Understanding the Relationship Between Mental Health and Non-Substance Addiction

A person with poor mental health can easily suffer from non-substance addiction. This is because your mental health is central to your wellness. If your mental health is compromised, you are more susceptible to making poor and damaging decisions. Understanding how stable mental health is essential to one’s wellness is key to understanding non-substance addiction and how it can be curbed.  You need to be mentally well if you want to make good decisions. To help you live a full life free from non-substance addiction, this post will give you a general discussion of the following:

• what mental health is
• what is non-substance addiction
• why the two are related
• ways how someone suffering from non-substance addiction can improve his or her mental health to help in overcoming addiction.

Mental health: what is it?

When people talk of mental health, they refer to an individual’s emotional, psychological, and social wellness. It involves the state of one’s feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and mental state. One has good mental health if he or she could do the following:

• effectively manage stress
• have fulfilling relationships
• can work in a productive manner
• can make informed decisions
• can cope with life’s daily challenges

What is non-substance addiction?

This kind of addiction is behavioral. It refers to compulsive behavior that can lead to problems that can disrupt a person’s life and the lives around that person. The following are the most common substance addiction:

• Workaholism
• Gambling Addiction
• Gaming Addiction
• Exercise Addiction
• Sexual Addiction
• Food Addiction

Why are they related?

This is because the state of your mental health is interconnected to how you behave. Your mental state affects your decisions, emotions, coping mechanisms, and thoughts. A person with good mental health will be able to emotionally regulate, cope, and make good decisions that don’t lean into non-substance addiction.

10 Ways You Can Improve Your Mental Health to Overcome Non-Substance Addiction

1.  Counseling and Therapy

Recovery from non-substance addiction can be complex and overwhelming but most people are not aware that it can be as simple as talking things out. People heal and recover from non-substance addiction by talking about it. This is done through counseling and therapy with experts.

2. Healthy Lifestyle Choices

You will also be able to successfully overcome non-substance addiction if you will commit yourself to making healthy lifestyle choices. Good decisions that promote wellness will help you to have stable mental health that will allow you to slowly but surely overcome non-substance addiction.

3. Meditation and Mindfulness

A mind that is aware of what it is thinking is a mind that is present and in control. To overcome addiction, you need to be so present with yourself that you get to pivot strongly when you know that you are about to make a wrong decision. Mindfulness and meditation will help you know where your thoughts are going. It will also help you lead your thoughts to live a life that is free from non-substance addiction. 

4. Trigger Identification

Everyone has triggers. People suffering from non-substance addiction have triggers that they were not aware of that lead to their addiction. If you’re aware of your triggers, you’d be better able to know when your body needs extra help and support. You’d be effective in overcoming any form of non-substance addiction.

5. Good Social Network for Support

Isolation is a killer. People who isolate themselves in a way that is not aware and intentional end up making poor decisions that often lead to non-substance addiction. This will not be the case if one has a good social network that provides support and help in times of need. If you want to overcome non-substance addiction in a sustainable way. This can be had by joining support groups and going to group counseling sessions.

6. Passion Projects and Hobbies

Having passion projects and hobbies will allow you to release stress and put your energy to good use. There is so much more to life than escaping reality. You can join the grand dance of existence by opening yourself to joys that can be found in hobbies and activities that you enjoy doing.

7. Journaling

Your mental health will greatly improve if you will begin to journal. Journaling will introduce you to your mind – your issues, your concerns, your joins, and your pain. It will be like setting up a catch basis for all your thoughts. One that you can review and reflect on. One that can help you to get to know yourself more. A person who knows himself at a deep level will be able to easily overcome non-substance addiction.

8. Goal Setting

Setting goals in a realistic, achievable, and measurable manner will help you improve your mental health and ultimately allow you to feel confident that you can do anything that you put your mind to. Achieving your goals will always provide a boost to the state of your mental health.

9. Positive Self-talk

Have you noticed how you talk to yourself? Are you mean? Critical? Judgmental? If you want to overcome non-substance addiction, you need to start talking to yourself in a positive, respectful, and loving manner. You should talk to yourself the way you talk to someone you love. Love should stem from within and this can be done by starting to talk to yourself positively. Stop being mean to yourself by using your thoughts --- thoughts that you could change at any given time.

10. Sleep Hygiene

Sleep is king. If you want to ensure good mental health and you don’t know where to begin, start sleeping well. A restored and fully rested body will allow you to overcome non-substance addiction.

Reference:

Mental health

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response