It's funny how we put up smiling faces daily just to seem okay. Yet behind these smiles are arching hearts, crying eyes, and screams and echoes too low for the world to see or hear.
We are faced with challenges that affect us mentally in one way or the other.
According to Wikipedia, Mental health entails emotional, psychological and social well-being and their influence in an individual’s cognition, perception and behavior.
Mental health has a great impact in how a person relates with others, and the world at large. It influences how you feel, what you do and how you do it.
Better mental health equals great performance.
Bad mental health equals decreased performance
According to APA, there are lots of stigma associated with mental health.
Hence people with mental health challenges do not seek help because of fear being marginalized or discriminated against.
But what most people don't know is that everyone these days needs good mental health. It's synonymous to SELF-CARE.
So no need to be scared or feel alone anymore.
Mental health can affect the following
- Your self-worth and self-esteem
- How you view the world around you
- How you interact or relate with others
- And your physical well-being
Why mental health is important
1. It affects how you think (cognition) and how you process information.
Think of the time you had a very bad day, you may do or say things you regretted later because you weren't thinking straight.
2. It can affect how you relate with others.
Ever seen anyone apologize for how they treated you earlier, due to transferred aggression? So having unstable mental health can greatly affect our relationship with others.
3. It affects your physical well-being.
Have you had someone ask you if you were okay? When you are not even sick.
Yeah! I have. Maybe you didn't have enough sleep or had anxiety.
4. Mental health is linked to physical well-being
Anxiety and depression can cause insomnia, sleep disturbances,
fatigue and headache.
So having a good mental health, can help you build a better physical well-being.
Good mental health can make you stay focused while chasing your dreams. It so difficult to be emotionally or psychologically down and still chase and achieve your dreams.
Natural ways to improve your mental health
1. Get close to nature
Nature has a way of making you feel calmer and relaxed. The report had it that most UK adults coped with stress during the 2020 pandemic by taking a walk.
Experiencing the forest, the feelings that come with being there, the smell, singing of the birds and tree branches as they dance to the force of the wind; are all therapeutic.
Some Japanese adults take Forest bathing justice to improve their mental health.
How to get the best of of the natural environment
To be able to get the therapeutic benefits of being in nature
You must be present. Feel the air, the wind, the trees and even each step you take. In other words be mindful.
2. Take a deep sleep
One of the greatest challenges of most people is having a good sleep.
Stress and anxiety can lower your ability to enjoy a good sleep.
An adult requires 7-9 hours of night sleep. But most adults rarely get this amount of sleep week after week.
Tips to improve your sleep
- Take a few quiet moments to relax and unwind. Don't force yourself to sleep yet, just relax.
- Put away your phone, and close up all social media feeds. This will help you have a ‘me’ time.
- Develop a sleeping pattern; A patterned time to go to bed and wake up every day.
3. Exercise regularly
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Studies showed that exercising as a way of releasing the feel good hormones into the body system. This hormone called endorphin has been found to reduce stressful feelings, tension and anger. It can also boost how you perceive yourself. Endorphins can also relieve pain and lift your mood.
So you can see why you need to exercise regularly, because exercise is not just for losing weight but easing depression.
Other ways to integrate exercise to daily life
You can improve your mental health by doing things that let you move your body parts like running, jogging, walking, dancing, gardening, and gyming.
4. Eat healthy meal
Dieting on anything that you crave without proper check is so easy. This can make you feel good at the moment but end up ruining your mood or health in the long run.
Eating sugary foods like biscuits, beverages satisfies us instantly but can leave you feeling jittery.
What about alcohol? Consuming large volumes of alcohol may make you forget your problems and sleep but comes with some after effects that build up overtime.
Understand your body deserves better even when your taste bud says no.
Try out these mechanics
Instead of carbonated beverages go for fruit juices
Instead of caffeinated tea and drinks go for green tea
Instead of alcoholic drinks go for yoghurt.
Include more vegetables to your meals.
Vegetables and fruits have a great impact on your mental health.
Other tips for healthy living
Eating together
Eating together with family members, colleagues, or friends helps in improving bond, self worth and overall mental health.
Effects of eating together
When I was a kid, my siblings and I ate from the same plate. It was a tradition in my home. Then, back then on Sundays, we ate our Sunday rice from a big stainless tray. Aah (Smiles).
I never knew what that meant, I thought it was how it should be or maybe because we had no dining tables back then.
I later learnt that eating together helps to keep siblings united. And keeps couples glued together and more in love.
I realize that this is true, because it really did keep us together in love as siblings.
But it's very rare to see kids or family eating together from a big bowl nowadays.
Take home:
Dear couples, want to grow in love, eat from the same plate.
Aah! Difficult? Nope!
Want your kids to care for each other and continuously watch each other's back? Serve them meals on the same plate.
5. Be kind to yourself
We live in a world where everyone sees things through rose tinted glasses. Haaa! Reality has been thrown away from most of our dictionaries.
People live to meet up with expectations. These expectations aren't set by you but perhaps by your family, friends and community.
Imagine a family that expects their 30 year old son to be married, build a house and cater for the members of the family.
Why?
Because the society has already set the age bracket of achieving those to be better 30 to 35 years.
Aah! Now as a young man coming from this kind of family, you will definitely be under tension.
To make the matter worse, your age mate, who's the son of your dad, has already built a mansion, bought cars for his parents and is happily married.
