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Mental Health

Healthy Equals Happy

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Links between physical, spiritual & mental health

Disclaimer: This is for informational purposes only! Should you or a loved one exhibit any signs of mental crisis or distress please seek professional help from a qualified Practitioner promptly! To contact the national suicide & crisis hotline just dial 988 . You can download the National Suicide & Crisis Hotline wallet card here. You can also find numerous crisis lines for any situation here.

Healthy=Happy Really?

Does health equal happy? Well, there is really not much of a discussion when we dive into the realm of healthy equaling happy. It is no cliché that our minds are healthy and stable when the other health components follow the same health model as a foundation for health stability. We have three main components of health and others would be subcomponents.

The Three Factors

The three main health components are physical health, spiritual health, and mental health plus a host of subcomponents which can also be broken down. The main point here is that every component on health is dependent on the others. If our physical health declines the mental health and spiritual health follows.

So, to answer the question does healthy really equal happy. Absolutely! Let’s dive into the three components a little deeper to dissect the correlation between them and mental health.

Spiritual Health

We all have a spiritual health whether that is belief in higher powers and deities or not believing in those at all. We are all beings of spirit. Take for example an Entertainer who is set to open for a notable Artist suddenly has the contracted terminated. That Entertainer will be crushed in spirit. We all have a spirit, and it is one of the three health components. That means it is also subject to external triggers that would contribute to a decline.

“The wound is the place where light enters you.”

~ Rumi

How many of us has had something crush our spirit and yet that felt like fuel to grind harder or do better? Or are you the person who does the opposite and withdraw and retract the desire to perform in that area of interest? No matter which you are both have become the product of how your mind perceived the crushing of the spirit.

No doubt you would prefer the better more optimistic thinking. Consequently, most people would. However, it is important to know that not everyone does. Nevertheless, can you see how our level of spiritual health has impacted the mental health and vice versa? First, the spirit is crushed, then our minds decide if we will turn it into a moment of clarity or chaos. 

KNOW THE SIGNS

Some symptoms of spiritual sickness are the development or increased.

  • Anxiety and fear
  • Resentment, anger, blame
  • Guilt, shame, remorse
  • Irritability, chronic negativity, melancholy, lack of joy
  • Addictive behaviors
  • Lethargy
  • Emotional and social distance
  • Increased need in material things

So you see how the mind is automatically affected during periods of spiritual decline

Physical Health

How many people have caught minor illnesses like the stomach bug or COVID that says they are in their best space mentally. No, most people that contract those illnesses describe it as miserable. Feeling miserable is mental. Moreover, mental health is exacerbated with more complex illnesses such as lupus, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis or cancer. 

I have lupus and fibromyalgia. Those are chronic pain conditions that most medical professionals dubbed “invisible illnesses.” However, the debilitating illnesses still wreak havoc on my mental health. However, when I wake up and cannot move due to a flare or cannot feed myself, or walk I am then depressed.

Why, because I feel miserable for one thing, and I feel burdensome to my caregivers. It is a domino effect designed to affect the mental health of you and your loved ones. Which of my loved ones will say I am happy when you are ill, and I am sad when you are well? Not anyone I know! This is why it is important to do the minor things that helps our body stay healthy like prioritizing good nutrition, sleep, and exercise.

Happiness in 2026

As 2025 ends we want to plan out our vision for wholeness in the coming year. How will we prioritize our spiritual health to maintain a healthy mind. Moreover, what will we change about our physical decline to reach stability again?

Will we be more talk than action? How can we develop the right surroundings to flourish so our minds will be on peace mode? Well, first you must decide that your mental health is worth the fight to keep it healthy. Then you take one day at a time.

You can do it. I know you can do it because I did it and I am still doing it. Every day is not easy. Some days I get up wishing I did not because I have so much pain to deal with and most days waking up in pain means that a long painful day looms ahead for me.

Then other days, I wake up feeling completely gone of any pain or residuals and I look forward to that day even more with anticipation because I know that I am not hurting physically. It may not be a complex illness.

Maybe you just lack sleep. However, that is also a component of health and to flourish with energy you need to prioritize good sleep hygiene. Let’s get back to happy in 2026. So, let’s get back to healthy!

#GetSOM via @dj-quassy

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Mental Illness: The Causes & Solutions For The Youth

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WHAT MENTAL ILLNESS LOOKS LIKE

Mental Illness can affect anyone. Any of these people can represent your loved one. Any of these people can represent you! All these people could struggle with mental illness. Likewise, none of these people might be suffering from mental illness at all. Mental illness has many manifestations.

Contrary to a middle-class schoolteacher deciding to diagnose her urban dressed student rocking classic dreadlocks with mental illness because he is quiet and sad that his parents are getting divorced. What about the ER doctor, who steps out of his area of emergency medicine to become a psychiatrist or addiction counselor when a person with chronic pain or autoimmune disease shows up at the ER?

