Rethinking Mental Health: Framing, Feelings, and Function
Rethinking the “Mental Health Epidemic”
Much of what we call a mental health epidemic could make more sense if we saw it from another angle: many adults face situations that naturally cause discomfort. When we quickly label these normal feelings as mental health problems, we risk medicalizing understandable reactions. (An examination of the medicalization and pharmaceuticalization processes of anxiety and depressive disorders in Belgium between 2004 and 2013: how may both disorders be intertwined?, 2020) The central argument is that not all distress signals a disorder—sharpening our distinctions is essential.
In my experience, people regularly struggle more with the complexity of life than with true mental disorders. According to the theory of anxiety and uncertainty management, difficulties often arise from managing anxiety and uncertainty, especially in challenging situations. This does not lessen the value of clinical care, but clarifies the main point: many issues called mental health disorders may reflect natural reactions to life's pressures and uncertainties. We must distinguish between being overwhelmed by life and having a clinical disorder. (Resilience and mental health: how multisystemic processes contribute to positive outcomes, 2020, pp. 441-448)
The Role of Anxiety
Take anxiety as an example. It isn’t always harmful and actually serves an important purpose. Anxiety warns us about danger, motivates us to prepare, and can help us grow. (Positive Anxiety and Its Role in Motivation and Achievement among University Students, 2020) When anxiety comes from uncertainty, it can be both helpful and harmful. Problems start when anxiety has no clear cause, which can leave us confused. Often, it’s not the anxiety itself that causes the most trouble, but the manner in which we understand it. (Brown et al., 2023, pp. 844-868)
Beyond “Feeling Good”
Many think mental health is just feeling good and calm, but that’s too simple. (Salamon, 2022) True mental health is feeling emotions that fit the situation and managing them well. (Whelan, 2024) Instead of aiming for comfort, ask if a situation is truly overwhelming or simply uncomfortable. This shift encourages a different view of mental health.
Emotional Strength and Fortitude
It’s important to distinguish between being emotional and being fragile. Having strong feelings doesn’t mean lacking resilience. However, people may react more strongly if they lacked support as children or had unpredictable early relationships. Adults from such backgrounds may be more vulnerable. (García, 2025)
Reframing Mental Health
If we talk about mental health as accepting discomfort as a normal part of life, we can avoid turning ordinary experiences into medical problems. This is the core of my argument: the goal isn’t to get rid of tough emotions, but to accept and manage them. By reframing mental health this way, we sharpen our understanding and keep the focus on resilience rather than just symptom elimination.
Rather than applying a static ideology to life’s ever-changing dynamics, we should learn to surf change—to move with it rather than resist it.
Resilience is more important than constant happiness. Emotions are signals—information to use, not problems to fight.
