Mental Wellbeing”offers that knowledge and also debunks many myths around mental ill-health. In this book readers can learn to distinguish between the terms: ‘mental health, mental illness and mental wellbeing’. What you’ll get from this eBook is your very own informative and easy-to-read Mental Health Awareness Toolkit with practical skills to learn and apply now. So, if mental health and self-care are important priorities for you, then be sure to grab your free copy.
ROHAN WATSON is a member of the Australian Counselling Association and a general member of the International Association of Applied Neuroscience. He holds qualifications in Psychology, Counselling and Education from Monash University and USQ. As a Psychotherapist, Counsellor and Mental Health Researcher, Rohan is dedicated to helping unlock the potential in people to live life happily and more purposefully.
Rohan provides specialist counselling and wellbeing coaching services to people from all walks and seasons of life by phone, video or face-to-face. He has facilitated and delivered mental health programs across rural and remote Australia and provides professional psychotherapy services to employees at all levels nationally through EAP based services. Rohan has a special interest in the online delivery of mental wellness programs and his current research for a Master’s thesis is focusing on early intervention mental wellbeing in SMEs. Learn more.
PS. If you have ever wondered what the science says makes a ‘good life’, then you may enjoy watching this video: What Makes the Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness.