Do you frequently feel overwhelmed, anxious, hopeless, or are avoiding conversations because you do not know how you will react or feel? These are signs of poor mental health and before it snowballs into a serious concern, you must nip the problem in the bud. There are certain temporary situations in our life that we may find unmanageable and slip into a depression-like state. We may suffer a trauma, a loss or experience a change we are not ready for. How we handle external situations depends on how robust our mental health is – our thought patterns, how we handle emotions, how resilient we are and the kind of support system we have in terms of family and friends.
Like physical health, it is possible to build a sound mental health with the right self care, treatment and support. Self care is something which could go a long way in helping you cope with a negative situation. A good night’s sleep, doing things that you like, connecting with nature, meeting your favourite people are all ways to recharge your batteries and feel rejuvenated.
“Mental Health concerns are primarily being focused upon worldwide. Research suggests that about 14% of the global burden of disease is attributed to psychiatric disorders. Thus, bringing the question of the facilities and the awareness in the society. There is progress in mental health services which are now available across the globe, with increasing awareness. But acceptance for the same is yet growing in a sluggish way. Multiple barriers act as a hindrance to look at the lens of mental health with seriousness, leading individuals to often make mistakes while dealing with themselves and others around them. This phase of growth is an opportune moment to explore the paradigm of mental health to avoid mistakes while dealing with it,” says Shreya Malik, Lead Clinical Psychologist, Lissun.
Shreya Malik warns people to not make these mental health mistakes that could bring trouble.
1. Not sleeping enough: Maintaining a sleep wake cycle allows a healthy physical and psychological functioning. On an average, 6-8 hours is required for all. Sleep helps reduce stress and maintain homeostasis. If you are not getting your daily dose of sleep, you may encounter mental health trouble.
2. Doom scrolling: An individual may obsessively scroll through social media across the day, maybe in order to keep up with the latest news, trends or social lives of other people. Mostly, it is reported that individuals do mindless scrolling on their social media. This significantly contributes to the growing symptoms of anxiety and despair.
3. Google search about the symptoms being experienced: Visiting an expert to discuss your symptoms or experiences brings insight into the problem. Google search is not an authentic manner to diagnose any problem. An individual may be experiencing some grief, does not necessarily mean they are diagnosed with depression. Thus, professional help provides assistance to improve and cope with the problems.
4. Overlooking any symptoms related to mental health: Nudging off the symptoms of regular headaches, mood imbalance, disturbed sleep, etc is not going to help. Avoiding or overlooking the basic symptoms can create complications as the intensity of the problems grow over time, which may also lead to poor prognosis.
5. Demotivating people around you about mental health: Accepting the problems being faced by others, can help break the taboo and help them to seek help for the same. As an individual you may not agree with them, or understand the problem they are facing, but you can lead support by accepting and acknowledging that there might be a problem being faced.
6. Not indulging in a pleasurable activity: Living this competitive lifestyle in today’s world, has multiple demands that a person needs to fulfill. Thus, taking out time for things that provide happiness and joy are useful for mental well-being. Taking regular breaks also promotes wellness and happiness for an individual.
7. Boundary between work and social life: Work life balance is an intersection of work and personal life. Create a state of equilibrium where you give equal priority to work and personal life. Creating a work life balance has numerous positive effects and reduces the risk of burnout and stress.
Source: hindustantimes.com
