Mental health is not only the avoidance of mental health conditions. Your mental health is affected by numerous factors from your daily life, including the stress of balancing work with your health and relationships. In this section you will find resources to help you stay mentally fit and healthy across the lifespan.
Everyone experiences periods of positive and negative mental health throughout the duration of their life. Some people live with mental health conditions like anxiety and mood disorders and experience periods of wellness and periods of poor mental health. Other individuals may not be living with a mental health condition, but can still experience periods of wellness mixed with periods of mental wellness.
The social determinants of health are life factors and circumstances that can impact our mental health both positively and negatively. These factors can include a person’s education history, early life experiences, employment and working conditions, housing, race, sexual orientation among many others. The social determinants of health can support us in living with positive mental health like family, friends and a stable job. The social determinants of health may also negatively impact our mental health such as food insecurity, poor working conditions or unemployment, and discrimination because of race or disability.