While you just got a job that pays you 100,000 Naira.
I can only imagine the kind of pressure most of our young people are into;
If this narrative is relatable, you are not alone.
No need to be hard on yourself.
Your mental health is already messed up.
You need to help yourself.
To go on with life and explore the packages it has in stock for you. You must stay sane.
Therefore, try out this tips;
How to Be nice to yourself
- Appreciate yourself
An Igbo adage says: ‘Ngwele si n’elu da, wee si, obula na onweghi onye jaram ike, aga m aja onwe m ike’, It means that the lizard fell from a wall and look up and said, if no one praised me, I will praise myself.
Dear reader, I want you to start praising yourself.
Cut yourself some slacks.
Stop being mean to yourself. Aren't you doing something worthwhile? Or have you been sleeping since you were born?
So appreciate your efforts, grit and little wins.
Do you know what this will do for you? It boosts your mood.
I want you to start calling yourself some sweet names.
Love yourself dear. You are all you've got.
And promise yourself that everything will be fine, don't just give up yet.
Being nice to yourself involves celebrating your little wins as well. Don't wait until you build a big mansion before you celebrate yourself.
Say something nice to yourself, stop saying self limiting words to yourself.
Your subconscious self hears it and it hinders your subsequent performance.
Graduating from university, getting another job, and paying some small bills needs to be celebrated.
Pat yourself at the back and say, “nice one to me”.
Be your own cheerleader.
- Say no politely
You do not need to accept every bill sent to you. Sincerely seeking, no need to pretend you have when you don't have. Politely turn some financial requests down.
I had a conversation with a colleague and I told him speaking with our loved ones is very therapeutic. But he countered and was like, sometimes a call from family members comes with pressure and tension for men. Because such calls come with a lot of bills.
Therefore, do the ones you can do and turn down the ones you can't.
- Define what success means to you;
It helps you stop living for others but yourself. It also helps you to go for your dreams and not chase others dreams.
Success means different things to different people. Therefore it is relative. You can be successful in one thing but lacking in the other things.
Pick your definition of success and chase it wholeheartedly;
- Peace of mind
- Good health and longevity of life
- Being able to solve your needs and help your love ones
- Being able to build houses
- Owing fleet of cars
- Having good human connections/relationship
- Having eternal life (in heaven)
- Losing your soul (in hell)
You are free to choose one and more.
Let this guide you in your quest to make it in life, and let it also guide you from losing the most important things.
6. Be kind to others
There's a popular saying my Parish catechist drops every Sunday after making Sunday announcements, it goes “In giving, we receive”.
Want to feel good?
Look no more.
Just make someone feel good and you will see how magical it is. You will instantly feel complete and fulfilled.
Importance of being kind
- It boosts your mood
- It makes you able to cope with stress of the day
- It improves your self worth
- It has a way of strengthening your connection with others.
Small act of kindness to try out
- Offer a smile to someone
Smiling is therapeutic to you and to the receiver. You won't know what your smile does to someone until you are down and someone smiles at you.
2. Genuinely compliment someone
Be it a friend, a colleague or a neighbor. It could be their outfit, performance, demeanor and other things but make sure it's genuine.
3. Offer a helping hand, to the need, church work, community service or your local
In one way or the other your contribution will definitely touch lives and give you a sense of purpose.
This sense of purpose is what makes it click for you. It indirectly liberates and sets you free mentally. And gives you the stability you desperately seek.
7. Be open to new things
It is easy to stay stuck in one place, in one hobby, one job, one friend and one skill.
The world is our oyster, if we are ready to explore.
This is actually a very difficult topic for my fellow introverts who aren't socially skilled.
But there are different angles to this,
Job
How long have you been in your current job? 3 years? 4 years?
Aaah!
It's time to look for a new job.
PS: Don't quit your old job. Just start applying for new openings.
Once you get it then you can quit. And start something new and fresh with maybe a better pay and new people.
Hobby!
All your life, your hobby has been singing. What if you can play and enjoy badminton, lawn tennis, chess, knitting or even coding?
You know, we never know what we can do until we try.
So step up a bit and try out a new hobby.
I personally discovered so many hobbies I am interested in. I am still trying to work around my time to fully engage in them consistently.
Skill!
What skill do you have?
Technical skill or soft skills?
Working comfortably with just your school cert?
You can still learn something new and increase your paycheck.
All you need is interest and a little bit of inquisitiveness. Do your research and start improving your life today.
Meeting new people!
Well, I won't talk much on this because I am still struggling in this area.
I don't usually meet new people, even when I go out. I am not the type that starts meeting and greeting. Nay! But if you meet me, fine, If not, I would always dey my dey (stay on my own).
Importance of being open minded
- It gives you a sense of purpose
- You get distracted from dwelling in your situations
- You live more
- You bring more meaning to your life and people around you.
- You channel your anxiety, anger, stress and those things that would normally weigh you down to somewhere else.
So stand up tall and never ever settle for less.
7. Seek help
Speaking with mental health experts can help you get better and get your sanity back.
What is your greatest challenge with respect to mental health?
Comment below.
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Resources and references
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health
https://www.psychia
try.org/patients-families/stigma-and-discrimination
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-mental-health-is-so-important
https://www.qub.ac.uk/News/Allnews/2020/MentalhealthresearchrevealshowUKadultsaremanagingstress.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/forest-bathing-nature-walk-health
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/how-much-sleep
Images;
Pixabay
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