Mind-Body Approach
Dual
Continuum
Positive
Stress
Mental health is the ability to navigate and recover from emotional, social and psychological stress. It is the resilience to cope with life events and maintain a general sense of happiness, contentment and well-being. It is more a journey than a destination.
Most of us think mental health occurs in the brain.
But mental and emotional health depends not just on your brain, but your whole body, What you eat, how you move, your hormones, your gut…it all matters to your mental health.
And even more than the whole body, your mental health also relies on your relationships, environment and community.
All three levels work together in concert to determine your stress level, your resilience, and your mental and emotional well-being.
Mental health can be viewed as a horizontal continuum. That spectrum includes general contentment and emotional well-being at one end; mild mental health issues like mild depression and anxiety in the middle; and extreme forms of mental illness, like deep depression, psychosis, schizophrenia and even suicide at the other end.
We may not have control over where we start on the spectrum. We come into the world with a genetic makeup, and our family and life experiences interact with our heredity to define our mental health.
Severe Mental and Emotional Disruption
Anxiety, Depression, Substance Dependence
General Stress, East at Times, Disruption at Times
General Mental and Emotional Wellbeing, Periodic Moments of Disruption
High Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
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Severe Mental and Emotional Disruption
Anxiety, Depression, Substance Dependence
General Stress, East at Times, Disruption at Times
General Mental and Emotional Wellbeing, Periodic Moments of Disruption
High Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
However, as our friends at the Global Wellness Initiative point out, there is another spectrum of mental wellness. This added vertical axis captures the reality that people with diagnosed mental disorders can thrive with the right support, tools and practices. And people without a mental disorder can experience low emotional and mental wellness —such as overwhelming stress, loneliness and conflict—at times.
The horizontal axis refers to the spectrum of mental illness/mental health.
The vertical axis captures the mental wellness spectrum.
Hover over each tile to learn more
The horizontal axis refers to the spectrum of mental illness/mental health.
The vertical axis captures the mental wellness spectrum.
Tap a tile
to learn more
Adapted from the Global Wellness Institute model, which was developed from concepts originally contributed by Keith Tudor (1996) and Corey L.M. Keyes (2002).
We often think that relaxation, meditation and similar activities that relieve stress or make us feel peaceful are the main pathway to emotional and mental well-being. But have you ever considered the role of “positive stress?”
The “Yerkes-Dodson Curve” suggests that peak functioning requires an optimal level of stress – not too high, but also not too low. Positive stress, such as mild to moderate exertion, can benefit mental health.
Psychologist Dr. Kara Fasone says positive stress, sometimes called eustress (as opposed to distress), is all about sufficiently challenging yourself without expending all your resources. This type of stress empowers you to grow in three areas:
Emotionally, eustress can result in positive feelings of contentment, inspiration, motivation, and flow
Psychologically, eustress helps us build self-efficacy, autonomy and resilience
Physically, eustress helps us build our body (e.g., through completing a challenging hike or workout)
Most people have experienced the positive nature of pushing through into new levels of strength or flexibility with a physical regimen like strength training, aerobics and yoga. The same thing can happen with the mind.
Positive stress can build mental and emotional resilience.
The JWB Foundation offers volunteer and internship opportunities throughout each year. To express your interest in an internship or volunteer position, please contact us at info@johnwbrickfoundation.org
We currently have no open positions with the JWB Foundation. Please forward your resume to info@johnwbrickfoundation.org if you would like to be considered for future positions.
John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation
212 West Padonia
Timonium, MD 21093-2107
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