What are the steps to good health?

Being mentally healthy is not simply a matter of not having a mental disorder. A person can live with a mental disorder and still experience emotional well-being resulting in a balanced and satisfying life. The reverse is also true: the absence of a mental disorder is no guarantee of emotional well-being.

Like being physically healthy, being mentally healthy allows you to feel good about yourself. It also allows you to enjoy life to the full, to grow and to try new things.

Maintaining good mental health is also one of the best ways to prepare yourself for difficult times in life, whether personal or professional.

The basis of good mental health: balance

To maintain good mental health, it is recommended to establish a certain balance between the various aspects of one’s life:

• social;
• physical
• mental;
• economic;
• spiritual;
• emotional.

The periods of life (school, career, family life, etc.), the difficulties and challenges encountered sometimes tip the balance to one side or the other. It may then be relevant to ask oneself what changes to make in order to maintain one’s mental health.

Factors that influence mental health

Several factors influence a person’s mental health:

• biological and genetic characteristics, for example heredity
• other personal characteristics, such as lifestyle and behaviour, level of self-esteem or childhood experiences
• the social environment, e.g. relationships with family, friends and the community
• the living environment, e.g. place of residence or accommodation, family environment;
• the work environment, e.g. working conditions, psychosocial factors (opportunity to make decisions related to one’s tasks,
• links with colleagues, recognition of expertise and skills, etc.), safety of the premises
• the economic context, e.g. the cost of consumer goods to meet basic needs, the unemployment rate and the distribution of wealth in society.

Some factors cannot be influenced, such as heredity or certain events in the past. However, you can change your habits and behaviours and take certain steps to maintain good mental health.

Steps you can take to maintain good mental health:

• Adopt good lifestyle habits
• Take time to eat well.
• Make sure you get enough sleep.
• Move or exercise every day.
• Do activities that promote relaxation and well-being (yoga, meditation and breathing exercises, creative or artistic activities).
• Reduce your intake of stimulants (coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate).
• Reduce or completely stop your consumption of alcohol, drugs and tobacco.
• Maintain your social network
• Maintain positive relationships with those around you: family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, etc.
• Participate regularly in leisure activities that you enjoy and make time for them.
• Avoid being alone or isolating yourself if you are going through a difficult situation, such as bereavement or job loss. Contact someone you know or trust or a resource that can listen, support or help you.

A healthy lifestyle, on a daily basis

Prevention is the best way to stay in shape for a long time. In short: a healthy lifestyle, on a daily basis. Advice and explanations point by point to keep… healthy!

Balance your diet

Why? All the studies confirm it: a varied and balanced diet is a preventive factor against cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, obesity and hypercholesterolemia.

How can we do this?

• increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables to reach a quota of at least 5 per day
• eat foods that are sources of calcium (mainly dairy products and, as a complement, vegetables and even mineral waters that are rich in calcium) to reach the recommended intake of 3 dairy products per day
• limit the consumption of fats, particularly saturated fats (meat, cold meats, cheese, pastries, etc.)
• increase the consumption of starchy foods, particularly wholegrain foods
• Limit the consumption of sugar and foods rich in sugar (sodas, sweets, jam, chocolate, etc.).

Stay sober

Why? Alcohol is high in calories (1g = 7Kcal) and is widely distributed in the body before being broken down by the liver into a toxic molecule. Thus, a high consumption would be at the origin of cancers (mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, colon, rectum, breast…), and would increase the risk of global mortality, notably cerebrovascular.

What can we do about it? Moderation! Favour low-alcohol drinks to the detriment of strong dry alcohol or alcohol mixed with soda; drink slowly and put your glass down between each sip; have a glass (of alcohol) for pleasure and a glass (of water) for thirst; do not exceed the equivalent of 2 x 10 cl glasses of wine or 2 x 25 cl beers or 6 cl of strong alcohol per day. If you are pregnant, don’t drink.

Move

Why ? It is recognised that increasing energy expenditure through physical exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, obesity, cancer and osteoporosis. Regular exercise also improves body shape, well-being and self-esteem.

How can you be active? You can be active without being sporty, and move without changing your lifestyle. At least half an hour of brisk walking a day or the equivalent is enough. So don’t hesitate to walk briskly on short journeys, get off the bus or metro one station before, do your shopping on foot rather than by car, banish escalators and lifts… At the weekend, plan an activity: cycling, rollerblading, walking, swimming, etc.

Give up smoking

Why? In addition to cardiovascular pathologies and cancers, tobacco poses many risks to women: combined with the pill, it encourages the formation of clots, damages the walls of the blood vessels and narrows them, increasing the risk of phlebitis and thrombosis; it accelerates decalcification; it multiplies the risks of ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, premature delivery, Caesarean section and delayed growth of the foetus.

How can it be used? Don’t touch it! If it is too late, get help!

Beware of the sun

Why? Prolonged exposure to the sun damages the skin’s capital. Skin ageing is accelerated and the risk of cataracts increased. UVA and UVB rays are carcinogenic.

How can you protect yourself? Avoid exposing yourself in summer between 12pm and 4pm. Never go out in the sun without a layer of high factor cream and reapply it regularly. Wear protective sunglasses, especially on the snow or the sea, where the reverberation is important.