Five Evidence-Based Steps to Improving Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing
Overview
This explanatory speech outlines the importance of mental health and presents five evidence-based strategies for improving psychological wellbeing: socializing, exercising, engaging in meaningful activities, cultivating generosity, and practicing mindfulness. Each step is supported by research demonstrating protective factors that strengthen resilience and reduce mental health challenges.
What this coursework covers
- Introduction defining mental health and its impact on behavior, emotions, and stress management
- Five-step framework: socialization reducing stress-related issues by 2.4x, exercise decreasing poor mental health days by 40%, meaningful activities boosting purpose and confidence
- Continued discussion of generosity volunteering and mindfulness practices with neurochemical benefits
Preview
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Preparation Outline: Mental Health
Introduction
- Mental health is important because it entails an individual's psychological, social, and emotional fitness. Mental health impacts how an individual behaves, feels, and processes thoughts: how we interact with others, develop behaviors, or handle stress is directly related to our mental health. Mental health disorders increase the risk for chronic conditions and lead to intentional and unintentional injury (Pan American Health Organisation).
- Mental health refers to a state of mental wellbeing or the absence of any mental health disorder that would otherwise impede an individual's ability to cope with the stresses of life and achieve their potential (Pan American Health Organisation). Psychological factors like emotional regulation skills, substance use, and biological factors like genetics can expose individuals to a higher risk of mental health challenges. Similarly, exposure to hostile social, environmental, geopolitical, and economic situations like environmental deprivation, social inequality, violence, and poverty can heighten one's risk of experiencing poor mental health.
- There are five steps to improving one's mental health. These steps are socializing with others, exercising, engaging in meaningful activities, practicing generosity, and cultivating mindfulness. All five steps include protective factors that strengthen an individual's resilience and improve their mental health or sustain positive mental wellbeing.
Body
- Step 1: Socializing with other people improves one's mental health (Troyer). People with regular social interactions with friends and family are 2.4 times less likely to have stress-related mental health issues or other chronic conditions than those with no social contacts (Brody).