Welcome to the My Mental Health and I A-Z Mental Health Dictionary, your simple, easy-to-understand guide to common mental health terms. Whether you are trying to understand what you are feeling, support someone you love, or simply learn more, this glossary breaks down over 130 mental health words in plain, relatable language. No jargon, no judgment, just clarity.
A
Abuse
Abuse can be emotional, physical or sexual. It is when someone uses power or control to hurt another person, whether through words, actions, or touch. It can happen in relationships, families, or even friendships.
Addiction
This is when you feel like you can’t stop doing something even when it’s hurting you. Most people think it’s only about drugs or alcohol, but you can also be addicted to social media, gambling, pornography, or even toxic relationships. It’s not a lack of willpower or a moral failure. It’s something that changes how your brain works, and it needs proper support to overcome.
ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
This is a condition that affects how someone focuses, pays attention, or controls their behaviour. People with ADHD might find it hard to sit still, focus on one thing at a time, or stay organized, and it’s not just kids. Adults can have it too, and it doesn’t mean you’re lazy or unserious.
Anger
Anger is a normal human emotion, but sometimes it’s either suppressed or misdirected. But unexpressed anger doesn’t disappear; it turns inward and becomes depression, or it explodes outward and hurts people. Learning to understand and express anger in healthy ways is part of good mental health.
Anxiety
Anxiety is that intense, uneasy feeling we get when we’re worried or scared, even when we’re not sure why. It’s more than just being nervous; it’s when your heart races, your thoughts go into overdrive, and your body feels tense, like something bad is about to happen. Everyone feels anxious sometimes, but when it becomes constant or starts affecting your daily life, it may be an anxiety disorder.
Antidepressants
These are medications that help manage symptoms of depression and sometimes anxiety. They work by balancing chemicals in the brain. For many people, they’re part of the healing journey, along with therapy and self-care.
Attachment Styles
This refers to how we connect to people emotionally, often shaped by childhood experiences. Some people fear closeness, others fear abandonment, and some feel secure in relationships. Understanding your attachment style can help improve relationships.
B
Behavioural Therapy
This is a type of therapy that focuses on changing unhelpful patterns of behaviour. Instead of only talking about how you feel, it helps you take practical steps to change what you do. It’s useful for anxiety, depression, and addiction. Think of it as learning new ways to respond to life instead of being stuck in old patterns that no longer serve you.
Binge Eating
Binge eating is when someone eats a very large amount of food in a short period of time, often not because they’re hungry, but because of emotions like stress, sadness, loneliness, or even boredom. It’s usually followed by feelings of guilt or shame, which can make the cycle worse.
Bipolar Disorder
This is a mental health condition where a person swings between extreme moods, feeling very high (mania) and very low (depression). It’s not just moodiness. These episodes can affect how a person functions in daily life, but with treatment, many people live full lives.
Body Dysmorphia
Body dysmorphia is when someone becomes obsessively focused on a flaw in their appearance, something that others might not even notice. It goes beyond normal insecurity. It can consume your thoughts, affect your daily life, and make you avoid social situations.
Body Image
Body image is how you see, think, and feel about your body. It’s not always about what you actually look like, it’s about what you believe you look like. Social media, comments from family, and societal beauty standards can all damage how someone sees themselves. A negative body image can quietly affect your confidence, relationships, and mental health in ways you might not even notice.
Boundaries
Boundaries are limits we set to protect our emotional and mental space. They help define what’s okay and what’s not in relationships, work, and family life.
Burnout
Burnout happens when you’ve been under pressure or stress for too long, especially from work, school, caregiving, or even advocacy. You feel drained, emotionally empty, and like you’ve got nothing left to give.
C
Catastrophizing
It’s that moment when something small goes wrong and your mind immediately jumps to the absolute worst possible outcome. It’s an exhausting way to live, and it’s one of the most common thinking patterns linked to anxiety and depression.
Childhood Trauma
It’s that moment when something small goes wrong and your mind immediately jumps to the absolute worst possible outcome. It’s an exhausting way to live, and it’s one of the most common thinking patterns linked to anxiety and depression.
Co-dependency
This is a pattern that shows up in relationships where one person loses themselves trying to fix, save, or take care of the other. It often looks like love or loyalty on the surface, but underneath it’s rooted in fear, low self-worth, or a deep need for validation. The co-dependent person often puts everyone else’s needs above their own to the point where they don’t even know what they need anymore.
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
While PTSD can develop after a single traumatic event, Complex PTSD develops after repeated or prolonged trauma, especially the kind that happens over years, like ongoing abuse, neglect, or living in a consistently unsafe environment. It goes deeper than regular PTSD. It can affect your sense of identity, your ability to trust, how you regulate emotions, and how you see the world.
Cognitive Distortions
Cognitive distortions are patterns of thinking that are biased or inaccurate. They often lead to negative thoughts, emotions, or behaviours.
Coping Mechanisms
These are the ways we deal with stress, pain, or difficult emotions. Some are healthy, like journaling, praying, or talking to someone. Some are harmful, like substance use or shutting down. The goal is to replace the harmful ones with healthier ways of coping.
Crisis
A mental health crisis is when someone is struggling so much that they can’t function or might be in danger (like wanting to harm themselves or others). In such moments, quick support from a professional, helpline, or trusted person is very important.
D
Denial
It is a defence mechanism where the mind refuses to accept a painful or uncomfortable truth. It can look like pretending everything is fine when it isn’t, dismissing how serious a situation is, or refusing to acknowledge that you or someone you love needs help. It’s not always intentional, sometimes the mind uses denial to protect itself from something it doesn’t yet feel ready to face.
Depression
Depression is more than just feeling sad. It’s a deep emptiness, hopelessness, or heaviness that lasts for weeks or months. You might lose interest in things you once loved, feel tired all the time, or feel like you’re just existing. It’s not a sign of weakness, and it can be treated.
Diagnosis
This is when a mental health professional names what you’re experiencing, like anxiety, depression, or PTSD, based on your symptoms. A diagnosis can help guide your treatment and give you clarity, but it doesn’t define who you are.
Dissociation
This is when someone feels disconnected from their thoughts, surroundings, or even their body. It’s like being “on autopilot” or watching life happen without feeling present. It often comes as a response to trauma or stress.
Distorted Thinking
This is when the brain gets into a habit of seeing things in a way that isn’t fully accurate. Assuming the worst, seeing everything as black or white, or taking everything personally are all examples. It usually develops from past experiences or prolonged stress and can quietly affect how you feel and behave every day.
Dysfunction
A pattern where thoughts, emotions, or behaviours start interfering with daily life. It can look like difficulty managing responsibilities, strained relationships, or unhealthy coping habits. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with you as a person, just that something isn’t working the way it should and needs attention.
Dysthymia (Persistent Depressive Disorder)
This is a long-term form of depression that feels less intense but lasts much longer, often for years. You might feel low, unmotivated, or “not quite yourself” most of the time, even if you can still function day to day. It can feel like a constant grey cloud rather than a deep, heavy storm.
E
Eating Disorders
These are serious mental health conditions where someone has an unhealthy relationship with food, weight, or their body. It’s not about vanity, it’s often tied to control, trauma, or deeper emotional pain.
Emotional Baggage
Emotional baggage is the collection of unresolved feelings, painful memories, and past experiences that we bring into our present lives and relationships without always realising it. It can affect how we react to people, how much we trust, and how we see ourselves.
Emotional Exhaustion
Emotional exhaustion is a state of feeling drained, overwhelmed, and depleted emotionally. It often occurs after prolonged stress, pressure, or caregiving.
Emotional Regulation
This is your ability to manage your feelings without being overwhelmed by them. It’s not about “controlling” emotions or bottling them up, but learning how to sit with them, express them safely, and not let them control your actions.
Emotional Triggers
These are specific things, words, situations, sounds, or even smells, that cause a sudden and intense emotional reaction. The response can feel bigger than the moment seems to deserve, and that’s usually because the trigger is connected to something deeper, like a past experience or unhealed wound.
Empath/Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and feel what another person is going through, to step into their shoes without needing them to explain everything. An empath is someone who feels this so deeply that they often absorb the emotions of people around them as if those feelings were their own.
F
Fatigue (Mental Fatigue)
This is not the regular tiredness you feel after a long day. Mental fatigue is that deep exhaustion that doesn’t go away with sleep. You feel drained mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. It can come from stress, burnout, or carrying too much emotionally for too long.
Fear of Abandonment
This is a deep, sometimes overwhelming anxiety around being left, rejected, or unloved. It often starts early in life, from experiences of loss, inconsistency, or emotional unavailability. It can show up in relationships as clinginess, jealousy, or pushing people away before they get the chance to leave.
Fight or Flight Response
This is your body’s natural reaction to danger, real or imagined. You either want to run (flight), stand and face it (fight), or sometimes freeze. It’s your brain’s way of protecting you. But when it’s always “on,” like in anxiety or trauma, it can be exhausting.
Fixed Mindset
This is the belief that who you are, your intelligence, your abilities, and your worth cannot change. It makes failure feel final and criticism feel like a personal attack. It can quietly hold people back from growth, healing, and trying new things because the fear of not being good enough feels too real.
Functional Depression
Functional depression is when someone is managing to keep up appearances while quietly struggling underneath. Because they seem “okay” to everyone else, it often goes unnoticed and untreated for a long time.
G
Gaslighting
This is when someone consistently makes you question your own memory, feelings, or perception of reality. They might tell you that something never happened, that you’re overreacting, or that you’re imagining things, until you start to believe them. It’s a form of emotional manipulation that can leave someone deeply confused about what is real and what isn’t.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD is a condition characterized by persistent and excessive worry about everyday life events. It can cause tension, irritability, and sleep problems. Treatment often includes therapy, lifestyle changes, and sometimes medication.
Generational Trauma
Generational trauma is when the emotional wounds, survival patterns, and unresolved pain of one generation get passed down to the next, often without anyone realising it. It can show up in the way a family communicates, handles conflict, expresses love, or deals with hardship.
Gratitude
Gratitude is the practice of intentionally noticing and appreciating what is good in your life, even in difficult seasons. It doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine. It’s about training the mind to hold both the hard and the good at the same time, and research shows it can genuinely shift how we feel mentally and emotionally.
Grief
Grief is the pain you feel when you lose someone or something important, a loved one, a job, a relationship, even a version of yourself. It doesn’t follow a strict pattern. Some days it hits hard, other days it’s quiet. There’s no right way to grieve, just your way.
Grounding Techniques
These are simple methods used to bring you back to the present moment, especially when you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or dissociating. For example, naming 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear… It helps calm your mind and body.
Guilt Tripping
This is when someone uses your sense of guilt or responsibility to manipulate your behaviour. It can be small, a comment here, a sigh there, or it can be very direct. Either way, the goal is to make you feel so bad that you do what they want. Over time, it can damage your sense of self and make it hard to trust your own decisions.
H
Hallucination
This is when someone sees, hears, smells, or feels things that aren’t actually there. It’s a symptom of some mental health conditions like schizophrenia. It’s not “madness”. It’s a serious health symptom that needs care, not shame.
Healthy Boundaries
These are the limits we set to protect our emotional, mental, and physical well-being in relationships and situations. They are not walls to keep people out; they are guidelines that communicate what is okay and what is not.
High-Functioning Anxiety
A type of anxiety where someone appears put together, productive, and successful on the outside, but feels constantly worried, tense, or overwhelmed on the inside. They often push themselves hard and may struggle to relax, even when things are going well.
Hopelessness
It’s that feeling that nothing will ever change, that no matter what you do, things won’t get better. It often shows up in depression or after a long period of hardship. It’s a dangerous emotion, but it’s also something you can overcome with the right support.
Hypervigilance
A heightened state of alertness where someone is always on guard, scanning for danger or problems. It can make it hard to relax because the mind and body are constantly preparing for something to go wrong, often as a result of past stress or trauma.
Hypomania
Hypomania is a less intense form of mania often seen in bipolar disorder. It involves elevated mood, increased energy, and sometimes risky behaviour. Unlike full mania, hypomania doesn’t usually require hospitalization but may still affect daily functioning.
I
Imposter Syndrome
That feeling that you’re not good enough or that you don’t deserve your achievements, even when there’s evidence that you do. It’s very common, especially among high-achievers, women, and young professionals. It lies to you, telling you you’re a fraud.
Inner Child
Inside every adult is a younger version of themselves that still carries the emotions, memories, and experiences of childhood. The inner child holds the joy, the curiosity, but also the wounds. When certain situations trigger a reaction that feels bigger than it should be, it’s often the inner child responding.
Insomnia
Insomnia is a condition where someone struggles to fall asleep, stay asleep, or get restful sleep. It can affect mood, focus, and overall mental health. Chronic insomnia may require lifestyle changes, therapy, or medical support to improve sleep quality.
Internalized Shame
It’s when shame stops being about something you did and starts being about who you are. It’s a quiet belief that you’re flawed, not enough, or unworthy of love. Often rooted in early criticism, rejection, or neglect, it can shape your relationships and self-worth without you even realizing it.
Intrusive Thoughts
These are unwanted thoughts that pop into your mind out of nowhere, often disturbing, scary, or completely out of character. They become a problem when they feel impossible to control or cause significant distress.
J
Joy Deficit
This is when life has been so heavy for so long that joy feels like a distant memory. It’s not just sadness; it’s more like a numbness or emptiness where things that used to bring happiness no longer seem to reach you.
Journaling
This is the practice of writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to process what is going on inside you. It is one of the most accessible mental health tools available because all you need is a pen and paper.
Judgement (Fear of Being Judged)
One of the biggest reasons people don’t talk about mental health is the fear of being judged, called weak, dramatic, or “mad.” This fear makes people suffer in silence. Breaking that stigma starts with creating spaces where people feel safe to share without shame.
K
Karma
In mental health terms, karma is the idea that the patterns, behaviours, and energy we put out into the world have a way of coming back to us. If you constantly operate from a place of unhealed wounds, those wounds will keep showing up in your relationships, your choices, and your experiences.
Kindness (to Self and Others)
Kindness isn’t just about being nice to people. It’s also about being gentle with yourself, especially when you’re struggling mentally. Sometimes, speaking to yourself kindly is one of the best mental health practices. And when we show kindness to others, we help build a more understanding and supportive community.
Kleptomania
Kleptomania is a mental health condition where a person has an uncontrollable urge to steal items, often without need or financial gain. It’s linked to impulse control disorders and can cause distress or legal issues. Treatment may involve therapy and behavioural interventions.
L
Learned Helplessness
This happens when someone has experienced so much failure, pain, or lack of control over time that they stop trying altogether. Not because they are lazy or weak, but because they have learned, through repeated experience, that nothing they do makes a difference.
Limiting Beliefs
Deep thoughts or assumptions that hold you back from what you’re capable of. They often sound like “I’m not good enough” or “I can’t do this,” and can quietly shape your choices, confidence, and how far you allow yourself to go.
Loneliness
You can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. Loneliness is the emotional pain of feeling disconnected or unseen. It’s not about having company, it’s about feeling understood and supported. Chronic loneliness can affect your mental and even physical health.
Love Bombing
This is when someone overwhelms you with affection, attention, compliments, and grand gestures very early in a relationship. But it is often a manipulation tactic used to gain your trust and attachment quickly. Once they have it, the behaviour usually changes, and by that point, it can be very hard to walk away.
Low Mood
This is when you feel down, unmotivated, or unhappy for a short time. It’s normal, we all have off days. But when it lasts for weeks or affects your ability to function, it might be a sign of something deeper, like depression.
Low Self-Esteem
A negative view of your own worth. It can show up as constant self-doubt, harsh self-criticism, or feeling like you’re not good enough, even when there’s no real reason to believe that.
M
Mania
Mania is a state of abnormally elevated mood, energy, or activity, often seen in bipolar disorder. It can lead to impulsive decisions, decreased need for sleep, or risky behaviour. Treatment and monitoring are important to manage episodes safely.
Mental Breakdown
A point where the stress becomes too much to handle, and coping stops working. It can look like intense emotional distress, inability to function normally, or feeling completely overwhelmed. It’s not a clinical diagnosis, but more of a way people describe reaching a breaking point.
