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Hello everyone!
In the last article, I touched on the plight of workers in the workplace, and how this has an overall impact on their mental health. There are things beyond our control. But there are things we can do, to make our workspace hospitable, habitable and friendly for all. I want to touch on what WE can do to lessen this. There’s a lot more we can do than just be anonymous workers, to ourselves and to each other. Here’s a few tips on how to:-

• positivity
  No matter how bad things are, don’t add to them by constantly worrying and complaining and making things sour. Nothing good ever came from pointless and needless complaining, so why do it? Cultivate a habit of seeing (and speaking) the brighter side of things, or keeping silence if you can’t.
• familiarity
  How many colleagues, co workers, do you know? Not by face only, but at least by name, or residence, or likes, or any other details? How much effort do we put towards getting to know other people? The world is promoting the idea of this anonymous, earphone-wearing and mind-your-business type of person, completely uninterested in the fate of their fellow human beings, all in favour of “personal space”. And that is how we are all slowly dying, alone and lonely. Care about your fellow workers.
• personalize
  Do you have flowers where you work? Pictures of family? Artwork? Your certificates, achievements, goals? What personal touch do you have in your workspace? Take something from a loved one, something that you love. Take it with you to work, and make it more and more warm, personal and homely.
  -share
  The last two points all have to do with sharing. Sharing involves more than giving something to another, it also involves opening up, warming up, looking up, noticing, caring, including, making an effort. Learn to share – a space, a meal, stories, dreams, advice… Don’t close up. Open up.

There’s obviously more than these, but I’m sure these few also plant the seed. And they’ll go a long way in making our workspaces good places. The pay might not be what we want, the environment and economic climate not ideal, but at least we’ll learn to find pleasure in the little we do. Let’s have a little something to look forward to, something that balances our mental wellbeing. Amidst all the hustle and bustle at work,allow yourself to take a deep breathe and prioritise yourself, Because#mentalhealthmatters❤️🧠,the workplace included as well.

Hi guys!
On Monday we celebrated Workers Day (or May Day, or Labour Day, depending on where you are). And, as usual, I couldn’t let that day go without saying a word or two about the workplace. A LOT goes on there… Good stuff, not so good stuff, stuff that builds and destroys a person. Careers are made and broken, people promoted and demoted, some rise, some go low… And add that to the cost of living vis a vis our paychecks, our expectations and expenses vs our pockets and our realities. Over and above all, the question of job satisfaction confronts us everyday :- are we happy where we are? Given a chance, would we transfer or remain? Is this your dream job, or your reality check? Are you doing what you’re doing because you love it, or because you have to do what you have to do? Do you feel drained out or feel like a valuable contributor to life who is well reciprocated for their efforts?
The list is just endless. And all that, like dust in an uncleaned house, acquires in our minds, in our hearts, in our lives. A lot is touched and affected, most of all, our mental health…
Now I bet you understand the title of this blog. We need to safeguard our mental health in the workplace, because that is where a significant amount of our adult lives is spent. It’s an ‘all hands on deck’ approach. From decision makers to the lowest rungs, we all need to be mental health conscious, and to make the workplace a toxic-free environment. You don’t need to be the decision maker to matter. Simply making your colleagues feel better goes a long way into making the workspace a healthy space. Are you the worker that makes the environment bearable and more tolerable for the other or you are the worker that drains peace from the lives of co-workers.
So there you have it, workers! Is your workspace a happy place? Do you work towards making it better? Do you share a smile and send a little joy towards someone’s life? As an employer, is your goal achieving a workplace where no one wishes to moves from, a productive yet safe space? More to be treated as we go on. And for what it’s worth, someone somewhere appreciates and applauds you dear worker😊For now, remember to guard your mental health in the workplace, be it stepping your foot down when circumstances require or adding kindness when it is the missing ingredient, because#mentalhealthmatters❤️🧠

Nature’s Free Remedies

Hie guys!

Last time I promised you some of Nature’s free remedies. Because sometimes we can easily claim that hospital is too expensive, therapy is inaccessible, and counseling is a waste of time. We’re all familiar with those arguments. But how about yourself? Do you take care of yourself enough?

Nature provides us with so many cost-free and effective remedies which, if used well, could go a long way for us. I’ll deal with a few in today’s post; be sure to discover more for you!

