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Key Takeaways Mental health is foundational and should be actively maintained rather than only addressed when it becomes problematic.
To take a proactive approach, you should build non-negotiable structure into your day, control unnecessary inputs, get out and move, and create coping strategies that fit you.
You should also find, discern and prioritize positive relationships. This could mean limiting your network to those who have proven to you they will be there when it matters.
I always like to write an article that coincides with Mental Health Awareness Month to encourage people to reset and think critically about how they are doing. Mental health is one of the things in life that quietly influences everything, from your performance at work to your relationships.
In the most meaningful way, mental health is foundational, yet it often isn’t treated as such. It is only dealt with when it becomes problematic. This is a reactive mindset — and it’s a ticking time bomb.
Moreover, mental health is not simply the absence of anxiety, stress, depression or burnout. It’s the presence of clarity, resilience, problem-solving and ambition. In other words, mental health is not the absence of a fog; it’s the presence of clear skies.
The disturbing reality
I’ve written this before, but it bears consistent repeating: 1 in 5 adults in the United States suffer from a mental health condition. But that statistic does not account for the grey area that many people live in. A person may be “high functioning” on the outside, but dealing with stress, anxiety, fatigue and exhaustion internally. The presence of these symptoms slowly erodes effectiveness, but worse, can destroy a person mentally and physically.
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