Separating Mental Health, Illness, and Performance


Mental health, mental illness, and mental performance are distinct ideas that shape how we think, feel, and behave. While they may be related, they don’t always go hand-in-hand. Improving mental health, managing illness, and boosting performance can help us live healthier and more genuine lives. This post will define these concepts, explain how they are connected, and explore how small changes in our thoughts, emotions, and actions can enhance each aspect.


Mental Health

Mental health refers to our overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It involves the ability to cope with changes and stress, work productively, maintain healthy relationships, and contribute to the community. Mental health affects the way we think, feel, and act every day. It also influences how we cope with stress, build relationships, and make choices. Key signs of good mental health include resilience, mental flexibility, optimism, a sense of belonging, confidence, and stable relationships. Mental health can be improved by making small shifts in our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors:


  • Thinking: Reflect on situations before drawing conclusions. Practice gratitude and positive self-talk. Be kind to yourself.
  • Feeling: Pay attention to your emotions. If you’re feeling exhausted, take a rest. If you're sad, allow yourself a break. If you feel alone, try contacting someone.
  • Doing: Surround yourself with positive people who uplift you. Invest in your relationships and community.


Mental Illness

Mental illness, on the other hand, refers to conditions that negatively affect our mental health. It disrupts how we think, feel, and behave in daily life. Signs of mental illness include feeling hopeless, withdrawing socially, struggling with daily tasks, mood swings, and even thoughts of harming oneself or others. Examples of mental illnesses include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorders. Just like mental health, mental illness can be managed by addressing how we think, feel, and behave:


  • Thinking: Recognize and respond to confused thinking or difficulty focusing. Acknowledge that mental illness can make it hard to think clearly.
  • Feeling: Understand that intense feelings of fear, worry, or guilt may be part of mental illness. Your feelings are real, but they may come from distorted thoughts.
  • Doing: Seek support from people and professionals you trust. Stay socially connected. Avoid coping with negative emotions in harmful or impulsive ways.


Mental Performance

Mental performance is generally understood as the combination of thinking skills, mindsets, views, approaches, and methods that help achieve top performance, well being, and personal development. According to the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, mental performance skills fall under three categories essential, self-regulation, and interpersonal and apply not only to athletes and performers but to anyone looking to improve their mental strength and success in life. Enhancing mental performance involves investing in how we think, feel, and act:


  • Thinking: Think realistically by recognizing irrational thoughts and reframing them in a more balanced way. Talk to yourself with kindness and compassion.
  • Feeling: Acknowledge how you are feeling without denying or avoiding your emotions. Accept even the uncomfortable ones.
  • Doing: Take productive actions, even when you're feeling tired or unmotivated. Act in ways that benefit your well-being.


How Mental Health, Illness, and Performance Are Connected

The Association for Applied Sport Psychology uses a health to illness continuum to describe the relationship between mental health and performance. This model illustrates how both mental health and performance influence each other and are impacted by mental illness or well-being. Notably, mental performance may not always be tied to mental health or illness. For example, someone may be struggling in life but performing well in their job and could benefit from focusing on improving their mental health. Conversely, someone may be thriving in their personal life but underperforming at work and could benefit from enhancing their mental performance.



In conclusion, if you find yourself struggling in life or with performance, take a moment to ask yourself whether the struggle is related to mental health, illness, or performance. This question can guide you toward appropriate changes in how you think, feel, or act. Most importantly, remember that there is no shame in seeking professional help to improve your mental health, illness, or performance.

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