Music. Music has the unique therapeutic ability to soothe and heal us. Tuning in to music has this calming effect on the listener. And the more music we listen to, the more relaxed we become. Note though, that sometimes the kind of music we listen to affects and determines our mood and actions. If music can soothe, heal, relax, calm, put us in a happy place, then it can also depress, rouse negative emotions, incite and fuel volatility. Choose your music wisely; know what calms you, motivates you, soothes you, makes you feel whole again.

2. Take A Walk.

When was the last time you really stretched your legs? Or taken a good walk just to any open spaced, outdoor area? Oftentimes we spend most, if not all of our free (and active!) moments indoors, in small, restricted and familiar spaces, with as little access to natural settings as possible. How about cultivating the habit of a walk? It could be either in the morning, or in the evening (sunrise/sunset walks), no pressure, no need to turn it into an exercise. Just walk your free moment out, and see if you won’t feel much, much better.

3. Exercise.

There are many ways to exercise that cater for as many types of people. You want something sweaty, heavy, very calorie-burning? Pick up the exercise modes that cater for just that – be it gym, weights, daily jogs, calisthenics, and so on. Needing something gentle, stretchy but non-sweaty and not so heavy? Try power walks, yoga, zumba, fitness dance, fitness poses, etc etc. Whichever our mode and mood, we all need that exercise to boost our happiness levels.

4. Pick a Nature Habit.

Nurture nature so that it nurtures you. Repeat that again. Nature has so many wonders we can take an active interest in. It could be plants, flowers, trees, forests, the environment, stars, clouds, sky, sun, moon, seasons… I could go on and on. How does it work? Pick one aspect of nature, develop an active interest on it, follow it, google it, find out information about it, identify and align yourself with it. Why? Because you won’t have this feeling of being empty, lonely, isolated, alone, divorced from life and the universe. Pet owners will tell you how rewarding it is. And so will garden owners. Or florists, or nature lovers, or star gazers, or moon gazers and so on. Go on, adopt Nature so that Nature nurtures you!

5. Breathe, Laugh and smile.

“Laughter is the best medicine”, so the saying goes. And it’s quite on point too! Think of it, when was the last time you laughed? Not the polite chuckle, but the deep, loud, happy laugh? When was the last time you felt so good? Learn to laugh heartily, that is, from deep within. Release the laughter. Let it infect the room and tickle; let others find laughter in your laugh. Breathe. I’m sure that as you’re reading this, you’re holding your breath. Or breathing shallowly. For no apparent reason at all. Learn to randomly breathe in deeply, and breathe out deeply. Feel yourself dropping your shoulders, settling down your ribcage, easing the tension away. Smile too, while you’re at it. Again, not the polite smile, the happy grin, the open mouthed expression of delight that spreads positivity where we are. Folks can’t resist a smile, and they won’t resist yours too!

6. Have a Healthy Personal Circle.

Before we even talk people here, let us talk about the self only. Sanitize your space. Part of the anxiety and depression you’re going through is due, in part, to the state of our bedrooms, our clothes, our living spaces, our work area, even our cars! Sanitising our spaces means that we keep them as clean, and open, and welcoming (to us, first of all) as possible. Sometimes our personal spaces are so impersonal and so demotivating, even to ourselves. Ironic huh? Do something about your space!

Friends, I could go on and on and on, they’re so many! Which area do you need to work on? Something cost free, natural, and very beneficial to YOU?

Remember, every little effort helps insofar as mental health is concerned, because #MentalHealthMatters❤️🧠, dear friends.

Cheers!

