No matter your mental health status, emotional well-being makes life better and healthier. There are various strategies available to enhance or maintain it such as lifestyle changes, psychotherapy (also referred to as talk therapy), and medications.

Stepping outside and experiencing nature can bring vitality and restoration to both mind and body. A healthy diet and adequate rest are also key.

Depression

Depression is a severe mood disorder that impacts how you think, feel and behave. It can create feelings of sadness, helplessness and worthlessness while leading to problems eating, sleeping and moving around – as well as disrupting relationships and work performance.

If someone you care for has depression, it’s essential that they receive proper treatment. You can do this by supporting and encouraging them to attend therapy appointments; also help by taking them out to participate in enjoyable activities that they love; reminding them that things will get better eventually.

Depression is treatable and many effective therapies exist. Psychotherapy (talk therapy) combined with medication can be highly effective; antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers may help balance brain chemicals to relieve symptoms while other psychiatric medicines like ECT or transcranial magnetic stimulation use electric currents or magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells that regulate mood. Your doctor may suggest trying various medicines until finding one that best fits you; in severe cases hospital or residential care may also be required.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal part of mental health; however, when it becomes excessive or persistent it can have detrimental psychological and physical symptoms. Anxiety often manifests itself with sleep disruption that impacts mood and energy levels as well as digestive disorders or heart disease. While anxiety may feel unbearable at times, medication and psychotherapy (talk therapy) are available to relieve troubling symptoms.

Anxieties may be brought on by either external events or internal thoughts, memories, or feelings. Anxiety symptoms include feelings of tension, fear, apprehension; chest tightening sensation; restless mind racing back and forth.

Anxiety disorders can be successfully managed using various mental health treatments, including medications, psychotherapy, stress management and lifestyle modifications (such as cutting caffeine intake and exercising regularly). Talk therapy is particularly important in treating anxiety because it teaches new ways of thinking, behaving and dealing with their fears; thus providing power through knowledge.

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder can lead to sudden mood shifts that disrupt relationships, cause difficulties at work and school, and make managing daily responsibilities challenging. Therefore, anyone diagnosed with this illness should seek professional treatment and advice from a mental health expert as soon as possible.

A general practitioner (GP) can assess whether someone may have bipolar disorder by asking about their symptoms and history. If they suspect the disorder exists, if they believe so they will refer the individual to mental health professionals for further assessment – specifically specialised psychiatrists who will ask about mental, physical and family health to develop a treatment plan.

Bipolar disorder symptoms may include episodes of mania, depression or mixed episodes. During a manic episode, someone may become active, energetic and have an elevated self-esteem; hallucinations or delusions that don’t reflect reality may also occur during these times; such episodes should always be managed medically to avoid becoming dangerous. Manic episodes should always be managed in hospital settings immediately for maximum safety.

Bipolar disorder can be treated using medications and psychotherapy, with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) used in more extreme cases to stabilize mood swings. TMS therapy uses magnetic waves instead of electricity for treating depression over a series of treatment sessions.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that influences both your thinking and behaviour. With OCD, unwanted thoughts or images cause anxiety that lead to compulsive behaviors like repeated washing. Though these actions provide temporary relief from discomfort, they often compel a repeat performance and continue to consume your time and attention over time.

Obsessions are uncontrollable and distressing thoughts or images that won’t go away, such as worrying about contamination with bodily fluids (like urine or faeces) or germs/infections/diseases such as HIV. Compulsions are repeated behaviors you feel driven to do in an effort to relieve anxious feelings or rid yourself of obsessive thoughts; often time-consuming but disruptive to daily life activities ( such as repeatedly checking locks or sterilizing feeding bottles).

OCD treatments include medication and talking therapies such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). CBT involves exposure and response prevention (ERP). Furthermore, support groups may also prove invaluable in managing OCD.

Trauma

Trauma is an intense emotional reaction to any event that threatens mental health, such as experiencing abuse. Symptoms may include feeling emotionally flat or on edge; having difficulty controlling feelings such as fear, anger and guilt; and withdrawing from places, people or activities that remind you of the trauma.

Traumatic experiences can result in mental health conditions like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While some experience PTSD from one specific trauma, others suffer symptoms due to repetitive trauma over time – for instance childhood abuse or domestic violence.

As soon as traumatic memories surface or feelings of anxiety recur, it’s wise to seek professional assistance – these could be telltale signs that it’s time for treatment. But it is also important to keep in mind that just because something was upsetting for one person doesn’t mean it will affect you similarly – people react differently depending on the context and circumstance of each incident. Therapists can ask about its overall impact as well as coping mechanisms used post-event.