Mental Exhaustion
Mental exhaustion is a state of feeling mentally drained, overwhelmed, or unable to focus, often from prolonged stress or overthinking. It can lead to difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, irritability, or feeling detached.
Mental Health
Mental health is about how we think, feel, and cope with the everyday demands of life. It’s about how well you’re functioning emotionally, psychologically, and socially. Just like physical health, mental health exists on a spectrum, and it changes. You can have good mental health one season and struggle the next, and that is completely normal.
Mental Health Crisis
This is when someone’s mental and emotional state reaches a point where they can no longer cope or function safely on their own. It can look different for everyone; some people shut down completely, others become overwhelmed with thoughts of self-harm, and some just hit a wall where everything stops working.
Mental Illness
This is a broad term for conditions that affect how a person thinks, feels, or behaves in ways that cause distress or difficulty functioning in daily life. It covers a wide range of conditions from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Having a mental illness does not make someone dangerous, broken, or less of a person. It simply means their mind needs care, just like a body with a physical condition does.
Mental Load
The ongoing weight of having to think about, remember, and manage everything in your life. It’s the constant “don’t forget this” and “what needs to be done next” running in your mind, even when you’re supposed to be resting. Over time, it can feel overwhelming and mentally draining.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is about being fully present in the moment, not in yesterday’s regrets or tomorrow’s worries. It helps reduce stress and anxiety. You can practice it through deep breathing, meditation, or even just taking a mindful walk without distractions.
Mood Swings
This is when your emotions change quickly, from happy to sad, calm to irritated. Everyone has mood shifts, but when they’re extreme or happen often, it may be linked to conditions like bipolar disorder or emotional dysregulation.
N
Narcissism
Narcissism is a pattern of thinking and behaviour where someone has an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration, and very little empathy for others. It’s worth noting that true narcissism exists on a spectrum and at its most extreme, it is a diagnosable personality disorder.
Negative Self Talk
This is the inner voice that is constantly critical, harsh, or unkind about who you are and what you do. It sounds like “I always mess things up”, or “nobody really likes me.” Over time, negative self talk can seriously erode your confidence, your mood, and your sense of worth
Negative Thinking Patterns
These are habitual ways the mind processes situations that consistently lean toward the worst interpretation. It’s a deeply ingrained way of seeing yourself, others, and the world that develops over time and quietly shapes how you feel and behave every single day.
Nervous Breakdown
This is when the weight of everything becomes too much, and the mind and body simply stop coping. It’s not a clinical term, but it describes something very real, a point where functioning normally becomes impossible, and everything that was being held together falls apart at once.
Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity means that people’s brains work in different ways. It includes conditions like ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. These differences are a normal part of being human and are not signs that something is “wrong” with a person.
Neurosis
This is an old term that used to describe mental health issues like anxiety or obsessive thinking, basically, conditions that don’t include psychosis. Though it’s not used much in professional diagnoses anymore, people still say things like “neurotic” to describe being overly anxious or worried.
O
OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
OCD isn’t just about being neat or liking things a certain way. It’s a condition where someone has unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and feels the need to repeat certain actions (compulsions) to feel better. It can be very distressing and isn’t something to joke about.
Overthinking
This is when the mind gets stuck in a loop, turning the same thoughts, worries, or situations over and over without ever reaching a resolution. It can feel like your brain just won’t switch off.
Overwhelm
This is that feeling when everything lands on you at once and your mind and body can’t take any more. It’s what happens when the demands on you exceed what you have the capacity to handle in that moment.
P
Panic Attack
This is a sudden rush of intense fear or anxiety that comes out of nowhere. Your heart might beat fast, your chest may feel tight, and you may even think you’re dying. But it usually passes within minutes. It’s scary, but it’s not life-threatening.
Paranoia
This is a strong and persistent fear that others are against you, watching you, or trying to harm you, even when there’s little or no evidence. It can make it hard to trust people or feel safe, and often leads to overthinking situations or assuming the worst.
People Pleasing
This is the pattern of constantly putting everyone else’s needs, feelings, and comfort ahead of your own, often at your own expense. It can look like always saying yes when you mean no, avoiding conflict at all costs, or changing who you are depending on who you are around.