What Are You Feeding Your Mind With?
Hi guys!
Happy Easter everyone. May it bring renewal in our lives, and hope for us all.
Last week we talked about the importance of holistic health – an approach and mentality to health that caters for all forms of health, including mental health.
In today’s episode of #MentalMondays, I want us to take that up again, by asking ourselves the question :- how am I taking care of my mental wellbeing? One important aspect here is the traffic in our brains. See, the saying ‘garbage in, garbage out’ sadly puts it across vey well. So today let’s address what we allow inside ourselves, and what comes out of that, and the consequences of the things we allow into our minds.
Just as the body reacts to a poor diet, so too does the mind react to a poor feed. Oftentimes the depression, feeling of sadness, anger, anxiety, that we often go through, are a result of what we probably feed our minds. Feed yourself with negativity, drama, pessimism, bad news, worry, and that is exactly what you’ll show forth. This is the mind telling you that it’s malnourished, and unless we tend to that, we’ll constantly have to deal and cope and shoulder and go through. All the time. Don’t you find that tiring?
Think, on the other hand, of what would happen if we smiled, embraced peace, calmness, hope, positivity, serenity… Imagine the tremendous amount of good that will do to you! The only way we can create and attract ‘good vibes’ is if we think them into being. Learn to create your own positive aura; that will be your strength through all the dark days.
So, think good, think peace, think positive – and nourish and feed yourself well mentally. Read good books, the kind that lighten, not increase, the load within you. Listen to music, partake in good conversations, uplifting talks, humour. Laugh a lot, and ask me if that won’t be Nature’s free remedies (more of those next Monday).
Feed your mind with good things, my friends, because #mentalhealthmatters❤️🧠

Health for All
Hi guys!
Yesterday the world celebrated International Autism Awareness Day. And on Friday, we’re celebrating (besides Good Friday, of course!) World Health Day. And I’m quite captivated by the theme of the World Health Day 2023:- Health for All. This theme caters for all with special conditions and needs, special dietary requirements, poor, rich, learned or ignorant. And on a deeper level, health has ceased to be on the physical surface; it has gone on to penetrate even areas formerly unknown and not regarded seriously. And that, my friends, is where #MentalMondays come in. See, only recently has depression, anxiety and mental health related illnesses been taken into serious consideration. Only recently has public attention and awareness been raised to the grey side of health, the intangible, non-physical aspects of wellbeing.
But the ancients had it right – Mens sans in corpore sana – a healthy mind in a healthy body. Health is a holistic concept, and the sooner we accept that, the better for all concerned. A Health For All approach, therefore, must factor in a ‘wholeness to wellness’ approach. For the internal tends to manifest itself in the external, and the external deeply affects the internal. Thus, the way we accept the given diagnosis, accept the treatment we are undertake as well as live positively with our numerous diagnoses is all a result of a mental balance and positive perspective being achieved, which wholly, mental. Hence, no health without mental health.
Health for All therefore caters for all who need it. That means not just at a personal level, but also at institutional and decision-making level. We have clinics, hospitals, pharmacies. Generally speaking, they are widely available, although more could be done to make them available to the lowest levels of society. But more than that, we need to also think about mental wellness. How many psychiatric and counselling centers are there? Are our mental hospitals well funded and catered for? Are they patient-friendly? Is mental health help as accessible as a local clinic, at least in the most basic levels? In short, how ready is society, the government, institutions, to incorporate mental health issues as an integral part of Health for All?
On a personal note, let’s look after ourselves guys. Both in and out. We bath, we eat, we exercise, we nurture good habits and discard bad habits. Why don’t we try the same mentally? Cleanse, feed the mind, encourage a good mental lifestyle, get rid of negativity and all negative energy. See a therapist regularly as you would see a general practitioner but above all, be an ambassador for good health, physical, emotional, and mental. Because #MentalHealthMatters, too.❤️🧠

“Happiness depends upon ourselves” Aristotle

Hi guys!
On this week’s edition of #MentalMondays, I thought I should sneak in a word or two more about happiness, as a mini continuation from last week’s post. Because see, we’re all in search of happiness, one way or another, in one level or the other, one area or another. Happiness, or the search of it, has made us knock on so many doors, make so many decisions, and travel down certain paths, some of which we’re not proud. All in the big search for mysterious, elusive, happiness.
Let’s slow down a little bit. What’s your idea of happiness? When was the last time you were truly and genuinely happy? Would you recognize happiness if it stood right before you?
A story is told of a man who was shown a huge raw diamond. Convinced that he could find it, he joined the local diamond rush. And started digging. Rock after rock he threw away, until finally, disgusted and disillusioned, he left the unfinished project, convinced that there was no such thing. Well, along came another fellow, who picked up one of the stones, looked at it, and began loading the rest of the stones in a cart. He took them to a local mining company, and before long he was the richest man in the area! So, where did the digger go wrong? He was so intent on looking for a huge raw diamond, that he missed the little diamonds that would have made him just as rich as he’d have been if he’d found the one big diamond.
We could all be like that guy – so eager to look for happiness, we miss it in the little things of life that make up happiness as a whole. Happiness, my dear friends, is not one big prize to be gained, or one big goal to be achieved. More often than not, it is found in the little things we often overlook, bypass, take for granted, underrate. Happiness is found most of all in the internal state of affairs. Happiness is within – and if we recognize the happiness within, we’ll be able to see in in ordinary, everyday things of life.
Happiness lies not in having, or becoming, or getting, or achieving – happiness lies in being.
And so there you have it folks – in our search for happiness, let’s not miss the little things that will truly make us happy. To quote, Benjamin Franklin says, “contentment makes a poor man rich, discontent makes a rich man poor”.
Don’t worry about the Big Diamond, look for the Little Diamonds along the way.
There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way. Because happiness plays a huge part of our mental health, take care, because #MentalHealthMatters❤️🧠

