For a long time, mental health was a subject only discussed when referring to a medical disorder. We would think about mental health as a disease or infection that requires aggressive action by a team of doctors, more like a cancer rather than a simple wound like a scraped knee.

Today, things are starting to change. Medical professionals are starting to see mental health as a much wider spectrum of conditions related to the mind and cognition. There is also a growing interest in preventive and holistic mental health care that starts at home, which may help manage and prevent disorders that should be treated by medical professionals.

On a daily basis, we experience patterns of positive and negative feelings. Sometimes the variations may feel more intense or the consistency can change. When there is an increase of positive feelings, this is generally regarded as a good thing that is associated with an improvement of well-being. Meanwhile, an increase in negative feelings is not uncommon, and we should remember to use a few simple tools to check our feelings.

Imagine the scraped knee approach to mental health. When we are young, we get this kind of care from our parents and grandparents, and it can be created with a feeling of love, safety, and something that seems like homemade magic. As we get older, we are likely to have ideas about how to treat our own wounds, and we may rely on a life partner and our friends when we get stuck or confused.

The idea that mental health needs a medical diagnosis in order to become a subject of conversation – and that such cases will be treated aggressively – has helped to create the stigma that prevents 80% of people from seeking help when they need it the most. The stigma will even stop people from talking with their friends. That’s something that needs to change in order to prevent strong feelings from becoming a crisis.

As many as 30% of us will experience a case of severe depression, stress and anxiety that should be treated by a clinician at some point during our lives. We know that depression, stress, and anxiety are part of being human, and that these strong feelings can throw us off balance for a day, a year, or more. We also know that these feelings are not distributed fairly or consistently throughout our communities. The social and structural factors that intensify or prevent the resolution of distress are another reason why the stigma around mental health has been so hard to break. We tend to see mental health as relating to people outside our family and social circle.

Let’s start with some simple soft tools that can be used at home. For example, many people will be able to reduce negative feelings to feel more confident and comfortable simply by making a habit of focused breathing for several minutes a day.

All of us get strong feelings. We all have days of disorientation. In many situations, it’s enough to talk with our friends and family about the things that we feel. We try to create a community around our emotions with people who know how it feels. Some of us will have strong feelings for a long time, and some of us will find it difficult to move on. Like other aspects of health, we should recognize that mental health can change over time and without warning. That’s a good reason to give it regular attention.