A checklist for positive mental health

When people hear the words mental health, they often think only of mental illness or lack thereof. Positive mental health encompasses much more than that. It’s about emotional and psychological wellbeing, and the resilience to cope with life’s challenges.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as, “Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community.”

Positive mental health is a state in which social, emotional, and spiritual factors intersect to achieve optimal functioning. Further, positive mental health can coexist alongside mental illness; just as optimal physical health is more than just the absence of illness, so is mental health more than the absence of mental illness.

Positive mental health checklist

Here is a checklist of factors that are found to contribute to this overall positive state of mental health. Take a look and see if you can identify their presence in your day-to-day life.

You experience pleasant emotions. Ask yourself if you are experiencing positive emotions such as delight, satisfaction, happiness, and contentment. Difficult and painful emotions are part of everyone’s life, but ideally, they should be balanced by positive emotions. What ratio of positive to negative feelings do you experience in an average day?

You find meaning in what you do. Do you find nourishment and fulfilment in your day-to-day activities? Do you find meaning in your work, in your relationships with loved ones, in your hobbies? Feeling that what you do with your time has value is an essential component of positive mental health.

You can deal with everyday challenges. A part of positive mental health is your ability to deal with life’s daily challenges without becoming overwhelmed and stressed. Stress happens, but someone with positive mental health will experience it without letting it take over or become overwhelming.

You are socially connected and engaged. Positive mental health also has a social dimension: Are you in regular contact with friends? Do you feel connected to a community and engaged with your peers? Do you trust others and feel trusted by those close to you?

If you didn’t check all of these off, it does not mean you are not experiencing positive mental health. However, if you identify areas for improvement, use the checklist as a guide to implement changes.

If you need further help, you can also seek support from a counsellor on how to get the most out of your life and work towards positive mental health.