Be Mindful. Be Grateful. Be Kind
Hi guys!
Today is the International Day of Happiness, set aside by the United Nations every 20th of March, to encourage mankind to think actively on happiness. In their website, the United Nations state that “The purpose of the day is the pursuit of happiness as a fundamental human goal.” Not only therefore, are we to talk about happiness, we are also meant to actively promote it as a worthy cause to work for and achieve.
This year runs under the theme “Be Mindful. Be Grateful. Be Kind”, and I’ve chosen it as the theme for this week’s #MentalMondays blog, because I feel that all of this is relevant to our mental health, as well as that of others around us.
Now, let’s pause a bit. When was the Last time you were grateful, both for small things and great? When was the last time we were kind, to ourselves and to others? When was the last time we were mindful and conscious and alert of life happening around us? How zoned out are we?
Today’s theme calls on us to be a little more noticing of our internal and external settings.
The reminder to be Mindful calls us to be more aware, more in touch, more in tune with the rhythm of life. It calls us to examine and evaluate our lives – take out the toxic trash, keep the precious treasures – and come up happier at the end of it all. And through mindfulness, we are ultimately led to gratitude for the good and kindness for the not so good.
Ultimately, dear friends, let us remember that happiness consists not on what we have, who and what we are, but on how we are deep inside. Happiness, is internal harmony.
Which is why, as always, we need to safeguard our mental health. The statement “I am happy /I am not happy” is a conclusion from what happens within. Last week, we spoke about ways of coping ;if we do those and more really well, we won’t be far from the Road to Happiness. Above all, smile, be positive, be cheerful, look for beauty in everything you do, everywhere you go.
Above all, take care of your mental state, and you’ll have taken care of yourself. The healthier the mind, the healthier the body; the healthier the body, the happier the self.
So, mental health = happiness.
Because #mentathealthmatters❤️🧠, dear friends!

Coping
Hi guys!
In last week’s sharing I asked a fundamental question to our sisters and mothers, all the women out there – I asked them how they were. This time around, I want to extend that conversation by asking how we all are coping. Because I know that whichever way we’re going to respond, we will all find ourselves with a common thread – at some point, something isn’t going the way it should. Could be minor, could be major. But we all have to find ways of dealing with it.
One of my earlier articles dealt with stress and how to deal with it. This time around, I want to extend to situations in general, stressful or not. It could be excitement, fame, good news, things going REALLY well… Or it could be the opposite. Now, how do we cope when life’s best and worst hits us?

• recognition. Recognize whatever is happening to you. As human being, we have to nurture the art of being keyed into ourselves, being very aware of what’s going on in our lives. Awareness brings the situation in our face, in our focus, in our sensations and perceptions. Ignoring an event or situation could be a sign that we’re not coping. Like the childhood monsters, ignoring simply means that if we close our eyes, it will all go away, that if we wake up from a nightmare, when we go back to sleep it’ll be gone. And sadly, it will not. So take a deep breathe, a step back, calm down and internalize what is happening around you.
• acceptance. Having recognized what’s going on, the next phase would be acceptance. While the enemy of recognition is ignoring, the enemy of acceptance is denial. Failure to acknowledge that there is something going on is a great sign of failing to cope, and if we’re not careful, we open the doors to delision and mental isolation, and that in turn makes our problem harder to solve. A situation accepted is already half solved.
• reach out. Don’t bottle it up; learn to ask for help. Having recognized and accepted your vulnerability, the next step would be to seek for help. It could be formal help – an institution with professionals and an ideal environment, it could be informal help – baring it all to a trusted other, be it friend, colleagues, other social support circles, etc etc.
• take it slow. One of the best ways of coping with any situation is to slow down the timeline. Take a breath, go on vacation, ask for leave – anything to help you reorient and refocus, or regroup until you’re better again.

