How your environment affects your mental health
Lots of factors contribute to poor mental health. Genetics, personal history, diet, lifestyle…all of these play a part. However, when trying to parse the causes of our mental health struggles, many of us fail to consider one of the biggest factors of all: the environment in which we live our day to day lives. The environment we live and work in forms part of the wider context of our lives, which – as any good counsellor knows - is vital to think about when treating any mental health issues. If you’re unsure how (or whether) your environment affects your mental health, we’ll quickly run through a few examples; SOCIAL FACTORS: Social factors are issues in the immediate family or wider community which can have an impact upon mental health. * Stigma. Experiencing stigma such as racism, sexism, homophobia, or other, perhaps more insidious forms of prejudice is known to majorly increase a person’s risk of mental illness. *Discord. Strife and violence in the home or the community is a big cau...