LET'S BE CLEAR. 

There are levels of happiness and just like the term “normal”, there are varying degrees that are unique to each individual. What makes one person content can be vastly different from another person. We feel the best way to assess how we're doing mentally is to do a scheduled mental health check of yourself and how you are feeling.

There are online tests that can help with a mental evaluation. There are several good ones and one we like to do on a regular basis is the Happiness Test. This quick test will help to determine where you are personally and how you feel about your life. It’s important to note that not every day is going to be perfect and life will have its ups and downs. There are things that are beyond our control that can add stress to our lives. What we can control is how we deal with those stressors and our outlook which can help bring mental relief. Also keep in mind that if we don’t have everything that we want or life isn’t going exactly as we pictured it, as long as we continue to work towards our short and long-term goals things will be better than they seem at the moment.

What About Medications? 

There is often a stigma that comes with taking medicine to help maintain our mental stability. Sometimes not only do we not understand why we are struggling but it can be exacerbated by those close to us and our environment. There is nothing wrong with taking medicine to help balance our brain chemistry. There is a real benefit to having an aid to get us back on track. Life can be hard and sometimes we need help coping from time to time. We say all of this with only one caveat, that you refrain from self-medicating.