Mental health is a vital component of overall health and well being. Good mental health is a sense of well-being , confidence and self-esteem (Mentalhealth.wa.gov.au, 2010). Persistent feelings of depression, anxiety , anger and stress will have a negative impact on self-esteem and motivation to live a healthy lifestyle.
Motivation is an inner drive to behave or act in a certain manner (En.wikipedia.org, 2012). Motivation can be divided into two types,
- Intrinsic motivation (internal),
- Extrinsic motivation (external)
Intrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from within and driven by interests and things you enjoy to do, people are more likely to complete tasks that they interested in and pursue goals they truly want to attain e.g. enjoy reading and playing sport with friends. Extrinsic motivation is performing an activity just to achieve a certain outcome e.g to get paid, to win a competition, to get a certain grade. Extrinsic motivation can also be less tangible like getting praise and recognition from peers.
In order for people to live a healthy lifestyle it is best to have a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, It is important for people to do things they are passionate about, so that they enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
References:
All Things Depression, (2011). Motivation and Mental Health. [online] Available at: http://allthingsdepression.com/2011/04/motivation-and-mental-health/ [Accessed 18 May. 2014].
Caresearch.com.au, (2010). Mental health. [online] Available at: http://www.caresearch.com.au/caresearch/tabid/1854/Default.aspx [Accessed 18 May. 2014].
En.wikipedia.org, (2012). Mental health – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health [Accessed 18 May. 2014].
En.wikipedia.org, (2012). Motivation – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation [Accessed 18 May. 2014].
Health Advocation, (2013). Spring Break motivation!. [online] Available at: http://healthadvocation.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/spring-break-motivation/ [Accessed 18 May. 2014].
LIVESTRONG.COM, (2014). Depression: Lack of Motivation to Exercise & Mental Health | LIVESTRONG.COM. [online] Available at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/330972-depression-lack-of-motivation-to-exercise-mental-health/ [Accessed 18 May. 2014].
LIVESTRONG.COM, (2014). The Theories of Motivation in Sports | LIVESTRONG.COM. [online] Available at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/537302-the-theories-of-motivation-in-sports/ [Accessed 18 May. 2014]
Mentalhealth.wa.gov.au, (2010). What is mental health?. [online] Available at: http://www.mentalhealth.wa.gov.au/mental_illness_and_health/mh_whatis.aspx [Accessed 18 May. 2014].
Pinterest, (2012). FITNESS PINS — THE MOST POPULAR ON PINTEREST BY # OF REPINS. [online] Available at: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/236720524134475504/ [Accessed 18 May. 2014]
Psychologytoday.com, (1991). Motivation. [online] Available at: http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/motivation [Accessed 18 May. 2014].
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