Your mental health can be negatively or positively affected by many things in life including: 

- Biological factors (brain chemistry) 

- Life experiences 

- Family history of mental health problems 

Now, you may ask, “Why is managing my mental health important for my overall well-being?”

Well-being is defined by the CDC as, “the presence of positive emotions and moods, the absence of negative emotions, satisfaction with life, fulfillment and positive functioning.”  

Many factors take part in your overall well-being including: physical health, mental health, social health, economic well-being, emotional health, and much more. These factors all play a major role in creating a circle of well-being, and when one of these factors begin to slip, your overall well-being will also decline. 

Because your mental health affects how you think, feel, and act, it can have quite a large impact on your overall well-being. For example, if you’re stressed and your mental health is suffering, you may resort to food consumption or restriction in order to try to make up for your negative mental status. This could ultimately lead to many health conditions like obesity or anorexia, respectively. These are gateway health conditions that can lead to malicious chronic health conditions (diabetes, heart disease, cancer), which will act as a chain reaction and negatively affect many other areas of your well-being—physical well-being, economic well-being, functional well-being, life satisfaction, etc.  

However, when your mental health is at its peak, you’re able to realize your full potential,  cope with stressors, be more productive, and make meaningful contributions to yourself and your community. This will allow you to make better decisions regarding your nutritional, physical, and medical health habits and behaviors. This positive change of health habits and behaviors can help you avoid and/or decrease your risk of developing chronic health conditions and ultimately increase your overall well-being.  

- Staying positive in stressful situations

- Getting enough sleep

- Changing negative behaviors and habits

- Reaching out to others (professionals, friends, and family) 

YOU CAN stay positive.

YOU CAN find time to sleep.

YOU CAN change your negative behaviors into positive ones.

YOU CAN reach out for help to those around you.