October is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to educating the public about mental wellness, reducing the stigma associated with mental illness, and encouraging people to seek support in improving their mental wellbeing.
I’m often asked: “Is mental wellbeing part of mental health, or the other way around?”
The truth is, mental wellbeing is the foundation of mental health. It’s the daily experience of emotional balance, purpose, and connection, even when life gets tough. Mental health, on the other hand, includes both wellbeing and the presence or absence of mental illness.
Think of it like this:
• Mental wellbeing is how we thrive.
• Mental health is how we function across the full spectrum from flourishing to struggling.
Stephanie Murdock from Sanford OccMed positions this difference as such: “The primary difference between health and wellness is that health is the goal and wellness is the active process of achieving it.”
You can live with a mental health condition and still cultivate wellbeing. On the flip side, you can feel “fine” on the outside while your wellbeing quietly erodes.
Supporting mental wellbeing isn’t just about avoiding illness but also building resilience, meaning, and joy. But here’s the nuance: mental wellbeing is only one part of the overall wellbeing puzzle. True wellbeing also includes physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, occupational, social and financial wellbeing (Anderson, 2002). Each piece matters as they all interact, forming a system.
While some shifts are happening, barriers like limited access to care, affordability, and cultural silence around emotional support can make this journey more difficult. These challenges often discourage people from seeking help, even when they’re actively trying to maintain their wellbeing.
Another barrier that often goes unspoken is the fear of opening up, particularly when it comes to sharing personal struggles, relationship tensions, or what’s happening within the relationship. The idea of speaking to a professional can feel exposing, even risky, especially when trust has been eroded elsewhere. Therapeutic spaces are designed to honour your pace, your boundaries, and your story. Support doesn’t have to mean full disclosure from day one, and trust with your counsellor develops over time.
By normalising mental wellbeing as just one part of overall health, we open the door to more compassionate, inclusive care where seeking support is recognised as a courageous and necessary step toward wholeness.
In support of Mental Health Awareness month (October 2025) I’m offering a reduced rate of R500 for your first individual or relationship counselling session. If you’ve been considering support, this could be a gentle first step.
View my website at www.michaelleak.co.za or go directly to my booking profile and register and book your first session at https://clientportal.uk.zandahealth.com/clien…/michaelleak
If you have any questions please WhatsApp me on +27826749481
