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The findings revealed significant information about the general understanding of the mental issues linkage with physical health among the people who do not have any professional education in the field. It was established that people are aware of such a connection, which was expected earlier. More importantly, they perceive the issues as those that could be treated. As was shown in the findings, the methods proposed for preventing the negative influence of emotions on physical health are different. It was not expected that the techniques for solving mental problems would include novel self-help methods which included social media sharing. Moreover, the participants of the interviews were using specific concepts for delivering information about their understanding of mental health issues. As such, social constructs determined the views of the interviewees on the development of physical problems connected to emotional distress. The explanation of these findings would be discussed further.
The study demonstrates the fact that women are quite concerned about their appearance, as well as mental health, and, importantly, the connection between them. This attitude originates from a rational root because women are interested in maintaining a healthy and attractive appearance, with which the mental state directly correlates. Stress is the clearest and exact example of this correlation. For example, this manifests itself in the common occurrence of rashes, pimples, and other skin problems with regular and severe stress. Another example is the consequences of moral fatigue, manifested in the appearance of bags under the eyes, blurred eyes, and dry skin. Such phenomena are well known, and on the one hand, it has a positive effect, because people approach their mental health more rationally, knowing the consequences for their appearance. People begin to consciously engage in physical activity, exercise, and sports, thereby clearing their minds of stress.
However, there is also a downside to the fact of the correlation between the mental state and the physical. Namely, the exploitation of fears and prejudices of women in the marketing of cosmetics manufacturers and other consumer goods. Companies looking for benefits are ready to put pressure on the moral aspect of the issue, trying to give women salvation from the consequences of stress and fatigue at cost. This state of affairs is natural for a modern consumer society, but it is worth considering the possible consequences. The point is about even greater emotional pressure on female consumers who are trying to disguise the consequences of psychological stress instead of psychological help and a healthy lifestyle. It is a fight against the effect, as opposed to correcting the cause, the stress itself. Thus, women are aware of the fact that mental health and physical condition are correlated, which makes their life healthier and more conscious.
In the past 20 years, people have begun to pay much more attention to their health, both physical and mental. This is primarily due to the increasing education of the population, as well as wide publicity and discourse in a society dedicated to the topic of a healthy lifestyle. The popularization of psychology and psychotherapy in the general public also played an important role. It resulted in a dialogue between people and specialists, bringing an understanding of the importance of mental health to peoples minds. However, one needs to understand that modern society is not unique in such an aspiration. The gaze of a person from the present is also directed to inner states, like people of the past. A striking example can be considered the inhabitants of medieval Europe, many of whom were concerned about their mental health. Despite the modern prejudices created by popular culture, the people of the Middle Ages were not completely uneducated and fanatical. This is reflected in the fact that they paid attention to the study and treatment of their soul, which is in many ways similar to the modern perception of mental health. However, for women of the past, a psychotherapist was replaced by a priest, and a psychological interview was a confession.
Scientists of those years associated soreness and external fatigue, as well as premature aging with the heaviness of the soul, carrying the burden of problems and sins. These problems were solved by confession and dialogue with clergy, which, as mentioned earlier, is very similar to modern sessions of communication with a psychotherapist. One can also note the ancient Greek and Roman doctors and priests who tried to understand the correlation between human stress and changes in appearance. All this suggests that the modern interest in ones mental health is quite characteristic of people of all eras, and over time it only intensifies. The methodology has also improved over time, as well as the approach to rational perception. All of these factors are leading to a positive development in the field of research on the relationship between human emotions and health. To summarize, the interest of the last 20 years has undoubtedly a positive cause and effect, but it is not something new, which is shown by the example of the past.
The modern information environment allows people to actively learn many techniques and practices for monitoring and improving their mental state. In this regard, social networks are useful allowing people to exchange experiences about such things. Moreover, social networks give people a platform for dialogue and exchange of emotions, important events, and thoughts, as Twitter does, for example. The opportunity to openly talk about their experiences sometimes gives women more impact than other methods. This habit of discussing mental health, which has developed over the past decades, helps to improve the understanding of topics and methodology. The issue of further development of social networks as a platform for people to communicate and develop new ideas for solving problems related to the mental state of people remains important. One can observe activity in individual chats located on platforms, as well as groups of people interested in the correlation of a healthy lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise with improved morale. Thus, the modern information environment gives people a wide variety of platforms and communities for articulating and discussing mental health topics, as well as techniques for helping them.
In response to the emergent trend on metal issues treatment, entrepreneurs become increasingly interested in the related services and goods that could be traded for people worried about their health. As such, the developed social constructs about physical wellbeing, mental stability, and good-looking produce demand for non-clinical remedies, stress-curing devices, and beauty products. There is an abundance of tea varieties that help to release stress, yoga equipment, bed pillows, and mattresses to diminish pains. Next, small toys or anti-stress devices are sold to people who want to manage their negative emotions in such a way. After all, psychologists services are popular and become less stigmatized among the mass population with every decade. Thus, the need for material equipment for treating emotional distress-caused problems is satisfied by the wellness businesses.
Moreover, the result of the wellness business emergence is that entrepreneurs may use the awareness of mental issues among the population for propagating even more goods and services. Social media, for example, are an important sphere for extracting information about the potential target audience for stress release-related products. The targeted advertisements on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms recommend its customers to purchase courses about psychology and self-care, as well as calming devices. Consequently, the market generates an even more emphasis on the emotional linkage to health, building a set of conceptions about the techniques to use for self-help. A reverse situation occurs: instead of creating a satisfactory response to the demand, the market can create a demand. For this reason, various tests for determining mental issues are popular so that to emphasize the need for resolving the problems among the general public. Hence, the wellness business relies on the creating of an extended understanding of the need for mental help.