Perfectionism
This is the relentless pursuit of flawlessness, setting standards so high that nothing ever feels good enough. It might look like ambition or drive from the outside, but on the inside, it is usually fuelled by fear, fear of failure, fear of judgment, or fear of not being worthy enough.
Personality Disorder
Personality disorder is a long-term pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that can make it difficult to relate to others or cope with everyday life. It often affects how someone sees themselves, other people, and the world around them.
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression is a type of depression that occurs after childbirth. It involves sadness, fatigue, or difficulty bonding with the baby. Support, therapy, and sometimes medication are important for recovery.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD can happen after someone goes through something very traumatic, like abuse, an accident, or violence. People with PTSD may relive the experience, avoid reminders, or feel constantly on edge. It’s not weakness; it’s a response to something the brain found deeply distressing.
Psychosis
Psychosis is when someone loses touch with reality. They may see or hear things that aren’t there (hallucinations) or believe things that aren’t true (delusions). It’s a symptom, not a personality flaw, and it needs professional help.
Q
Quiet Time (Mental Reset)
Sometimes the brain needs rest just like the body. Quiet time, no noise, no screens, just you and peace, can help reset your mind. It’s underrated but very powerful for your mental well-being.
R
Rejection Sensitivity
Some people feel the pain of rejection so deeply and so intensely that even a small comment or a cancelled plan can send them into an emotional spiral. That is rejection sensitivity. The pain feels very real and very big, often out of proportion to what actually happened.
Relapse
Returning to old patterns or symptoms after a period of progress. It can happen in mental health or recovery journeys and doesn’t mean failure; it often signals that more support, time, or different strategies are needed.
Repression
Repression is when painful, uncomfortable, or overwhelming memories and feelings get pushed out of awareness without you even realising it. Unlike denial, it’s not a conscious choice. The memories don’t disappear, though; they get buried and often show up later in unexpected ways, through anxiety, physical symptoms, or patterns of behaviour that seem to have no obvious explanation.
Rumination
This is when your mind keeps going over something negative again and again, like a stuck record. It can make anxiety or depression worse. You deserve peace, sometimes you have to interrupt the cycle and give yourself permission to let go.
S
Self Awareness
The ability to look inward and honestly understand your own emotions, thoughts, triggers, and patterns. Without self-awareness, it is very easy to keep repeating the same cycles without understanding why.
Self Sabotage
Self-sabotage is the pattern of unconsciously undermining your own progress, happiness, or success. It often comes from a deeper fear of failure, success, or simply not believing you deserve good things.
Self Harm
This is when someone hurts their body deliberately as a way of coping with overwhelming emotional pain. It is a sign that someone is struggling deeply and needs compassionate support, not judgment or shame.
Schizophrenia
A serious mental health condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People may hear voices, have unusual beliefs, or struggle with focus. With the right treatment and support, they can live meaningful lives.
Self-Care
Self-care isn’t just bubble baths and skincare routines. It’s also setting boundaries, saying no, sleeping well, and eating right. It’s doing what your mind and body need, even when it’s not cute or Instagram-worthy.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is the fear or discomfort of being judged or embarrassed in social situations. It can affect school, work, or relationships. Therapy, exposure, and coping strategies help manage it effectively.
Stigma
Stigma is the shame or discrimination people face for having mental health struggles. In many African homes, it’s still hard to talk openly. But breaking that silence is the first step to healing.
Suicidal Thoughts
These are thoughts about not wanting to be alive, wanting to escape the pain, or thinking about ending one’s life. Having these thoughts usually means they are carrying a level of pain that feels unbearable, and they need urgent support. If you or someone you know is experiencing this, please reach out to a mental health professional or a trusted person immediately.
T
Therapy
Therapy is a form of professional support where a trained mental health practitioner helps you understand your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. It provides tools to cope with stress, heal from emotional pain, and improve overall mental well-being.
Thought Patterns
Thought patterns are the repeated ways your brain tends to process and interpret situations, people, and yourself. Some patterns are helpful and grounding. Others are distorted and keep you stuck in cycles of anxiety, self-doubt, or negativity.
