IT`S MORE THAN HOW WE THINK BUT WE CAN FIX IT

By Emmanuel Shoo

“Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone.” – Lisa Olivera

Mental health has not been taken seriously in a way that everyone thinks that he/she can handle it simply and personally. That perception has led to some people who are not qualified to provide the diagnosis and therapy to do so. Mental health patients have been told about acceptance as the healing strategy but they are not aware of how to accept their situation. Some people have been giving the blame to the victims and the depressed people have been like punching bags. They have been blamed as if it is their fault, for bad habits, and bad attitudes in them. Whatever it is, there is the need to think about the mental stigma which they have been going through. To think about it is to consider the help from a specialist who could rebuild their distorted mental health.

Does anyone believe that happiness and sadness are choices? Have depressed people never felt emotions about things beyond their control? Are they choosing pain and suffering? All those are pessimistic thoughts that have been directed at people who are suffering from mental problems. It’s safe to say that we have been given unfair tasks to deal with what we are going through without knowing what to do.

It’s so surprising that some people are trying to play two games at the same time. It can be possible but the efficiency will not be clear.

Due to the perception that mental health is not a big deal, people tend to ignore the role of the right therapy in their mental problems. Sometimes is due to a lack of clear information about mental health. It’s time to wake up and see the vitality of therapy when dealing with mental health issues. You are indeed the one who is supposed to make changes but the question is HOW?

This article will give you some of the important clues which will light up your mind and help you to make the right decision regarding your mental health.

Scientifically, it’s clear that the human brain can only focus on one task at a time. When the mind is consumed and obsessed with negative thoughts or anxiety, you only react accordingly and it’s hard to identify the self-sabotage and toxic patterns hidden in your pain. How can you expect to analyze your behavior and actions at the same time when you are reacting to them? It’s not easy and not a fair task at all. Optimistically, you can do it but it’s a great issue that takes time and sacrifice so it may be very late as it needs a high level of motivation, self-discipline, reading, and focus. We are now living in a busy world with lots of stuff to deal with. There are family matters, the economy, and all that is performed in a rough arena which increases mental health vulnerability.

Professional therapy is a welcome outlet to be vulnerable without the fear of being judged or a transferred mood. Sometimes we are getting stuck and threatened by depression, negativities, and bad past experiences, and we either suppress, deny or dismiss those problems as an act of self-preservation. We may act like we are okay but we are dying inside. In that condition, it’s where we need special attention from a professional person. A therapist can identify the time at which we have been reacting in that way to our trauma in a way that we can be separated from our mental health problems.

Don’t let it kill you, therapists are there for you. Go and get help.

While getting therapy from a specialized therapist, there are some things that we can do daily to recover or prevent us from reaching the stage of high vulnerability. Those things are all about daily lifestyles.

Our mental condition is highly determined by the life that we are living. It means that there is a healthy life that can separate us from mental health problems or can help us to recover our mental health condition. Here is where those who blamed mentally ill people can defend their perception. On my side, it is still not the fault of the affected person since even the lifestyle we are almost found ourselves on it due to several reasons which sometimes are beyond our control. What I stand for is giving you the reality and the way to decide wisely. That’s why I come up with a slogan ~YOUR LIFESTYLE MATTERS.

Sometimes we chose the lifestyle we live due to a lack of awareness or other push factors. Here below are some issues to consider in your lifestyle for your mental health safety.

Control your social media

We’re in a digital world where the avoidance of social media can be impossible because it’s how we are interacting in this era. Scientifically, social media has created a high possibility of mental problems like loneliness, depression, and anxiety. This is because the physical interaction of people has been undermined. Also, high pressure from social media and violence done in the media have made lots of people vulnerable. We can’t escape the use of it but we can control how we are using them. For you to have control over social media there are some sort of things to put into consideration;

✔ Diverse your media consumption.

Here it’s all about knowing what is good for you. It’s very challenging because what might be good for you might be a threat to your mental well-be being much consideration must be on your purpose in life. Of course, social media can have different purposes contextually but you should try to choose things that matter to you than things that make you temporarily feel okay but worse in life. It’s where you have to choose the right people to interact with, the right topics to engage as well as the right time to spend on what you chose. There are lots of stuff like the economy, health, environment, and politics that can shift your mind into a productive and proactive state rather than focusing on issues with take you emotionally slave.

✔ Don’t overspend your time on social media

Social media can harm our mental health if becomes addictive. This can trigger your mental well-being because when you are addicted to social media you can experience social isolation and neglect your personal life from the real world which can turn you into an anxious and depressed person. What you are supposed to do is having to limit your social media. Sometimes try not to engage at all and it will give you the amazing experience to feel the real you who was exploited by the digital world. Remember that addiction always disconnects you from yourself.

✔ Don’t compare your life with others

Comparing our lives with others can have both positive and negative impacts on our mental well-being. I agree with the truth that comparison is not bad at all, since some people change from bad to good. Psychologically, many people are falling into self-doubt, jealousy, and downsizing themselves when compared to others. The situation directly gets us into depression and sometimes lose hope and think that we are nothing. You should understand that sometimes and almost people are showing what they want you to see and not the real them. In real life, many people have a life like yours which you are looking it at the regression eyes and doubt. Wake up now and stop giving attention to people’s lives on social media. Start living your life now with focus on the real you without looking at what the media tells you. It’s not simple but the previous tip of choosing the right track and having a limit on it can make you succeed at this.

