mental hygiene

Mental hygiene is the practice of trying to maintain mental health through proactive behavior and treatment.

Mental health is “one’s overall psychological well-being.” Hygiene refers to methods for preserving health. (In the popular sense, it refers to things like brushing your teeth and washing your hands.) In this way, mental hygiene is what you do to keep your mind healthy.

Practicing mental hygiene is an ongoing process. Understanding what it is and how to practice it can help improve your quality of life.

Mental hygiene was first recorded in the English language in the 1840s, when it was used in the title of a book by William Sweetser, a medical doctor and professor. In the early 1900s, psychologist Clifford Wittingham Beers started a mental hygiene movement after experiencing mistreatment while at mental institutions for anxiety and depression. He championed improved treatment of people with mental disorders and increased awareness about mental illness—topics that are still relevant today.

You’ve probably practiced mental hygiene without even knowing it. Psychologists recommend strategies like being aware of emotional pain and managing (but not suppressing) negative feelings. Even simple self-care activities can be part of an effective mental hygiene routine: listening to calming or upbeat music, talking about your feelings with friends or family, and keeping your mind busy by doing small tasks. Sometimes mental hygiene is more formal, such as seeking the care of mental health professionals. All of these strategies can help to maintain mental health, which is the goal of mental hygiene.

Importantly, practicing good mental hygiene can help you deal with psychological trauma, like the death of a loved one, a professional failure, or a romantic rejection.

Physical hygiene is part of our daily routine, and many mental health professionals are working to bring awareness to the role of mental hygiene in maintaining and improving mental health and preventing mental illness. The next time you wash your hands or brush your teeth, think about what you can do for your mental hygiene!

The founder of the mental hygiene movement, Clifford Whittingham Beers, wrote an autobiography in 1908 titled A Mind That Found Itself. It dealt frankly with his mental health struggles and called for reform in the field of mental health treatment.

Mental health professionals will tell you that mental hygiene is crucial for mental health, especially when dealing with emotional pain or trauma.

Mental Hygiene = Daily practices to support your mental well-being. Do you have good Mental Hygiene? What do you do each day to support your mental health?

— ShakkaPanda (@ShakkaPanda) November 27, 2019

 

 

 

Physical hygiene and mental hygiene are both so important right now. Self-care must be a priority. Many of us have plenty of time and resources to invest into practices that help us look after ourselves, so we can better look after others too. Use the opportunity.

— Vex King (@VexKing) March 25, 2020

• mental health
• mental illness
• self-care
• psychology
• trauma
• therapy

Which of the following is NOT a good mental hygiene strategy?

A. Starting each day with positive thoughts
B. Keeping a bad experience to yourself and never talking about it again
C. Seeing a therapist
D. Talking with friends when you feel sad