WTH is self health?!

What the Heck is Self Health? (short version)

SHC founder Toni has coined the term Self Health to represent the state of overall mental well-being that occurs when we are well balanced in five areas, including our Social Health, Physical Health, Intellectual Health, Emotional Health and Spiritual Health.

SELF HEALTH: A state of overall mental well-being that enables us to manage and enjoy life from a place of calm and resilience. A result of being in balance across five key areas including; Social Health, Physical Health, Intellectual Health, Emotional Health and Spiritual Health.

From her 7 years of reading 500+ self-help books, interviewing hundreds of authors and experts, and working with thousands of readers, she believes that balanced Self Health and being well resourced in each of these areas is the key to a good life.

Good Self Health is a state that supports us to heal and grow, and live with purpose and optimism.

And the Shelf Help Club S.P.I.E.S. model shown above (building on the popular P.I.E.S. self-development framework) now informs the books we choose and the content we create for our members and audience, as well as being an excellent place to start for anyone looking to make some change in their life

What the Heck is Self Health? (longer version)

If you know anything about the Shelf Help Club you know that we love to champion and celebrate self-help, using any excuse we can to promote it to anyone and everyone as a way to support positive mental health. Because we believe that supporting better mental health in individuals is the way to create a better world for everyone.

We believe that self-help isn’t something to be used as a last resort when life is crashing down, but instead, is about learning skills and strategies that we can all use all of the time to support ourselves at all stages of life.

Much like we go to the gym and eat well to stay feeling good. We work on our inner selves to stay strong and well, and to be able to bounce back when life throws its inevitable curveballs.

Which is why we’re rebranding self-help as Self HEALTH - a state of well-being that we can all aim for.

(We’re also hoping that this glow up helps dispel self-help’s image problem. Aware that for some the term conjures up pictures of broken souls needing to hide away to work on themselves until they are ‘fixed’).

How do we measure our mental health?

Mental health runs across such a broad spectrum. It can be good, or terrible, or anywhere in between. Diagnosed mental health problems are just one end of the scale, and - we’re sure you know this - the state of anyone’s mental health can vary wildly from day to day (sometimes hour to hour!) depending on a whole host of circumstances.

Our mental health affects how we think, feel and behave, and our mission to support positive mental health means sharing easy and accessible ideas, advice, tools and strategies that can help you manage, challenge and where necessary change these things.

MENTAL HEALTH: Is a person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and it affects how they think, feel, and act. It's important at every stage of life, from childhood to adulthood, and helps people handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is also fundamental to people's ability to work productively, contribute to their community, and enjoy life.

There are a host of psychological assessment tools that can be used to measure our mental health by professionals, and when you ask Google ‘how can I measure my mental health?’ it will tell you that the ‘gold standard, diagnostic, definitive assessment of a person's mental health status comes from rigorous psychiatric interview by trained clinicians, in most countries, a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist.’

But in the day-to-day, when we don’t have the time, money or probably inclination to have ourselves rigorously tested by professionals, we believe that the best way to measure our mental health is to check in with how we feel.

And using the S.P.I.E.S. framework (shared above) as a starting point is an excellent way to work out where you might be out of balance, as a way to then think about starting to make a few changes in that area.

💛 THE S.P.I.E.S EXPLAINED 💛

SOCIAL HEALTH is the ability to form and maintain healthy relationships with others and society in general. It's an aspect of overall health and well-being that comes from connection and community. People with strong social ties are less likely to have health problems, depression, or die early. Social health can also lead to higher self-esteem, greater empathy, and more trusting and cooperative relationships.

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PHYSICAL HEALTH is a state of well-being where the body's internal and external parts function properly. It's more than just being fit, and it's about how the body grows, moves, feels, and is cared for. Good physical health allows a person to perform their daily activities without restrictions

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INTELLECTUAL HEALTH recognises creative abilities and encourages us to find ways to expand our knowledge and skills. Intellectual wellness can be developed through personal and professional development, cultural involvement, community involvement and personal hobbies

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EMOTIONAL HEALTH is a person's ability to manage their thoughts, feelings, and emotions throughout life's ups and downs. It's a core aspect of mental health that involves being aware of one's emotions and having strategies to deal with both everyday situations and traumatic experiences

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SPIRITUAL HEALTH is a person’s ability to find meaning and purpose in life, both their own and on a larger, more universal scale. It can be defined in many ways across cultures and religions, but some common characteristics include; feeling connected to something larger than oneself, feeling at peace and being able to find find hope and comfort in difficult times, feeling connected to the natural world.