Do you consider yourself a mentally healthy person? It’s challenging today to keep things together, but some people can let things roll off their backs and maintain their mental health. Many factors determine your mental health, and you must be proactive about it just like you are about your physical well-being.
Even if you’re not where you desire to be from a mental perspective, you can practice each day to improve. The most significant factor in making better choices is to change your mindset. You can improve your overall well-being by making minor adjustments and taking one step at a time.
Fifteen Habits and Characteristics of a Mentally Healthy Person
Perhaps you think your mental health is good and you’re strong on the inside. Here’s a list of common characteristics that people with good mental well-being maintain. See how you rank and identify the areas you need to improve.
1. Mentally Healthy People Never Take Things Too Personally
It’s good to laugh at your own mistakes. When someone loves and accepts themselves for who they are, they don’t wear their emotions on their sleeves. Even negative comments or constructive criticism don’t send them crying into the next room.
They’ve learned that they can’t take things too personally, or it will destroy them. To stay healthy mentally, they must remain optimistic and realize that people often say things that come out differently than they mean. They also know that being mentally healthy has everything to do with their response to these silly comments.
While they may have doubts and insecurities, they keep these concealed as they feel good about themselves, and they’re not going to let a simple comment tear them down.
2. Keep Realistic Expectations
No one has a perfect life, as there’s not a thing that exists in this world. People often find that they’re overwhelmed by the negative emotions they feel when life knocks them down.
The difference between these people is that they learn from their mistakes and move on. They don’t ruminate on all the errors they’ve made in life. They don’t set unrealistic expectations for themselves or others.
3. Mentally Healthy People Know How to Make Decisions
The mentally healthy person has no issues with taking responsibility for their life, which includes making decisions. They’re not going to stress out if it’s the wrong call, as they know they will fix it. They’re accountable for their mistakes and know that wise judgment can help them make informed choices.
Those who tend to be mentally unhealthy won’t accept that they have any flaws. They have trouble making decisions and are often indecisive. They’re so afraid of pain or loss that they usually stay in toxic situations and are scared to make a move.
Being indecisive is caused by anxiety, and did you know that it’s a significant component in hoarding disorders? According to the National Library of Medicine, the task of discarding possessions is overwhelming to some. They believe they can use these items later and fear getting rid of them. The study found that out of 120 people, 87 struggled with an anxious attachment style.
Now hoarding disorder is just one type of anxiety, but many other types of anxiety disorders are at the root of an indecisive person. It shows poor mental health and often is linked to past traumas.
4. Engaging in Creative Thinking
When you’re mentally healthy, you maintain a positive attitude and stay full of hope. Your mind isn’t full of chaos and clutter that stunts your creativity. You’re great at problem-solving, as you can look outside the box.
Your spirits remain high as you’re full of passion and vigor. Being mentally strong means you’re always ready for adversities and adventures, and never underestimate what life might throw your way.
5. Accepts Themselves
Someone strong mentally can accept themselves. They love the skin they’re in and are not constantly trying to be something they’re not. They don’t engage in activities like people pleasing, as this isn’t being true to themselves.
When someone doesn’t have this level of self-love, they often struggle with anxiety, depression, and unnecessary stress. These individuals often seek validation from others instead of learning to be comfortable with who they are in life.
6. Maintains High Self-Confidence
To be mentally healthy in today’s world, you must keep your self-confidence in check. Even though the world may be crashing around you, you have the confidence to keep going amidst the danger.
It would help if you believed in yourself enough to know that you’ll be victorious no matter what’s happening. When you don’t have this level of security, you deal with fears and irrational thoughts.
7. Mentally Healthy People Are Comfortable in Social Settings
If you want to gauge if someone’s mentally healthy, watch them in social settings. Someone comfortable will be talking and laughing with everyone around them. The person who struggles with their mental health might tower in the corner and hope no one sees them.
While this scenario describes someone with social anxiety, it doesn’t always mean that someone who isn’t outgoing struggles from this type of angst. However, someone with robust mental health can quickly build social networks and doesn’t need to impress people.
8. Flexibility Comes Naturally to Mentally Healthy People
Mentally healthy people are much like the chameleon. These animals move very slowly so they can camouflage themselves to avoid getting hurt. According to Reference, the chameleon’s ability to alter their environment is how they survive.
Keeping mentally sane is about learning to adjust to the ebbs and flows of life. The chameleon can change colors to blend in with whatever atmosphere, as they’re flexible. A person who maintains sound mental health has learned to do the same. They don’t get too worked up about anything; they switch into survival mode.
9. A Mentally Healthy Person Controls Their Reactions
You cannot control everything in your life; you’ll drive yourself mad if you try. Being mentally strong means you don’t hold grudges, demonstrate violent expressions, and retreat from the world due to excessive anxiety. You understand what’s happening around you; don’t let it affect you.
Those who have good mental health don’t try to control things they know they can’t possibly manage. Instead, they work on their response to things and learn how to react positively to matters outside their realm of control. They would never engage in negative emotions that cause significant issues, such as jealousy, envy, and rage.
Sure, this person’s hit rock bottom a few times in life. They get back up and keep trying rather than focusing on their failures.
10. Good Mental Health Often Means High Self-Awareness
A good self-awareness level is one of the critical characteristics of a mentally healthy individual. They regularly assess, reflect, and use introspection to help them grow and change. They can quickly identify bad habits and areas where they need to improve.
When they have this higher level of knowledge of what goes on in their mind, they have clarity, a better attitude, and can make the right choices in their life. Sure, they have a broad spectrum of emotions, but they utilize self-control to keep things in check.
11. Good Mental Health Maintains High Self-Respect
Being mentally healthy means that you respect your friends as well as yourself. You maintain a level-headed way of life and can embrace the differences of others. Those with poor mental health don’t have respect for others or themselves. They feel like any diversity is a personal attack when it’s nothing of the sort.
12. Keeps Happy and Healthy Relationships
It’s challenging to manage your relationships. Each association needs nurturing to maintain it properly. One of the vital characteristics of a healthy individual is they take the time and make an effort to keep these connections. Having healthy relationships dramatically affects your overall well-being.
Harvard Medical School’s Robert Waldinger is a psychiatrist studying the benefits of healthy relationships. His study comprises information from 80 years of research. The findings stated that those who engage in beneficial associations are happier and have better health.
When strong social connections form deep bonds, people live longer, have fewer health issues, and have better overall well-being. Additionally, the study showed that those who don’t have such healthy connections often show an early cognitive decline and more health problems.
13. Meditates and Takes Time to Relax
Being healthy means having good coping skills. A person with good mental health knows they need a way to detox from all the negativity they ingest in a day. They find ways to cope with stress by using positive methods to cleanse their mind.
14. Have a Strong Support System to Increase Mental Health
You can’t develop good mental health overnight, as it’s a process that comes with a learning curve. One thing that mentally sane people have learned is that they need a support system. When life does get tough, they have that network of people they can call to help bring them back to a more even place.
15. Eats a Healthy and Balanced Diet
Most importantly, your diet links directly to your mental well-being. Your brain needs nourishment from fruits, vegetables, protein, and grains. These folks know they can’t stay mentally sharp if they live on fast food and processed junk. They monitor what goes into their body, as it’s vital.
Final Thoughts on the Key Traits of Mentally Healthy People
Does any of these characteristics sound like you? If you can identify with a few things on this list, then kudos! However, if you’ve identified a few things that show that you’re not as mentally healthy as you would like, you can always work to fix things. When you learn to change your mind, you can change your life.
