In explaining the overall health of people in a community,  this parable about a river “slowly filling with drowning people” (representing illness) is often used. Due to their overwhelming numbers, many are unsavable. They are the end of the river, in the “downstream.” By taking a look “upstream,” we can see what is getting them into the water unable to save themselves in the first place — do they need lifejackets or, better yet, swimming lessons or a fence to keep them slipping into the river, etc.?

If we use this parable to represent mental health, there are actions that, for the most part, could prevent “overwhelming numbers” of “drowning people” or mental illness. For some, mental illness is inevitable due to genetics. But for most, mental illness can be prevented and reduced or “cured” for those experiencing its symptoms. The upstream area of mental illness includes acquiring and maintaining the skills associated with mental health and implementing and enforcing policies that support both mental health and skill building.

How are Your Mental Health Skills?

The skills of mental health or social-emotional learning include self-management, relationships, and resource management:

Self-Management:

is the development of self-awareness and self-management skills such as the ability to take care of ourselves, building and maintaining resilience and identifying and managing our feelings or emotions.

Relationships:

include the development of healthy relationships to promote mental health such as building and maintaining communication skills, skills of empathy, compassion and acceptance and the ability to express gratitude and forgiveness.

Resource management:

Is to know what, when, where and how to ask for help for yourself and others.

So, what do you think? How are your mental health skills? Do you have them down pat or might they need a little tweaking? Like all areas of health, our mental health will take a bit of managing and checking in on, on an ongoing basis.