Mental health does not only comprise the absence of mental illness. It is a complex process that involves taking into account factors such as mental well-being. Thus, The WHO defines mental health as “a state of emotional well-being that allows people to cope with stressful moments in life; develop all your skills; be able to learn and work properly and contribute to the improvement of the community”.
Mental health does not only include the absence of mental illness
Regarding this, the teacher José Antonio López Moreno, from the Department of Psychobiology and Methodology in Behavioral Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid comments that “Taking care of our mental health and emotional well-being is a day-to-day task that involves putting into practice habits such as socialization. Being surrounded by friends and loved ones helps us share feelings and find ourselves together”. In addition, he adds that “in these times of economic and political uncertainty, socially we must work on aspects that we can improve ourselves and that are useful to feel better, such as following healthy habits.”.
For that reason, experts recommend following healthy lifestyles to feel better. One of the first recommendations is related to including a sports routine in our lives. According to a study published in the International Journal of Medicine and Sciences of Physical Activity and Sport, following performing a physical exercise, the state of mind improves, reducing values such as tension or depression.
Mediterranean diet
Professor López Moreno clarifies that “playing, competing or practicing sports alone or in company is an essential moment to maintain optimal emotional well-being. In addition, it is necessary to nurture ourselves with the small daily pleasures that make us happy, such as having a beer in the company of friends and family. Furthermore, he has highlighted the importance of the Mediterranean diet as a socializing role. “If we attribute a healthy lifestyle to physical and emotional well-being, it is worth highlighting the importance of the Mediterranean diet here with meetings around food.
In addition, this lifestyle involves the moderate consumption of fermented beverages such as beer. In fact, fermented beverages have been observed, on multiple occasions, under scientific evidence, that fermented beverages are beneficial to health. In this sense, López Moreno clarifies that “socialization around the moderate consumption of beer in the context of social contact with friends, family and loved ones, favors our state of mind by helping us to improve emotional well-being and help us feel happier”.
Socialization favors our state of mind by helping us improve emotional well-being
To conclude, the professor emphasizes that “it will be vital to feel accompanied in order to improve our emotional well-being, looking for those moments that make us happy, always remembering the importance of going to a professional when we do not know how to manage our emotions or when situations of day to day. Also, keep in mind that many times our level of happiness and satisfaction with life depends on who and what you compare yourself to.”