Toxic Masculinity
This is the rigid and harmful set of expectations placed on men that tells them to suppress emotions, never show vulnerability, always be strong, and solve everything alone. The pressure to “man up” has kept countless men from seeking help, expressing pain, or living fully and authentically.
Toxic Positivity
The pressure to stay positive no matter what, even when things are genuinely hard. Instead of helping, it can make people feel unheard and push them to hide what they’re really going through.
Toxic Relationship
A toxic relationship is any connection, romantic, friendship, or family, that consistently damages your mental, emotional, or physical well-being. Instead of support and growth, there’s often manipulation, conflict, or lack of respect.
Traumatic Bonding
Traumatic bonding happens when a deep emotional attachment forms between someone and a person who causes them harm, usually through cycles of tension, abuse, and reconciliation. It’s commonly seen in abusive relationships and it explains why leaving can feel so impossibly hard even when the situation is clearly damaging.
Trauma
Trauma is an emotional response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event. It can affect thoughts, feelings, and behaviour for months or years. Healing often involves therapy, support, and time.
U
Unhealthy Attachment
Unhealthy attachment is when the bond you have with a person, relationship, or even a situation becomes so intense that it starts to control your emotions, decisions, and sense of self. It often develops from early experiences where love felt inconsistent or conditional, leaving a deep fear of loss that follows you into adult relationships.
Unhelpful Coping Mechanisms
These are things we do to feel better in the moment, like overeating, avoiding people, or turning to substances, but they cause more harm in the long run. Recognizing them is the first step toward choosing better ways to cope.
Unprocessed Emotions
Feelings that have never been properly felt, named, or worked through, which often get buried or ignored, get stored in the body and the mind, quietly building up beneath the surface.
V
Vicarious Trauma
Vicarious trauma develops when someone is repeatedly exposed to the pain, suffering, or traumatic experiences of others, whether as a caregiver, therapist, first responder, or even just someone who is always the friend people come to with their heaviest burdens. Over time, it can leave you feeling emotionally drained, hopeless, or deeply affected by what you have witnessed or heard.
Victim Mentality
This is a pattern of thinking where someone consistently sees themselves as a victim of circumstances, other people, or life in general, even when that may not be the full picture.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability is the willingness to show your emotions, struggles, or uncertainties. It’s not a weakness, but a step toward authentic connections and healing. Practicing vulnerability can improve mental health and relationships.
W
Well-being
Well-being is more than just not being sick. It’s about feeling okay in your body, your mind, and your relationships. It’s about feeling like life makes sense and you can manage whatever comes.
Withdrawal
Pulling back from people, activities, or situations, often as a way to cope with stress, sadness, or overwhelm. While it can provide temporary relief, too much isolation can make feelings of loneliness or anxiety worse over time.
Workplace Burnout
Feeling completely worn out and stressed because of work. You might feel tired all the time, lose interest in your tasks, or feel like nothing you do matters. It can make it hard to focus, enjoy work, or take care of yourself.
X
Xanax
Xanax is a drug used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. It’s just one example of psychiatric medication. These drugs aren’t bad, they’re tools to help balance brain chemistry. But they must always be prescribed and used wisely.
Y
Yoga
Yoga is a holistic approach to connecting the mind and body through various means. Yoga, breathing exercises, and stretching can help calm the mind. They’re not only for fit people or a luxury, they’re simple ways to release tension and connect with your body.
You Are Not Alone
One of the heaviest parts of struggling mentally is the feeling that nobody else understands, that you are the only one carrying this particular kind of pain. But whatever you are going through, someone else has been there too. Reaching out, whether to a friend, a professional, or even a community online, can be the difference between sinking and finding solid ground again
Z
Zoning Out
Sometimes, when overwhelmed, the mind “checks out” to cope. You may find yourself staring into space or feeling distant. It’s the brain’s way of protecting itself, but if it happens too often, it may be a sign to seek help.
Disclaimer:
This A–Z Mental Health Dictionary is created by My Mental Health and I to provide clear, relatable explanations of mental health terms in a way that feels human, accessible, and culturally grounded. It is not intended to replace professional diagnosis, treatment, or therapy. While we do our best to ensure accuracy, always consult a qualified mental health professional for medical advice or support.