What it means to be a mentally healthy person? Is it really just about being normal and about absence of mental illness? The answer to the latter question is no. Being a mentally health person means more than that. Mental health as a component of broad concept of health (together with physical, social, and spiritual) is concerned with an optimum level of emotional and behavioural adjustment of the individual. This emotional and behavioural adjustment is about the state of maintaining harmony between the needs, desires, asprations and attitute of individual with respect to prevailing conditions in the external environment (Book on Mental Health and Hygiene, p. 69).
National Mental Health Association (2004) and Johada (2013) cited 12 specifc characteristics of mentally healthy person and those are as follows categorized under some mental and behavioural strategical sustainment from the book of Mental Health and Hygiene (p. 70).
Reality Contact is about having a realistic appraisal of one’s own reactions, emotions and abilities to avoid a number of disappoinments and frustrations and having an true concept of the world.
1. A mentaly healthy person are able to accept life’s disappointments (NMHA, 2004).
2. A mentaly healthy person can meet life’s demands and handle their problems when they arise (NMHA, 2004).
3. A mentaly healthy person shape his/her environment whenever possible and adjust to it when necessary (NMHA, 2004).
Impulse Control and Positive Thought wherein the first is about having a good or complete control over one own behaviour and impulses and the latter is is about developing the power of positive thinking generates positive emotions which will strengthen the capacity to cope with various life challenges.
4. A mentaly healthy person cannot be overwhelmed by emotions, such as fear, anger, love, jealousy, guilt, or anxiety (NMHA, 2004).
5. Behaviour awareness and management is an important tool to help with management on all levels –...