Renaming 'Mental Health' to 'Mind Health'

When you see the word ‘mental’, what do you think of?

Here’s what Google dictionary thinks of: 

Formally, ‘mental’ is simply defined as ‘relating to the mind’, but we’re too far gone with all its associations of being crazy, acting unpredictably, and not being healthy.

On the other hand, when you see the word ‘physical’, what do you think of?

Notice how you can identify ‘physical’ as ‘relating to the body’ without being charged with the negative emotion that so often comes with ‘mental’.

Insight:

It’s easy for us to understand our physical health as the result of exercise, diet, and our overall lifestyle.

Yet, we often measure our mental health by how disturbed our thoughts are, how low we feel, and how negatively this manifests in our behaviour.

How did we get here?

For millennia since then, people with mental illness have been treated no better than slaves or criminals: imprisoned, tortured, and killed.

We have come some way since then with mental illness now widely accepted as a medical disorder.

However, this has made mental health only seem relevant to people who need medical treatment - perpetuating the stigma that people with mental illness are rare and abnormal.

What’s the solution?

The only way to change the perception of mental health is by dropping the associations that come with the name.

For this, we have 2 options:

1. Undo thousands of years of prejudice, stereotyping, and social exclusion across almost every human culture and society.

2. Change the name.

Of course, progress is needed in the first option. But sometimes you really do have to break the Gordian knot.

So, what should we rename it?

The NBA have led by example here with their Mind Health campaign, promoting “education, proactive care, and mental skill development”.

As a basketball fan, I couldn’t be prouder.

This renaming redefines how we view the health of our mind from being defined by illness to being defined by everything our mind needs to be healthy. 

Tool:

What you do for your physical health depends upon your needs and preferences:

• Some do yoga for mobility.

• Some lift weights for strength.

• Others play sports to exercise through teamwork and competition. 

The same applies for your mind health. You may choose to:

• Journal to process feeling overwhelmed.

• Meditate to declutter your thoughts.

• Call a friend for hours when you just need someone to listen.

The list of exercises is endless. Take your pick, and build a gym for your mind.

Prompt:

Take a moment to think about how much or how little you invest in the health and fitness of your mind - just as you may already do for your body.

Intentionally design and incorporate whatever you need to meet the needs of your mind, such as feeling connected with others, enjoying inner peace, and being able to work productively.

Create a routine for your mind that gives it a workout, tracks progress, and builds in recovery. For guidance on which exercises might be best for you, keep reading each week.

Written by Dr Manu Sidhu 🩺

Feel free to email back with any thoughts, questions, or ideas for us to explore.

If this article resonated with you, the best way for you to support is by sharing it with others who may be interested.

You can also tweet me or connect on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer:
The Mind, Explored. is for informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information in this newsletter or materials linked from this newsletter is at the user’s own risk. The content of this newsletter is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of health care professionals for any such conditions.