Is anyone totally mentally healthy?

[hellofromthelma]

I have just been prescribed a beta blocker for anxiety - still haven't decided if I'm going to take it yet. But I was looking for experiences on mumsnet and there are countless threads discussing just this one type of beta blocker going back so so many years.

I know that every time I scroll through threads on here there are so many relating to mental health.

I was just wondering, would any of you consider yourself to be 100% free of any issues or is it just a fact of life that we will all suffer (whether or not we are formally diagnosed)?

Ps. I'm interested to hear if anyone has also managed to 100% cure anxiety or if it's just something that has to be managed forever, with or without medication.

Thanks for your help! ☮️💟

I think plenty of people are pretty much 100% mentally healthy. That doesn’t mean always being happy, but experiencing a normal range of human emotions and being able to cope with them. It doesn’t mean being immune to future episodes of poor mental health, in the same way that I have strong bones but I could fall and fracture something at any point in the future

Agreed. In actual fact, not experiencing a range of emotions would more likely suggest a mental health problem!

So yes, I am 100% mentally healthy right now, in that I don't have any mental illness and never have.

I still have problems in my life. I'm impatient, I lose my temper too easily, I have two young kids and feel very tired all the time, etc. None of that is mental illness though.

wouldnt say 100%, i have down days but those are linked to my cycle and i get anxious over things related to my fears (needles/blood) but mostly id say yes, despite family history
i dont think any of what i experience warrants me going on medication, its a part of life and you are allowed to feel sad etc
had a pretty bad childhood but me and siblings are all 'fine' as we are good at rationalizing things

I just wanted to say 8 years ago, a series of events caused me dreadful anxiety and depression to the point I thought I was having a breakdown.

Managed with medication for a while. Since then it has come and gone, to a lesser degree, but now it’s pretty much gone, even though I am currently going through something much worse (df is terminally ill) I feel stronger and less likely to crack. Take the meds, do the work, look after yourself. Accept any support offered from family and friends. It may be temporary is all. X

Thank you all for all your responses. I really appreciate hearing all of your experiences, a lot are reassuring (e.g the person that took beta blockers for health anxiety to then never suffer from it again). And some are sad and hard to read - thinking about all of you who are suffering every day.

By totally mentally healthy, I meant still experiencing the usual ups and downs, grief, anxiety after a major event etc. That I consider to be totally normal. So it was nice to read a lot of the comments where people have said they still have these moments but otherwise feel well.

It still looks like, from this thread alone, that those that feel totally well are in the minority (although maybe most who are well had no interest in this discussion 🤪).

I also wanted to add, because of a comment that suggested I thought there was a stigma around medication - I don't. There are various reasons why I'm still unsure about taking them but it's not because I'm embarrassed or ashamed about it. Just FYI 😊

Thanks again all. You're amazing.

'can't imagine anyone could say they were 100%, surely not actually possible?'

Yes exactly that can't be and surely it will depend on what life throws at you too.

I would say im pretty mentally healthy. I have some low level anxiety surrounding specific tasks at work (nurse manager) which crop up if I have time specific deadlines and awkward conversations but on nothing that would warrant medication.

When I think about how I feel (mental health wise) now, I'm constantly amazed at how "ok" I am.

I had a terrible time mentally after the birth of both my children: the first was premature (and that experience left me with PTSD, thankfully successfully treated with CBT), and soon after my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died just a few weeks after my second child was born.
So those early years of both their lives were very dark for me indeed.
I also suffered with depression at university, following a bereavement.

So knowing how I felt when I went through those periods, I can say that I am mentally much healthier now. I wouldn't say 100% - I still have a tendency to anxiety and depressive thoughts when things get tough - but I feel like I am actually generally happy these days (even with CV19 stuff going on!).

I also know now what to be aware of, so if I feel myself getting overwhelmed, I can choose to do something about it (most of all applying the CBT techniques I learnt, or just talking to someone about it).

I always thought I was in extremely good health, mentally , and more happy and fulfilled and loved than anyone else, apart from the odd unexplained, crashing episode of agitated depression . Turns out I have bipolar disorder.

Nope! Bipolar Disorder and ADHD over here!

I'm not sure. I'm the other way - things that should worry me don't. I go through life thinking "everything will work out ok in the end" and "why worry about what you can't change"

I don't tend to give bad stuff headspace. Just accept it and get on with it. When I was diagnosed with cancer my Mum and husband cried and were worried and I wasn't.

I did have to deal with some horrible stuff in an abusive relationship which went on for years and I think I've just shut myself down in that way. I don't think that's particularly healthy mind