Mental Health: What Does Good And Bad Mental Health Look Like?

What Is Mental Health?

According to the World Heath Organisation (WHO), mental health is “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community”.

It is the psychological part of an individual’s wellbeing.

My Mental Health Has Not Been Great The Past Couple Of Weeks

Recently, I started working as a special educational needs teaching assistant. Initially, I was not intending on working in this role, yet here I am. I need the money, honey!

When I first started working, it was cool!
I am working in a mainstream school. Within the class I am working in, there is one child who requires 1 to 1 support. We do not know her needs now, so it’s been a struggle to find ways to preoccupy her. Initially, I shared the responsibility of supporting the young girl with another teaching assistant.

I would work with the other children along with the main teacher in the morning, then in the afternoon, I would be worth the 1 to 1 girl, and the other teaching assistant went to another class to work with a young boy with ADHD. That was all dandy, and then boom, my homie, my fellow teaching assistant, left out of the blue.

Before she left, she mentioned that she would have preferred to stay in the class I was in than working with the young boy. I should have taken it on board. Now that she has left, I am now doing the role she was doing and plan and straight; it is A LOT of work.

Working with kids who require 1 to 1 support all day is taxing, physically and psychologically.

As a special educational needs teaching assistant in a mainstream school, there is a lack of resources and funding to provide special needs kids. With the young girl, I have to keep an eye on her as she likes to put things in her mouth, and as the other teachers say, she’s a runner, so I am literally chasing her around all morning. From that cardio, I am exhausted!

Recently, I wasn’t getting my full breaks, which I let slide for longer than necessary) which was not ideal. Eventually, I spoke to my agency (as I am a temp) and told him the situation. He then talked with the school, and now I am getting my breaks but at the expense of another teaching assistant, which is not fair, in my opinion.

Aside from work itself, I feel overwhelmed and unbalanced, which I mentioned in my previous post: finding balance in life.
I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in months which is starting to impact work; I fell asleep during class twice, and I was caught in the act; once by the kids, which I was able to play off and once by another teaching assistant in front of a class full of kids! Imagine that.

My chest has been hurting for the past 2 weeks. I tried to ignore it but quickly realised that it might just be my anxiety. I decided that I need not put my mental health on the backburner.

I called my agency and told them that I would not be working for the rest of the week. I called my doctor and told him what I was experiencing. Proceeding that, I got an ECG (electrocardiogram) scan to check my heart’s rhythm and had some blood tests done to make sure that there are no underlying problems.
Thankfully, both tests came back fine.

Calling in sick was nerve wreaking and something I RARELY do. I do recall calling in sick only a couple of times in my working career thus far, yes, with the many jobs I’ve had.

I felt so guilty! The other colleagues told me that they didn’t want to work with the kids who had special needs, which is sad but put tremendous pressure on me.
At home, I was thinking to myself, ‘how are they going to manage without me? I hope they don’t resent me. What do my colleagues think about me now?

But I need to keep in mind:

1) I am a temp worker- I have not been offered a contract
2) I could be replaced really quick
3) This job found me! The agency contacted me!
4) This is not what I will do in the long term- this is a stepping stone

What does bad mental health look like

Numbness

These days, I’ve been feeling numb. Not happy, not sad, just pretty emotionless. I was so tired. Being an introvert in such a role is hard. Most days, I don’t have the energy that these kids require. I am a quiet person, and getting back in the world of work takes some adjusting. So being full of energy and constantly interacting with the children takes a lot out of me.

Sleeping less or more

Before working again, my sleep was getting better. I was getting 7 hours and was sleeping throughout the night. Now, it’s much worse. I keep waking up randomly in the night. Sound doesn’t wake me up; light doesn’t wake me up; I…wake up. I sleep with earplugs; I have a Himalayan crystal lamp= which is supposed to help aid sleep and relieve stress, yet I cannot get a good nights sleep. I am trying everything; essential oils, having a bedtime routine, you name it!

Feeling lethargic

No matter what I do. I wake up super tired! I have a good morning routine therefore, I always eat breakfast, but I struggle to stay awake and energised throughout the day.

Worry

I feel like I worry about everything and anything 24/7. Before I go to bed, I worry. When I wake up, I worry. I do believe this is linked to the past two years. They have been a lot to process, and sometimes I worry about the future. I need to constantly incorporate the techniques that I have learnt during my cbt sessions.

Struggling to concentrate

I often find myself daydreaming and struggling to concentrate on the task at hand.

Getting easily distracted

Focusing on one thing for a long period of time is a task itself. The smallest things distract me!
Mood swings- I have been feeling low recently, and I believe that work is a major source of my unhappiness.

How to ensure that we have good mental health

Having the awareness to know that your mental health is poor is key. Although I have been doing my self-care routine daily, I have realised that I need to do more!

Signs of good mental health:
The ability to express all emotions: The good, the bad and the ugly.

Sometimes, I focus too much on being positive. It is impossible to be positive 100% of the time. I wish life were that simple. It is ok to have an off day. When that does happen, I continue to practice self-care, which requires me to use my journal every day.

Do things to distress

This can be inexpensive. Do you need some ideas? I have compiled a list of 30 affordable self-care ideas.

Having the ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle

Taking care of your wellbeing

Maintain relationships

Speaking to your loved ones about how you feel can take the weight off your shoulders.