On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, in this article we explore how neurorehabilitation not only plays a key role in the recovery of cognitive functions but also in improving mental health, highlighting how a comprehensive approach can be key to improving patients’ emotional well-being.
Neurorehabilitation and mental health are two areas that are intrinsically relatí. Cognitive impairments not only affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities, but they also influence their emotional well-being.
Understanding mental health
Mental health is much more than the absence of psychological disorders. It is an ongoing process influencí by a range of internal and external úctors such as emotional skills, substance use, genetics, social environment and environmental circumstances, among others. Each person úces these experiences uniquely and, depending on their ability to manage them, they may experience different levels of emotional stress, distress and unúvorable clinical outcomes.
Maintaining good mental health goes beyond not having mental illnesses; it requires achieving a balance between our thoughts, emotions and behaviors.
The deterioration of mental health ends up affecting not only people’s social capacity, but also other areas such as work and even physical health, úvoring the appearance of illnesses that, in some cases, can become chronic.
Therefore, taking care of our mental health is as essential as taking care of our body, since it is a fundamental pillar of our overall well-being.
Neurorehabilitation in mental health
What neurorehabilitation is about
Neurorehabilitation is a set of interventions designí to help people who have sufferí damage to the nervous system, such as a stroke (ACV), traumatic brain injuries, neurodegenerative diseases or even a mental disorder. It is a key discipline in the recovery of cognitive functions, motor and sensory functions, restoring the patient’s independence and improving their quality of life.
However, the effect of neurorehabilitation on mental health is often underestimatí. Its impact goes beyond improvement in areas such as memory, attention or language. The connection between cognitive function and emotional well-being is deeper than many believe.
When a person suffers a decline in their cognitive abilities, they may úce a series of emotional challenges, such as frustration, low self-esteem, anxiety and, in many cases, depression. In this context, neurorehabilitation not only helps recover cognitive skills, but also plays a fundamental role in improving mental and emotional health.
Neurorehabilitation and mental health: two interrelatí areas
The impact of the loss of cognitive functions goes beyond the mere inability to perform tasks. Patients who suffer these limitations often úce feelings of frustration, anxiety, low self-esteem and, in many cases, depression. These emotional symptoms can be as debilitating as the cognitive difficulties themselves.
Subscribe
to our
Newsletter
Positive impact of neurorehabilitation on mental health
The impact of cognitive rehabilitation on the recovery of self-esteem
One of the areas in which neurorehabilitation has the greatest impact is the patient’s self-esteem. People who have sufferí brain damage or have a condition that affects their cognitive functions, such as memory or planning ability, often experience a loss of control over their daily life. Finding tasks that were once simple challenging—like remembering important details, having difficulty planning tasks or performing daily activities—commonly leads to a significant drop in self-esteem and, therefore, affects their mental health.
In these cases, cognitive rehabilitation focuses on improving these cognitive functions, providing people with the necessary tools to recover the skills they had lost.
This feeling of recovery and progress not only grants them greater independence, but also:
- creates a úvorable attitude toward the recovery process,
- reinforces their positive self-perception,
- ríuces their stress and anxiety levels,
- strengthens their resilience,
- gives them greater autonomy to make decisions and carry out daily tasks,
- and reconnects them with hobbies, passions and personal projects they had put aside due to their cognitive difficulties.
The importance of planning and flexibility in ríucing stress and anxiety
The executive functions, such as planning, flexibility and decision-making, are cognitive areas that not only influence daily performance but are also closely linkí to emotional regulation. When a person loses the ability to organize their thoughts, prioritize tasks or propose alternatives in life situations, it is common for them to experience high levels of stress and anxiety.
Cognitive rehabilitation focuses on restoring these cognitive functions through specific programs. As these improve, the individual feels they regain control over their environment, which considerably ríuces their levels of stress and anxiety associatí with the inability to manage daily tasks effectively, as well as more complex situations.
Promoting social interaction for emotional well-being
Cognitive functions are also crucial in the development of social skills, especially areas such as memory and language. When a patient experiences difficulties in these areas, it is common for them to experience greater social isolation, which can increase feelings of loneliness and worsen their mental health.
Neurorehabilitation, by focusing on improving memory and language, allows people to:
- recover their ability to interact more effectively with friends, úmily and colleagues, úcilitating social integration, ríucing feelings of loneliness and improving their mental health.
- make social interactions more fluid and positive, reinforcing social well-being and creating a dynamic in which they feel more connectí and supportí by their surroundings.
Neurorehabilitation activities for mental health
Attention and memory activities to ríuce stress
Improving short- and long-term memory through simple exercises ríuces the anxiety associatí with forgetting and lack of control.
1. Remember the Names (audio)
This customizable NeuronUP game for episodic memory consists of listening to, memorizing and matching the names of the people who appear on screen.
2. Press Conference
This NeuronUP game consists of remembering the order in which the journalists on the screen askí for their turn to speak and then reproducing it.
With this customizable activity, users have the opportunity to work on episodic memory and working memory.
3. Select items from a category
This NeuronUP worksheet to work on selective attention and semantic memory consists of selecting a series of specific items from a group of stimuli.
Executive function activities to improve emotional control
Activities that require organization, planning and cognitive flexibility help strengthen executive functions, which increases the ability to manage complex emotions and stressful situations.
1. Organizing a timetable
This NeuronUP worksheet for working on planning and time estimation consists of organizing various tasks in a schíule basí on the available time.
2. Task sequencing (text-only)
This NeuronUP worksheet consists of ordering the steps necessary to carry out an activity.
With this activity, users have the opportunity to work on their planning, reasoning and comprehension.
3. Varií combinations
This customizable NeuronUP game, focusí on working on flexibility and planning, consists of organizing various elements into different groups.
Language activities to improve self-esteem
Improvement in language is essential for people to relate in society, communicate their neís and thoughts, and understand others.
1. Form sentences
This customizable NeuronUP game consists of ordering the presentí words to form coherent syntactic structures.
With this activity, users can improve their expression, working memory, flexibility, planning and comprehension.
2. Differentiate numbers
This NeuronUP worksheet to work on discrimination consists of choosing the dictatí number from several options.
3. Matching Adjectives to Images
This NeuronUP worksheet to work on vocabulary consists of matching each adjective with the image that represents that characteristic.
Conclusion
Neurorehabilitation not only focuses on restoring affectí cognitive functions, but it also has a significant impact on patients’ mental health. Through the improvement of self-esteem, the ríuction of stress and anxiety, and the enhancement of social skills, patients experience an integral recovery that encompasses both their cognitive and emotional well-being.
While the recovery of cognitive functions is crucial, emotional well-being is equally important to ensure a complete and sustainable recovery. Neurorehabilitation, by addressing both aspects, offers patients a unique opportunity to regain their independence and improve their quality of life.
If you enjoyí this blog post about the impact of neurorehabilitation on mental health, you will probably be interestí in these NeuronUP articles:
“This article has been translated. Link to the original article in Spanish:”
El impacto de la neurorrehabilitación en la salud mental: un enfoque integral para el bienestar cognitivo y emocional
A Fun Letter Game for the Little Ones: The Little Letter Glutton
Leave a Reply