I believe that mental health is important because it is the basis of how we function on a day-to-day basis. When your mental health is at a healthy, stable place, you can function at your best. You will be able to problem solved, make good decisions, make healthy choices, and feel more energized. However, when our mental health is struggling, we find it harder to do these things. We keep a lot of negative feelings and thoughts inside of our heads making it harder to see the world in any other way. This creates a cycle that is hard to break and keeps us in a negative mental health state. Mental health encompasses a variety of areas (nutrition, sleep, exercise, social, etc.), and poor mental health effects each area. We must look at mental health from a holistic perspective and take care of ourselves in each area. Given that our society places so many demands on individuals, it is important that we take care of our mental health to meet the demands placed on us. I believe that our mental health is a collection of the events that we have experienced in the past. Though it does not define who we are, it tells our story and explains why we may think or act in certain ways. It is important to keep these past events in mind as we examine how to improve our mental health. By knowing where we came from we can begin to determine where we will go. In the past, I have struggled with my own mental health. I found it hard to find a reason to want to keep going. I felt so much pain, sadness, and loneliness that it was hard to think of anything positive. But I knew that I did not want to continue having days like that. I knew I wanted to be truly happy, and this is what I worked for. I began to find ways to help me maintain a positive mental wellness state. Though it is still a work in progress, I have found ways to help me achieve a positive mental health state. I try to be active each day, keeping my mind and body active. I have found my social support group, and these are the people I can talk to about anything I struggle with so that I do not keep it all inside my head. I have also been more mindful of what I eat and how much sleep I get. This helps me to further function at my best