Mental health is more than just being devoid of any mental illness. It is the state of being happy and calm within your mind, body, and soul.
Your mental health is reflected in the way you think, behave, and act. It is a window into how you deal with stress and obstacles, build relationships, and show resilience in the face of a storm.
Being mentally and emotionally healthy doesn’t mean not getting sad or anxious. It means being positive, strong, and resilient, even when you are stressed and nervous. Being mentally healthy doesn’t mean the absence of mental issues; it means the presence of positive traits and characteristics.
Let's look at the characteristics of a mentally healthy person.
Mental Health vs. Mental Illness: What’s the Difference?
There is a major difference between mental health and mental illness. People usually feel that just because someone is mentally healthy, they won’t ever get sad, but that’s not what it is; that is humanely impossible.
Being mentally healthy is the same as being physically healthy; you eat good food and exercise to remain fit, but at times your body might react negatively to certain foods and cause stomach aches, food poisoning, or vomiting, so this doesn’t mean you are physically unfit. In the same way, being mentally healthy doesn’t mean being completely devoid of negative feelings like sadness or anger; it simply means getting negative feelings and emotions because of a trigger or a certain situation. What makes a person healthy is handling those feelings with the utmost care and being resilient in the face of adversity.
Whereas, when we talk about mental illness, it means that something major is harming a person’s body, mind, and soul. Mental illness is more than just feeling sad, angry, or upset. People with mental illness issues may feel sad all the time and wouldn’t know how to stabilize their feelings or emotions in a healthy manner. Mental illness becomes the driving force behind how individuals perceive the world.
People with mental illness can lead a good life. Although they have a tough time dealing with extreme emotions, they are also accustomed to feeling happy and healthy on certain days.
10 Characteristics of a Mentally Healthy Person
To see if a person has good mental health, there are some characteristics of mentally healthy person that can help in determining that. They are as follows:
1. Life Satisfaction
A mentally healthy person is generally satisfied with their life. They know that ups and downs are a part of life and that there is no such thing as a consistent life; everything at every moment changes, so they accept whatever comes their way with a neutral stance and are overall happy with the way they lead their lives.
2. Open to Feelings
As you grow up, it gets harder to express yourself and be polite about your feelings. In order to not feel them at all, one ends up bottling them up. A mentally healthy person is one who unapologetically feels their emotions as they want and is not afraid to own up to whatever feelings they get. They are happy to express their sadness as well as their happiness without any fear or judgment.
3. High Self-Esteem
A mentally healthy person has high self-esteem and confidence. This doesn’t mean that they don’t get stressed or have negative thoughts about themselves; it simply means that whenever they get negative thoughts or do not feel like their best selves, they listen to their conscious side and try to be resilient. They do not give in to their thoughts and feelings and take their time to let those feelings and thoughts pass on their own.
4. Resilient
A person is mentally healthy when they are resilient, which means they do not fear or get overwhelmed by stressful situations but rather face those situations strong-headedly. Being resilient makes a person less stressed and anxious, and they are able to manage their extreme emotions or feelings in a neutral way because they are confident that whatever comes their way, they will be alright.
5. Flexibility
Being mentally healthy means being flexible and open to change. At the start, any kind of change feels a bit odd and unsettling, but that doesn’t mean you should run away from it; it is better to sit in the new change and make it your comfort zone, and if you do that, it is a sign of being mentally healthy and strong.
6. Warmth
People who are mentally healthy have a sense of warmth about them. They meet and greet people with grace and dignity, radiate positive energy, and one actually feels like being around them and hanging out with them. They know what topic to talk about with whom and handle everything with a great sense of poise and sophistication, which makes them even more attractive.
7. Meaning and Purpose
People who are mentally fit and healthy have a sense of meaning and purpose in life. They know what their goals, aspirations, and dreams are. They tend to wake up with an incentive to achieve their goals and work on themselves so they can become a better version of themselves.
8. Emotional Stability
People who are mentally healthy know how to look after their emotions, how to take care of themselves in times of distress, and how to get their emotions to a neutral state. At times, it gets difficult to control your emotions, but mentally healthy people know that it's best to avoid people at that time and spend time with themselves until they feel better and healthier.
9. Good Support System
People who generally have good mental health have a big reason for that, which is a good support system. When you have a good support system behind you no matter what, you feel strong, brave, and safe. You know how to have fun and retain your childhood energy because of the people who have known you for the longest time.
10. Competent
People who are mentally healthy are highly competent. They wish to do the hard work, hustle when necessary, put in the work, and move forward on the ladder of success. They will do anything and whatever it takes to make their dream a reality.
How Can You Cultivate Good Mental Health With Now&Me?
Our platform, Now&Me, is a safe place that helps you feel lighter by writing out whatever is weighing you down. It helps you engage with others and makes you look at your situation from a logical and solution-oriented perspective. Become a part of the larger community and cultivate the characteristics of mentally healthy person with online counseling from Now&Me.
When you do not understand how to look after your mental health properly, sign up on Now&Me and seek professional guidance from our experts. Be a part of a non-judgmental, inclusive, and friendly community. A platform made for you to readily ask for help and let our experts help you get a good mental health experience.
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FAQs
The characteristics of mentally healthy person mostly include life satisfaction, being open to feelings, high self-esteem, resilience, flexibility, warmth, meaning and purpose for life, emotional stability, a good support system, and a competent nature. However, these traits are general and will differ from person to person.
Five factors that can deeply affect a person's mental health are childhood trauma, social isolation, discrimination/bullying, and personal and financial restraint.
Mental health cannot be solely based on external behavior; there is a lot more to an individual’s personality, and what is shown externally is just a part of it.
No, mentally healthy individuals are not always happy and stress-free. They just know how to effectively handle their stress and let their emotions run freely, whether it be sadness or happiness.
Temporary mood swings last for a few hours; however, when one is feeling mentally unstable for quite a long time (more than 2 weeks), it can show up in their physical behavior. Most of the symptoms are irritability, negative thoughts, prolonged sadness, fear, gastric problems, migraines, nausea, disinterest in favorite hobbies, isolation, and indulging in self-sabotage behavior.
