Environmental Factors and Mental Health: My Journey of Healing and Emotional Resilience

By Jenny Werth

Our environments—including school, work, and social support—have a profound impact on our mental health and well-being.  “Our environment is a combination of both physical factors such as where you live and the people around you,” says Rachelle Scott, MD, medical director of psychiatry at Eden Health, “both in your home but also on a wider community scale.” Thus, our surroundings have a huge impact on our emotional wellbeing—this is known as the environmental factors of psychological wellbeing.

As someone who was bullied in high school, I intuitively realized that I had to change my environment in order to restore my emotional and psychological well-being. I also had to deal with the stress of primary lymphedema, an incurable disease.  I resorted to many tools to restore my well-being and ultimately found my way to the MA at the Happiness Studies Academy.   Here is my journey of emotional resilience.

Navigating both middle and high school with an unusual condition was an early lesson in endurance. A few too many bullies’ comments and glances was all it took for me to rapidly savor the freedom and safety I cherished by relishing in new environments. For me, “safe” environments translated into soothing hours at the beach, long talks with close friends and a three year love-affair inside a comforting coffee shop near school. Armed with caffè mochas and cigarettes in this café, I found a refuge from the invisible but visceral “war” with high school peers from my sophomore to senior year. 

The freedom of being “you” is after all the permission to be human. And the way we all handle stress is as varied as that which is causing you stress in the first place. When I was young, I realized the avenue to freedom from feeling “different” was maintained by simply developing a rough exterior while harboring a tender interior heart. Growing up 25 minutes from Mexico allowed me a literal escape into another country’s culture. The more warmhearted pace of life in Baja embraced me with the kindness I desired but found lacking in the hallways of a high school with threatening peers. It also allowed me the rare experience of living life in two countries that offered completely different lifestyles. 

Feeling I didn't fit in within society's standards, I became an unwitting nonconformist. And through self-preservation from a few toxic peers coupled with a spirit that craved freedom, I rapidly learned the positive power of changing my environment by retreating into places that offered “emotional safety.” 

After high school, I went into college and loved it simply because I chose to be there and was immersed in a new academic environment where most students shared a mutual desire to learn. Plus, throughout life, we all have to tolerate “grown-up bullies” so I was well-prepared for the future.  

These early experiences ushered me into a deep love of writing, chatting with strangers and traveling, which eventually transformed into a career in journalism. I also developed empathy and desire to help other people that has often served me well throughout life. But, despite a disposition that focused on moving forward, I still found myself “getting stuck” in challenging mindsets.

To realize more internal freedom, I finally realized I had to face a rare complication from my disease. The stress of searching for doctors who could potentially help me with these mostly undocumented adverse effects left me roaring like the most tempestuous of waves. 

During many of these turbulent times, I found relief by continuing to write by hand which I’ve since learned is also a creative therapy outlet and a benefit for psychological wellness. I also found relief by reading novels and watching engaging movies. Decades later in HSA, I learned the name for this creative arts therapy is bibliotherapy. Certainly for me, watching powerful movies is still one of the most effective ways to quickly interrupt a negative spiral. This along with prayer, a deep faith in God, journaling, the emotional support found in strong relationships, exercise and shifting environments had been my life savers for decades. But something was still off. 

I believe life resembles an ocean and we are the waves. Waves crest, roll peacefully and crash onto shore. But, when you have a strong social network, the ocean flows around the sharp rocks of life's difficulties with supportive ease. I valued precious, deep relationships with special people throughout my life, but relationships can shift and people change. Thus, the end of a few significant relationships in my life led me down an untraversed road of solitude which held no resemblance to anything I’d ever encountered or survived. And while this was a horrible time in my life, I prayed for guidance for my next steps and discovered the MA in Happiness Studies program.

Through this program, a new door opened, shining a bright light on the brilliance of the SPIRE Model. I realized that many of the tools I had been using to restore my emotional well-being were actually grounded in research.  But learning about neuroplasticity was the ultimate awakening for me, as now both science and spirituality agreed that the mind could be renewed by repeatedly traversing new paths. This was the missing piece in the puzzle of my mind that allowed me to attempt to move away from overthinking into reframing thoughts with positive and peaceful affirmations, reminding me to focus on the positive. Indeed, I now resonate with the spiritual wisdom found in the Bible of Philippians 4:8 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

For years, I found it hard to believe I could  realize a more peaceful disposition. But, I finally discovered the path towards a happier life.

My life’s journey has taught me that we have the power to overcome the challenges that life throws in our way by pursuing a path of positivity and psychological well-being. Guided by the many lessons I have learned in the MA program, I am so grateful to be on this path and I hope that my journey can inspire those who are seeking their own path to a happier life. 

About the Author:

As a life coach and writer, Jenny is dedicated to the art of active listening and the impact of powerful questions to ensure every client feels truly seen, heard, and understood. Her mission as a coach is to empower individuals to reclaim their narratives and cultivate a life of more joy. 

Jenny navigates clients toward the core of their truth, offering a safe, non-judgmental space where they can explore their path with confidence. Driven by a belief in the boundless potential within every person, she helps clients unlock their innate wisdom and celebrates every milestone as they journey toward greater interior freedom. 

Photo credit: Nothing Ahead (Pexels).