Mental Health Day

Now That You Know, What Are You Doing About It?

Hi guys!

Happy Mental Health Day! It’s days like these that remind us of what’s currently happening in the world. The greatest, most silent pandemic, without vaccine, without cure, without discrimination. We all go through mental health related challenges, at some point in our lives. If not us, then those closest to us. If not those, then be sure of this:- right now, as you’re reading this, someone out there is contemplating suicide, going through depression, battling with anxiety, low self esteem, negativity, and a general low point in their lives. The ‘blues’, as some call it.

Equally, the world is full of information about these states and phases of life. Right at our fingertips. We all become, to some extent, self-diagnosing psychologists, therapists, mental health experts of some sort. All well and good, for the first step to anything we face is knowledge of whatever we are facing. Groping about in the dark won’t help, guesswork or assumptions will not take us anywhere. We all need accurate, up to date information about mental health, its illnesses and the concept of mental wellness in general.

Talk is one thing, though. Knowledge is another thing too. It is action that will make the difference between one who knows, and one who does. For talk does not cook rice, as the Chinese proverb goes. What we need is to integrate what we know, what we are taught, what we read and assimilate, into our daily lives. Let us not be armchair experts; let us move away from a ‘know it all, do it none’ mentality. For such attitudes have led to the increase in mental health related illnesses the world over, and the startling figures of rises in cases of suicide, depression – all these alert us to this simple fact :- we are not seeking help actively enough, nor are we reaching out as much as we ought to – through informing, educating, giving a listening ear or a shoulder to lean on, cry on, giving support where needed, being there…

What do *you* know about mental health? How has it pushed you from te armcair to the road, so to speak? What are we doing about our mental health?

Because#MentalHealthMatters❤️🧠

“January Disease” the fancy title for a possibly depressive season

On January and the “January Disease”
Hi guys!
Compliments of the New Year to you all. I’m sure that,mid-month as it is,a good number of us have managed to get our bearings, land on our feet and we’re on track,one way or another. At the same time, a good number of us who are still wondering what’s new about the new year. And another bunch of us still,who didn’t start out so well…
Which brings me to what I want us to talk about:- the real side of the famous ‘January disease’, especially the mental health part of it.
See, a new year brings with it a lot of changes to all of us – expected, unexpected, good, bad,big,small…you name it. And those changes,like every other change,tend to have an impact on our lives,environment, and our mental health. Not all of us cheered the new year when the clock struck 12. For some,it meant a lot of questions we didn’t have the answers to. For some,it meant decisions and changes we just weren’t ready to face. It could be financial, life-related,relationships, school,family,friends,living space…
You have your own list. The one that fits you among the victims and survivors of the ‘January disease’ syndrome. And if we don’t start of well,if we don’t manage it well,it could lead to the unhealthy stress that I touched on in my previous post. It’s not surprising that stress levels,suicides,and other mental health-related concerns tend to rise around this time. In fact,it could be probable that the so-called ‘January-disease’ streches well into March/April for some!
So far we’ve established that far beyond the memes,the jokes,the humour associated with the first month of the year, ‘January disease’ remains a recurring and very real threat to mental health,if not managed very well.
How do we deal with it?
We’ll have discussions on it as time goes on,but basically, some handy tips could be:-
•plan ahead of the new year (a month or two before it!)
•seperate needs and wants,and budget accordingly
•prior proper preparation prevents a pretty poor performance
•leave adequate room for adjustment, improvement, and disappointment
•positivity (and loads of it!)
•above all,be gentle with yourself. Its a new year,after all. And they’re not called baby steps for nothing; it’s a process after all.

Try to see the new year as life giving you another shot,another go. Every disease has a cure,a treatment plan,a survival technique. And the January disease is no exception. So stay safe,stay positive, and have a healthy,happy new year. Above all,take care of your mental health.

Remember to guard your mental health Because#mentalhealthmatters❤️🧠

Let’s talk stress

Hi guys!
As we begin this journey where we talk about anything and everything Mental Health, I have decided to debut this blog with a discussion on Stress.
What is stress?
Stress is probably a word we use more often than not and an encounter we frequently experience in our daily lives. It is defined as a reaction that we make, be it physically or psychologically, to a circumstance that we may find challenging or exciting.
There are 3 types of stress – eustress, neustress and distress.
1) Eustress is the form of stress we get from positive encounters such as achievements, happy moments and the like. This type of stress releases feel good chemicals known as endorphins.
2) Neustress is a sensory stimulus perceived as unimportant. It has little to no effect or bodily response.
3) Distress is the unfavourable or negative interpretation of events, which yields responses such as anger and sadness. These in turn compromise our mental wellbeing.
Distress, because it is the negative type of stress, will be given the most attention. While many of us experience distress frequently in our lifetime, how we handle it determines the outcome of our lives in the long run.
Signs and Symtoms of stress
There are a number of things that can help us tell that we are undergoing stressful moments that need to be attended to and these include:
*Overthinking,
*chest pains,
*palpitations (when your heartbeat is faster than usual),
*trouble sleeping or maintaining sleep throughout the night,
*high blood pressure,
*headaches/dizziness and in some cases
*social withdrawal.
*Effects of unmanaged stress*
If stress is not properly managed, it can develop into more serious illnesses and mental disorders such as :-

Unhealthy and estranged relationships as one withdraws from daily life activities and other activities one used to find pleasure in. More so, people with chronic stress tend to isolate themselves.
Emotional instability – all little things become a trigger and easily make one angry, sad or have emotional outbursts.
Clinical depression – prolonged stress increases the risk of depression to a point where it is an illness, clinically diagnosed.
The worst outcome of unmanaged stress is when it results in suicide.
How to avoid and manage stress.
•Avoid negative self-talk: – always be your number one cheerleader. Never look down on yourself.
•Be optimistic: – always maintain a positive attitude about life. Dare to take on challenges, and treat failures as lessons learnt.
•Keep a thought journal: – this becomes your non-human friend, one most favourable because without a mind of its own, you can pour your heart out to it without holding back for fear of being judged.
•Talk to someone: – you may not get a solution or the response you seek, but as the old saying goes, “a problem shared is a problem half solved.”

Finally,as we celebrate the month of September let us remember that it is the month of Suicide Prevention and Awareness. Never underestimate your emotions or that of someone who decides to confide in you. Protect your mental health, you matter!!
#Becausementalhealthmatters