‘A lack of physical and mental health, both catch up with us sooner or later, but it’s quite hard to fake mental health’.
I recently got a health check-up done.
Touch wood, all the results were fine.
There are tons of tests for the physical aspects of our bodies. We spend a lot of time and money trying out fad diets and signing up for expensive yoga and fitness classes, all in a bid to look good. But we have miles to go before we devise accurate tests for mental health.
When we see someone who weighs a few kilos extra or is leading an unhealthy lifestyle by not getting enough exercise and sleep and is eating too much junk, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that they’re unhealthy.
But mental health is deceptive. While they are interconnected (exercise and dietary habits have a major influence of how we feel), the state of our minds is important when it comes to leading fulfilling lives and tackling the challenges that life throws at us.
Physical health is only a part of staying healthy. It’s possible to have a slew of unhealthy habits and still look okay from the outside.
A lack of physical and mental health, both catch up with us sooner or later, but it’s quite hard to fake mental health. If you are feeling unappreciated, depressed, unmotivated and indifferent for an extended period of time, it will begin to show, however much you try and brush it under the carpet.
Some time back, I went through a phase in my professional career that I don’t ever want to go through again. After that, ever so often, my mother has the habit of asking me ‘are you feeling okay’? At first I used to get irritated whenever she asked. After seeing my state of mind during that period of time, she was a tad concerned and that was her way of checking in with me.
The question ‘are you OK’ has many sub-sets to it. Am I feeling positive? Am I still carrying negativity with me? Am I feeling settled, hopeful?
The idea for this piece came to me when I was discussing with my wife how easily we decide if someone is healthy or not depending on how they look from the outside.
This also applies to organisations and teams. It isn’t enough just to have free lunches, Instagrammable office spaces and bean bags to decide whether an office is a good place to work. How is the mental health of the place? Are people constantly stressed? Are people insecure about their place? Is relentless competition making people compromise on their values? Is groupism and lack of team work causing a corrosive culture?
Looks good doesn’t always translate to feels good.
How each of us tackles our own mental health is very different.
But if you ask yourself ‘how are you feeling’ or ‘how was your day’ for a few days in row and give yourself a close to honest answer every time, how good you’re actually feeling may just come to the forefront.