They go to the place that promises safety and help but gets shunned away at first glance because they are judged by health professionals to be an “addicted or insane,” doing anything for attention or a shot of morphine!”

You cannot “tell,” that a person is mentally ill! Doh (Homer Simpson voice)! 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Mental pertains to mind so without the ability to read minds you cannot tell someone they are sick in the mind unless they open their mouth and tell you what is on their minds. Period! A very judgmental society needs to stick with their day, night, next month, and next year’s job or soon they may not have one because pointing the mental illness finger at the wrong person may have crazy consequences! Get it? Ha! A person’s age, race, status, or demographic is not, and have never been considered a symptom. 

In a perfect world you may find “Keith and Michelle sitting in a tree! K.I.S.S.I.N.G! First comes love! Then comes marriage! Then comes Michelle and a baby carriage!” Let’s be realistic, we all can’t be like Bey and Jay. Some babies are born into some extremely unstable situations or the other way around.

Take for example, a baby born into a stable and loving family who begins to self-harm at the age of 4, begin hitting their mother at age 7, looking up ways to die at 11, refusing class at 14. Or maybe the baby born in North Philly projects Johnson Homes who’s only friend at 10 is the same imaginary friend that they had at age 5, setting fires and vandalizing neighborhood cars because the “friend told them bad things would happen if they don’t at 16.

Both are very clear signs of the child’s inner cry for mental help; however, these signs often go unnoticed until there is a mental health crisis such as panic attacks or suicidal ideations and attempts.

LOOK AT THE FACTS

According to the CDC, anxiety problems, behavior disorders, and depression are the most diagnosed mental disorders in children. “

The following is based on US data from 2021–2022:

  • 10% of children ages 3-17 had current, diagnosed anxiety (9% of males and 11% of females).
  • 7% of children ages 3-17 had current, diagnosed behavior disorders (10% of males and 5% of females)
  • 4% of children ages 3-17 had current, diagnosed depression (3% of males and 6% of females).”

Some of these mental health conditions commonly occur together. For example, mood disorder and depression, or autism and ADHD, Anxiety and Tourette syndrome. Why is my focus thus far on identifying mental conditions in children? Come on bro, we all know troubled children who’s silent cries for help goes unheard become troubled adults who decline help when it is presented. On the contrary There are some of us in the world who desperately seek the mental health help and resources that are there for us begin the process of healing and therapy. 

LOOK FOR THE SIGNS

Let’s talk about some symptoms that may be presented in a child struggling to cope with mental crisis and distress. These are some warning signs that your child could be struggling with mental illness.

  • Prolonged sadness and isolation
  • Noticeable changes in your child’s behavior, mood, personality or sleeping habits.
  • Overwhelming fears that manifest physically such as racing heart, sweating, shortness of breath.
  • Constant worrying or being fearful that something bad will happen to a loved one.
  • No desire to go outside and play with other children who normally enjoy outdoor play.
  • Odd behaviors such as repeated hand washing, repeatedly opening and closing doors, checking light switches.
  • Being extremely fidgety and or have difficulty concentrating.
  • Severe mood swings that affect those closest to the child such as family members, community, and educational personnel.
  • Lack of eating or binge eating and vomiting.
  • Suddenly declining in academics, fighting, suspensions, and cutting school.
  • High risk behaviors such as, sexual promiscuity, gambling, drugs, hanging with a crowd that engages in dangerous and high-risk behaviors.
  • Increasing police encounters and engaging in illegal activities.
  • Suicidal ideations and attempts.

If you notice any of these warning signs in your child, seek help from a medical professional right away.

IN CONCLUSION

The bottom line. We as a growing community cannot continue ignore the silent cries of youth which often manifest in their behavior. We must take a special interest in cultivating character, leadership skills, stress prevention and relieving skills amongst our youth.

There are politicians, musicians, entertainers, health professional, scientists, engineers, and educators amongst us within these youth and yet we see so many of them perish everyday. They unfortunately succumb to the decline in their mental health. There is a saying that many say regarding criminal activity that’s goes as follows “If you see something, say something.” I petition the same to all of you you, so that we can help our future survive.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes ONLY and is backed up by verifiable references. This is NOT a diagnostic tool; however, this IS a tool to create awareness of mental illness. Should you or a loved one have any concerns or exhibit any symptoms described here it is important to talk to your Physician as soon as possible, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357.

References

CDC. (2025, January 21). Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health. CDC.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html#:~:text=10%25%20of%20children%20ages%203,co%2Doccurring%20conditions%20are%20below: 

Health Partners. (2025). Signs of mental illness in children: When is it more than just growing up?. Heathpartners.com. https://www.healthpartners.com/blog/mental-health-warning-signs-in-children/#:~:text=There%20are%20situations%20and%20behavioral,of%20suicide%20or%20self%2Dharm 

#GetSOM via @dj-quassy

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