The research has significance due to its correspondence and the additional insights into the area that was researched previously. For example, somewhat similar research about the perception of people of mental health issues is done by Nearchou et al. in 2018. However, the mentioned work is different from the current research in the matter of specifics of self-care. In Nearchou et al. (2018) the phenomenon of the stigma of mental issues is reviewed. According to the authors, young population tends to comprehend the importance of the treatment of the mental issue and seek help, while older peoples views are still affected by stigma (Nearchou et al., 2018). In contrast, our findings show the extensive acknowledgment of the influence of mental health on physical health among interviewees, who are not young. Moreover, they demonstrated that they perceive these problems as solvable and as those that should be treated. Thus, the research reveals the change of the perception among the population as to their emotional stability importance.
Next, there were already attempts to review the state of awareness among the population in the academic community. As such, the research of Venkataraman et al. (2019) aimed to survey the existing literature on the topic of mental health literacy. It is stated in the work that people do not have a holistic view of the problem and emphasize self-help techniques instead of professional help (Venkataraman et al., 2019). These findings fairly correspond to those from the current study. Namely, people recognize the problems that are caused by their emotions and affect their physical health. Moreover, they try to find effective solutions for these problems. However, these solutions are far from traditional; in the current work, the precise nature of them was described. Additionally, the meaning of personal attitudes and social constructs determining the beliefs about wellness were defined. Hence, it was determined that people prefer non-traditional methods for helping with emotional distress.
The other important phenomenon described in the research is the influence of social media on the perception of mental health issues. There is a research paper by Devendorf et al. (2020), which describes the information about mental issues on YouTube. Namely, the work highlights the significance of the influence on common views of emotional distress through public presentations. It was discovered that YouTube influencers correctly recommend professional help while still part of them include non-traditional techniques (Devendorf et al., 2020). This information is of great significance for the interpretation of the findings of this research. Although people view the content that recommends the help of psychologists, they still use their own techniques for reducing the negative influence of emotional distress. The answers of the interviewees also demonstrate that the sharing of the problems on social media is popular and seems like a working technique for people in distress. The high rate of videos about mental issues treatment support this thesis about the widespread openness of the Internet users about their mental states.
Furthermore, the topic of good-looking and physical health was researched as well. For example, Jane et al. (2018) reveal a sophisticated approach to assessing the problems associated with being overweight. First of all, according to the widespread good-looking standards, obesity is perceived as a negative phenomenon. It is known to the public that this condition is related to health issues. As such, the research emphasizes that social support is important for promoting the methods of treating the condition (Jane et al., 2018). The current research uncovers that people are typically aware of the positive effects of social support. The interviewees expressed their thoughts as to the support coming from friends and relatives as well as from social media. Additionally, they occasionally mentioned the importance of a correct diet for the maintenance of mental health as well as physical. Therefore, the findings correspond to the specified research about the issues connected with obesity and social support.
Finally, the research conveyed the information about the comprehension of the emotional distress negative effects among people from first-world countries primarily. However, it is essential to establish the global situation and discover the literacy in different countries. As such, Nguyen Thai and Nguyen (2018) have an extensive review of the problem in Vietnamese society. Surprisingly, the help-seeking rates are rather high in the area. However, some population still invokes non-traditional techniques for treating their issues and believe in self-help (Nguyen Thai & Nguyen, 2018). These findings are similar to those in the current research. In fact, the personally invented techniques for self-help in Vietnam resemble those described by the interviewees of the present work. Hence, it could be stated that there is a social trend towards choosing simple techniques for enhancing mental stability that could be used by the struggling individuals themselves.
The results of the study are insightful about the general knowledge of the relation between emotions and physical responses to them. The findings signify that people might be aware of their problems and yet choose self-help techniques instead of traditional ones, such as help from psychologists. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of these techniques was not been thoroughly researched yet. It is recommended that additional studies should assess the possibilities of favorable outcomes of such methods. For example, the sharing about emotional distress on social media seems to be a novel phenomenon due to the emergence of the modern concept of taking care of oneself. In brief, the topic of mental health literacy should be further investigated.
Hence, it could be stated that the findings of the research provided an important insight into the assessment of the general understanding of the connection between emotions and physical health. The research demonstrated that people, especially women in this work, are concerned about their mental health and wellness. They operate with social constructs about good-looking and well-being, perceiving the linkage between them. Additionally, the social media and wellness business serve as the sources for discovering methods of self-help for these people. Consequently, the non-traditional methods of nurturing oneself might have some practical value and beneficial influence on the mental health of the population.
References
Devendorf, A., Bender, A., & Rottenberg, J. (2020). Depression presentations, stigma, and mental health literacy: A critical review and YouTube content analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 78, 101843.
Jane, M., Hagger, M., Foster, J., Ho, S., & Pal, S. (2018). Social media for health promotion and weight management: A critical debate. BMC Public Health, 18(1).
Nearchou, F. A., Bird, N., Costello, A., Duggan, S., Gilroy, J., Long, R., McHugh, L., & Hennessy, E. (2018). Personal and perceived public mental-health stigma as predictors of help-seeking intentions in adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 66, 8390.
Nguyen Thai, Q. C., & Nguyen, T. H. (2018). Mental health literacy: Knowledge of depression among undergraduate students in Hanoi, Vietnam. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 12(1).
Venkataraman, S., Patil, R., & Balasundaram, S. (2019). Why mental health literacy still matters: A review. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 6(6), 2723.
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