Mental health is a significant part of life. It can be affected in the biggest or smallest ways. A dictionary definition of mental health is a person’s condition concerning their psychological and emotional well-being.

Many things can cause your mental health to spiral. Jarrod Ray is a guidance counselor at Chapman high school. If we take care of our mental health we take care of the rest of our body.

“Everything is connected,” he said. “Our minds, our bodies, our spirit, our emotions. When one is out of whack, it impacts all the other areas. Mental health is often overlooked because it’s not as easy to see when we are hurting emotionally compared to physically. It’s also not always as easy to treat as a physical injury or sickness. But, your thoughts and feelings impact every area of your life and determine your actions, so having your mental health in check is vitally important to living the life you want and to be successful.” 

To keep you from being at your worst, surround yourself with friends and loved ones, not people who do not care for you. There are four main types of mental health: anxiety disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders and eating disorders.

Stress can cause mental health issues. Sometimes your mental health issue could be genetics. May holds our mental health month while October has a week. 

Cody Blake is a freshman at Chapman. How we take care of our mental health is important to how we treat our mental stability.

“Mental health should be treated how any other mental problem should,” Blake said.

Taking care of mental health problems is very important. 

“Sometimes it’s helpful to think of mental health problems as if they were physical problems,” Ray said.” Sometimes, for small injuries or illnesses, we can self-medicate: put on a bandaid, take a Tylenol, rest for a few days, etc.  But, for more serious injuries or illnesses, we usually have to seek out additional help: go to the doctor, develop a treatment plan, do rehabilitation, etc. It is similar to mental health problems. If you are experiencing symptoms that are persistent and are negatively impacting you and your quality of life, then it’s time to reach out for help. Look for an adult you trust and share with them what is going on. We are always available in guidance to speak with students and we are a good place to start for getting the help you need.”