These and many other ways are there to help us cope in healthy and safe ways. I’m quite sure they’re as many solutions as there are problems, our task is to find them, use them, and share them with others too.

How do you get by? How do you cope? Because#Mentalhealthmatters❤️🧠

Dear Sis,
Today the whole world celebrates you in International Women’s Day. They’re recognizing your efforts and achievements, and urging you onwards, forward, and upwards.
But how are you, honestly?
The world seems to be sucking and extracting and taking so much from you; so many expectations and standards they put on you, simply because you chose to be a multi-woman:- juggling career and education and family and life.
How’s that going, by the way? Are you ok?
There seems to be so much to do, dear Sis. So little time to do it, so little room for expression and acceptance of who and what you are…
So much negativity and pulling down, so little to motivate and encourage, sometimes.
How are you coping with being a 21st century woman in a 21st century world? One woman to another, I just want to confirm that it’s not easy. I just want you to know that yes, it’s not your imagination or your worry or paranoia… The fears and insecurities you have, all those anxieties and nailbiting moments are very, very real. And if we don’t let them out, if we don’t scream them out, if we don’t express them, then they’ll swallow us, consume us, overgrow on us and choke us down.

More often than not, when we are provoked, we are called crazy, bitter and psychotic, when we are overwhelmed by emotions and cry it out we are labeled hormonal, but that’s alryt. I just want to say, you’re not alone, and you’re not meant to be alone too. I’m here, we’re here – a whole tribe of achievers and goal getters and dreamers and creatives out there. Women just like you, going through it, going under, but never, never giving up.
So get a break if you can, catch a breather if you want, cry it out, go through it, but don’t ever, ever, give up. And say they say, to all the strong women, may we love them, may we applaud them but most importantly; may we be them

Because #mentalhealthmatters❤️🧠, dear Sis.

Yours lovingly, caring, and ever there for you,

I, fellow Woman.

When Love is in the Air… And When It’s Not

Hi guys!
February has come and gone. And we all know what February is all about – chocolates and roses, all things sweet and lovey dovey… Yes, the month of Love was here. And we all felt it – in shop displays and media, in practically every corner of the streets in town.
Some of us also had a feel of the month when our own beloveds gave us something, a token of their love for us, or maybe we were the ones who went out of our way to make our significant others feel special and loved and appreciated.
And maybe nothing of that sort happened to us.
That’s all okay.
And that’s the purpose of this particular blog from me to you, to tell you that it’s all good.
See, the danger with all this is that if we let it rub off on us the wrong way, we’ll end up with a lot of anxiety, stress, depression and all related mental health problems that come with expectations, fantasies, unrealistic standards, and anything that usually comes with all the love saga.
So, let’s talk about this. The whole point of Valentine’s Day, Lovers Month, and other related February activities, is to celebrate love. It’s not a way of pressurising oneself, or your partner. Nor is it a trigger for unrealistic expectations, based on what others might be having or doing or going through as couples. Valentine’s will always come and go, but your mental health will always be there. So how do we deal with this?

• love and live within your means, not just materially, but emotionally and mentally. Do not find yourself being compelled to do something you’re not comfortable in doing.
• be honest and open. Communicate how you feel and where you are mentally, affectively, and emotionally, with your partner. That way, you won’t find yourself where you’d rather not be. Nor will you pressurise your partner into tight corners.
• be flexible, reasonable, and realistic.
• Above all, guard your heart.
  A final word: – single, taken, complicated, we are all prone to love related anxieties and mental repercussions. It’s wise then, to love yourself enough to take care of yourself, so that you’ll be able to love others in the way they ought to be loved – as full human beings with dignity and individuality. Hurt people hurt people – and so those who can’t love themselves can’t love others, and those who can’t safeguard themselves cannot be trusted with other people’s emotional and mental wellbeing. Do good for yourself, so that you’ll do good for others.
  Because #mentalhealthmatters❤️🧠