The different camps of mental health

A simple explanation on mental health.

Note: Humans are simple creatures, yet with the overloading of modern stimuli our situations become complex, therefore I am making a sweeping statement here as each individual case is so variable.

Also: there are many branches of mental illness, here I am talking only about the most common - depression.

If like me you find that everyone overcomplicates things then you might appreciate this simple explanation of our mental health. A word we now hear several times per day.

To explain the camps:

Camp A: Good mental health. We feel able to cope, hopeful, we enjoy our lives most of the time and we are generally happy.

Camp B: Poor mental health. Life can not run smoothly the whole time. If it did we wouldn't be able to distinguish when things were good and when things were bad, therefore we wouldn't appreciate the good and it would no longer be good.

Circumstances and situations can encourage us to slip into the poor mental health camp which is perfectly acceptable for a visit.

Poor mental health feels like running on a hamster wheel/frustrated, over tired, heartbreak, disappointment, embarrassment, unhealthy diet, not enough fresh air or exercise, things feel generally harder, like running in deep mud.

It is inevitable you will visit camp B at various stages of your life because life happens and things don't always go to plan. Don't be afraid of it, process what has happened, take the rest your body needs and when you're ready, step back up into camp A.

Camp C: Mental illness. If we stay in camp B for too long and do not explore, process and accept the reason for being there, we can slip down into camp C and mental illness.

Now at the bottom of the mountain, you can no longer see the top or perhaps no longer even believe there is even a mountain top, the thought of climbing back up is so overwhelming you feel immobilised, empty, hollow, hopeless and utterly exhausted.

Once diagnosed as clinical depression by a licensed Dr, medication may be prescribed in an attempt to assist with the climb back up.

In a nutshell, our mental health will dip and peak throughout life. That is perfectly natural.

Enjoy the rest or learning time in camp B, just don't stay there for too long.

Catherine Wensley-Green