Mental Wellness

BayCare wants you to be well, and wellness is more than just your physical health. It’s also about being “mentally well.”

Mental Wellness

Mental wellness is not just about the absence of mental illness but about fostering a fulfilling and balanced life. It involves having a sense of purpose, engaging in meaningful work and leisure, cultivating strong and supportive relationships, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. True mental wellbeing is about developing the skills to manage stress, adapting to life’s challenges, and finding joy in everyday experiences. It also includes practicing mindfulness, gratitude, and self-care while recognizing when professional support is needed. By prioritizing these aspects, individuals can build resilience, enhance their overall well-being, and lead a more satisfying and enriched life.

When you feel mentally well, it means you can understand how things or situations affect your ability to think or focus. You understand how you feel (your emotional state) and how you act (your behavior). When you are mentally well, you also recognize how your ability to think, feel and act affect your ability to:

• Do or carry out daily activities or chores
• Go to work and perform your work role
• Have or engage in satisfying relationships with family, friends or a significant other

Things That Impact Mental Wellness

It’s important to know there are many things that can impact your mental wellness and health:

• The Environment: The environments where you live, work, and play
• Your Financial Situation: Your current and future monetary needs or desires
• Your Work or Occupation: How you feel about your job or work role
• Physical Health: Physical activity, wellness or illness, the amount of sleep you get, and your diet
• Social relationships: Feeling connected to others
• Spiritual: Having a sense or feeling of purpose

Starting the Mental Wellness Conversation

Just as you talk to your doctor about physical symptoms you’re experiencing, it’s important to let your doctor know about how you’ve been feeling or any major changes that may be happening in your life.

Here are some tips to start the conversation with your doctor during you next checkup. Need a doctor? Let us help you find a doctor.

• Share any life changes with your doctor, and let him/her know how those life changes have affected how you feel. Life changes can be things big or small, such as changing jobs, moving, getting married or divorced, your reaction to current events, loss of a loved one and/or a relationship, etc.
• Discussing how you feel about things big and small can help you determine if how you feel is a cause for concern, especially if how you feel is affecting how you act.
• Tell your doctor if you are experiencing any feelings of fear, sadness, frustration, isolation, loneliness, anger or aggression.

When to Ask For Help

If you notice you or a loved one is having a hard time handling emotions, struggling to think or focus clearly, or experiencing a change in behavior or physical well-being, it may be time to reach out for additional help. Below is a list of some early warning signs and symptoms*:

• Excessive worrying or fear
• Feeling excessively sad or low
• Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
• Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
• Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
• Avoiding friends and social activities
• Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
• Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
• Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
• Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality
• Abuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
• Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes
• Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
• Sudden or drastic change in mood

For more information or a referral to a behavioral health practitioner, call (877) 850-9613. Our support team is ready to connect you to the right care for your needs. Inpatient, outpatient and telehealth/virtual services are available.

If you are in a crisis situation and need immediate help, please call 988. 

^* National Alliance on Mental Illness (2017). Know The Warning Signs. Retrieved from https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Know-the-Warning-Signs