ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- We each bring an especially unique trait with us wherever we go.
We are bright, knowledgeable and strong. However, mental illnesses can dim our light significantly, preventing us from bringing everything we have to the table. Mental health is about more than just mental illness– it is essential to our overall health. Mental health is our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It plays a role in how we feel, act and communicate.
Just as we can have physical illnesses, your mind can be ill too. Some forms of mental health illnesses include anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults live with a mental illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 5 youth, ages 13-18, either currently or at some point during their life have had a seriously debilitating mental illness. About 1 in 25 U.S. adults lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression.
There are many factors that can cause a person to have mental illnesses. Some of these factors can include adverse childhood experiences, childhood trauma, abuse, experiences of ongoing chronic medical conditions, chemical imbalances in the brain, alcohol or drug use, loneliness or isolation, and traumatic experiences. Symptoms of mental illnesses can vary from person-to-person. However, the most common symptoms of anxiety are:
- irritability
- difficulty concentrating
- heart palpitations
- low libido
- shaking/trembling
- breathlessness/shortness of breath
- sleep disturbances
- muscle tension
- sense of impending doom
- feeling on edge
These experiences can happen to anyone at any time. Mental health does not discriminate.
Recently, Olympic athlete Simone Biles opened up to Vanity Fair about her mental health journey ahead of the 2024 Olympics. Biles took a step back from gymnastics after experiencing “the twisties” at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The “twisties” is a mental performance issue when a gymnast becomes disoriented midair. Biles experienced this traumatic event while on the vault. Biles withdrew from many competitions in 2020 following this event. Biles reported that after 2020, she was depressed until she started therapy and got help. Biles is now open about her mental health struggles and what led her to begin taking the medication “Lexapro.”
Biles’s mental health story has a silver lining, as she was able to recognize the concern, ask for help and take appropriate actions to get to being herself again. Biles is participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics where she is competing in multiple events.
Mental Illness can affect your daily health by causing you to have a change in appetite, energy and sleep. It can also cause physical reactions including headache, body pain, stomach issues and skin issues. Mental illness can also worsen your chronic health issues such as heart disease, diabetes or increase the risk of stroke. Chronic health issues and mental health concerns work hand-in-hand and can make the other worse.
There are ways to manage your mental health leading you to live an overall healthy lifestyle. Some of these can include taking breaks from reading news stories, including those on social media. It’s good to be informed, but constant information about negative events can be upsetting. Take care of your body — get an adequate amount of sleep each night, eat healthier foods and limit food with unhealthy fats, salt and added sugars. Limit your alcohol intake, avoid smoking, attend regular health check-ups, see a therapist and speak with your health care provider about medication, and finally, don’t forget to have self-care days.
References:
- Coping with Stress (cdc.gov)
- Simone Biles Shares How Therapy And Medication Help Her Anxiety (womenshealthmag.com)