We're not always aware, or may not always equate anxiety, or understand that anxiety is a mental health problem. We don’t usually think about our mental health, instead we may take good mental health for granted.

Mental Illness and Anxiety

Mental illness and anxiety is something someone else deals with, that we don’t equate with ourselves. But it is important to think about your mental health. Although mental health and mental illness is different, not everyone will struggle with mental illness, but will have mental health.

Mental Illness

Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions that if left uncared for, will begin to affect our mood and the way we think. Mental illness includes anxiety disorders, depression and addictive behaviours, which if untreated, can spiral into mental health issues.

On-going stress and anxiety

Mental health will always become a concern when ongoing stress and anxiety affects our ability to function. Mental health may turn into mental illness when the road ahead begins to feel difficult, when the issues we face cause us to question ourselves and our mental state, and cause problems in our relationships, and in our daily lives.

Therapy helps us to cope

In most cases, when it comes to mental health, therapy can help. Therapies help us to manage the issues we need to address, by bringing about understanding. Although medications help us cope in the short-term, in the long-term they suppress how we feel, rather than allow us to work out how we feel. It is important we are in control of how we feel.

Please reach out for help if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health.

Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges. In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines. Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.

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