✔ Digitize your mind.

It has been common seeing tears from people who have been bullied or experienced loss from scammers and frauds. It’s not their fault but sometimes their vulnerability has been highly contributed by y low understanding of the digital tools operations like social media. Taking time to know different digital platforms will help somehow you to escape from digital attacks which areas been an influence in the distortion of people's mental well-being.

Meditation

It is the best practice that can give you calmness, and peace of mind and improve your well-being both mentally and physically. As it highly concerning with relaxing and focusing it can help to cope with stress, depression and anxiety, and negative thoughts. It is a practice that needs attention and might be challenging to some of us but you can try any meditation technique from many of them which exist. Take time to learn the right way to meditate from different instructors on internet through different websites and media like YouTube and Instagram.

I recommend you to visit www.mindful.org where you will learn and master the art of meditation for your mental well-being.

Socialize

This means interaction with others in our surroundings. It’s a very wide term but let’s focus on our interaction with each other which has been somehow challenging to some people in the current digital era. It’s not bad to interact digitally but physical interaction matters. You can have 10ml friends on your social media platforms but it doesn’t mean that you are good at socializing or you have an attractive personality, rather it is highly relying on social media definitions which highly differ from the real outside. For the benefit of your mental well-being, you have to consider the real and physical interaction with the people you love and care about. Digitally, it’s healthy to engage in discussions that give you a nice experience than destructive ones. Making friends, networking, and all that will be easy if you will have good communication skills which you can learn quickly as you are doing it. Socialization will unload your stress, and depression and it will save you from anxiety.

Enough sleep

Sometimes we are feeling obsessed because we are lacking enough sleep. When you are sleeping you are giving the mind time to relax and rebuild new thinking. The relaxation of the mind is highly reducing the risk of depression as well as anxiety which are big mental health issues. Sleeping also gives you time to unpack the overloaded thoughts in your brain as well as it opens the door for the new thought generation. Scientifically, a human being has to sleep at least eight hours per night. Lack of sleep cannot only affect your mental well-being but also your physical health.

Exercise your body

It’s an important way of recovering from mental health problems and preventing them. A person who is doing exercise is safe compared to the one who doesn’t because mental health issues like depression, negative thoughts, and anxiety highly appear in an empty, overloaded, or irresponsible mind. In exercises, the impacts are not only physical but also emotionally and mentally due to the high linkage between mind and body when we are doing exercises. The busy you are physical, the busy you are mental. Being busy in exercises blocks negative thoughts and depression since the mind is highly concentrated on what is performed presently. Many people are giving excuses that they are not doing exercises because they have no access to gyms, others are saying that they don’t have time but the problem is not real time but habit which can be developed under where we should start approach it as the normal daily routine. No need to have access to a gym to do exercises. You can do it on your own at home in the morning or evening after your daily tasks.

Take off the perception that doing exercises will tear your body and learn how to do correct exercises accordingly.

Do what makes you happy

We have a huge task to discern what makes us happy. Knowing that can create a path to do it for our mental benefit. Sometimes what makes us happy is unavailable in a way that we know it but we can’t manage to get or do it. It’s alright because knowing it is a big step. After knowing it find a way to put it into your daily routine and it will always keep you out of depression, loneliness, and sadness.

Unlearn, learn and relearn

Sometimes our mental well-being is threatened by fear of unknown or what we have known before. Research shows that learning new skills can help to strengthen your mental wellness by boosting your confidence and increasing your self-esteem. As those important aspects improved, then a sense of purpose is automatically created. When we are confident it helps us to connect with others genuinely. In learning, you have a variety of things to choose according to your passion, purpose, and accessibility. Learning will not only grant you skills and knowledge but it will also separate you from negative thoughts, anxiety, and depression as it is clear that “an empty mind is the workshop of the devil”. Learn through reading books, social media, and active participation in every moment that adds value to your life. Take life as a class where you should learn from every aspect that comes with it.

Don’t let your mind be dormant on what you have been primarily told by teachers in a school or parents but rather find new knowledge and be ready and willing to accept changes that will reveal the truth and reality of our amazing world which sometimes seems as bad.

Pray

It’s clear that those who believe that every human being is emerged from the will of the Almighty God always surrender their problems to where they are believing. Whoever believes in the existence of great power above all (God) regardless of religious affiliations can use that chance to redeem him/herself from mental health problems. Prayers, regardless of how we are praying, connect us to the deep soul and strength within us which develop a sense of assurance and hope within our mind hence depression, anxiety, and negative thoughts can be outraged and our mental wellness can be restored. Whenever you are not okay and you don’t know what to do, remember that you have the one who is always there for you. The one who can grant you what you deserve without any bias. God is within us, it’s our choice to use his existence for our daily well-being in life.

Eat healthily

You may ask yourself about the relationship between diet and mental health but precisely they have a high linkage. Avoid detrimental foods, especially junk foods that are threatening your physical well-being. A nutritional diet can help you to be happy, increase focus as well as improve your thinking capacity which is important in making the right decisions which are good for your mental well-being.

For any mental health services, you can visit www.mht.care/