EP 8: Mental Health in Communication

In this episode of the Working Wizard Podcast, the guest, Ms. Marina, discusses the connection between mental health and communication. She explains that mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and that communication can impact our mental state. Marina breaks down the impact of communication on mental health into three categories: family, friends, and professional relationships. She provides examples to illustrate how different communication styles within these relationships can either negatively or positively affect mental health. Marina emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with positive people and finding comfort in frequent communication. Welcome to the Working Wizard Podcast. My name is Francisco and I'll be your host for today. This is a continuous series on different types of communication. Today you are in for a treat so make sure you stay tuned. Today I'm excited to welcome back our previous guest, the one and only Ms. Marina. This time she is here to talk about the connection between mental health and communication. Thank you so much for having me back. Of course. We love having you back. To start off, could you begin telling us about some basic mental health just so we can make sure our listeners are prepared for the upcoming information? Absolutely. So mental health is our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Some people may have good and strong mental health while others may not. Our mental health strength varies between many factors, but in this podcast we will be talking about how communication impacts our mental state. Awesome. Thanks for the brief overview. Let's jump into it. Okay. To begin, in the world of communication, it strictly affects our mental health based on the people who we have interpersonal relationships with and how we interact with one another. I'm going to break this into three separate types of relationships in order for the best understanding. These include friends, families, and professional relationships. Francisco, I'll let you choose. Which category should we go over first? Let's start with family since I'm a family man. Perfect. So by families, I'm talking about the ones who we grew up with, for example, brothers, sisters, mom, dad, or other guardians. In most situations, these are the people we learn norms and behaviors from, look up to, and go to for help, therefore creating an important, trustworthy relationship. Because of this, our mental health relies heavily on how we were raised and how our parents treated us. That is so true because I have all these underlying issues from, I'm just kidding, but it completely makes sense, right, because you have all these bonds and creating these relationships with the people that you surround yourself with every single day. Just like you mentioned, like your parents, right, they influence who you are, they influence who I am, become the man that I am, right, but yeah, that's so true, I mean, that's true. Yeah. So I have a few examples here that can help us have a better understanding of how our families really impact our mental state. Okay. Let's hear them. Okay. Example one. Let's say we're observing one set of parents or guardians constantly shutting out their kids while communicating. As their sons or daughters grow old, they may keep everything inside because of their past experiences. This is negative for mental health. For example, in an article I read called The Dangers of Bottling Up Our Emotions, it states over time we may feel like nobody cares about our needs or desires and that our opinion or voice doesn't matter. It can also cause us to feel stressed, depressed, or anxious. In some cases, we may even feel deeply angry or rageful and develop feelings of resentment towards others. This article is basically saying that holding back emotions because of the feelings of being unable to communicate with others can take a negative toll on one's mental health. And moving on to example two, on the other hand, if parents listen to their children and told them that it's safe to talk about their feelings or really let them open up and help them out with their issues, as their sons and daughters grow old, they'll most likely feel safer talking about their stresses and problems, leading to a healthier mind. That is so true. I mean, I can talk from personal experience, too, as well. Just bottling the emotions and actually blowing up because I've been bottling some emotions. You get depressed. You kind of go through this rut for a while. And then just letting go, like actually talk to somebody, actually makes you feel a lot better. Yeah, even writing down, even if you just write those feelings down, it'll make you feel a lot better, right? Yes, exactly. Do you have any more examples for us, or are we ready to head over to the next category? I'm glad you asked. I actually have one more set of examples before we move on. Starting with the third example, suppose parents or guardians are constantly hostile towards their children, calling their clothes, hair, or overall appearance just ugly or other hurtful words. In this case, it can cause a child to create a poor self-image, leading to low self-esteem and opening up a door full of mental issues. And then in example four, on the other hand, if parents or guardians compliment their children and constantly fill them with good, positive words, it will create a positive self-image for their children, boosting their self-esteem, leading to an overall better self-image and a healthier mental state. Wow. Sometimes society overlooks some small little things when it comes down to parenting. Good thing you're here today to express some useful information. I know our listeners are loving this right now. Of course. It's always a pleasure. Let's keep going. Francisco, what category should we do next? Let's do friendly relationships. Sounds good to me. Let's get started. Friends can have similar effects as family members on the mental. Communication and how friends speak to each other can impact mental health. If friends are constantly rude to each other, get into arguments, and purposely make each other mad or jealous, it can cause others to recognize or unrecognize stress. Conversely, if friends enjoy each other's presence and are mostly positive towards one another, hanging out could become a stress reliever, having good, positive effects on the mental health. Agreed. Have you ever had any personal experience with your friends that relates to this information? I'm glad you asked. A while ago, I had some not-so-great friends, and my stress levels were always so much higher because we were all constantly arguing. But for a couple years now, I found a new group of friends who are kind and handle conflict very well, allowing me to fully enjoy being around them. Ever since I found this new friend group, I can safely say that my mental state has been a lot better. That is awesome to hear. Yeah, definitely switching groups like that can definitely help your mental state. Well, since there's only one category left, let's jump into it, right? Sounds good. Last but not least, we have professional relationships. Workplace communication and professional relationships play a huge role in mental health. We spend many hours of our lives at work, meaning whatever happens there has a high chance of translating to how we feel and how we live in our home lives, too. We do spend a lot of times with lives of people that we work with. Even now, with working at home, we still have to interact with coworkers via e-mail, Zoom, Twitter, or whatever it could be. Exactly. Well, let's look into some examples. For example one, let's imagine if someone's boss or coworker are highly disrespectful, have no empathy, or even partake in sexual harassment. These sorts of communications and interactions can cause a person to feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or angry at work, adding pounds of stress on that person's mental state, especially if they have to spend a lot of their days and weeks and months at work. And then looking at example two, supposedly if bosses and coworkers treat someone with kindness, empathize with them, and provide a safe haven, this can reduce stress and help the mental state. Great example, Marina. Now we know the importance of having a positive relationship at work. Thank you. Of course. Since we are coming to an end, do you have any last words for our listeners today? Sure. It may be hard to realize, but communication plays a massive role on our mental health, which is why it is important to surround ourselves with positive people and find enjoyment and comfort with those we frequently communicate with. Wow, that is some solid advice. If you haven't heard that, go back and listen to that one more time. Well, it's always a pleasure to have you here. And for everyone else, thank you for joining us today at the Working With It podcast. Make sure you guys leave a like and subscribe. It helps us. This is how we get paid. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. And don't forget to like and subscribe once again. Take care.