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Mental Health - Article

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we stand to break the stigma by normalizing in talking about Mental Health. It is okay to talk about depression, it is okay to talk about anxiety, it is okay to talk about other mental condition and It Is Okay Not To be Okay. And we want you to know that #YouAreNotAlone in this battle.

Mental Health affects how we think, feel, and behave in our daily life. It also influences our ability to cope up with sets of problems, and also in building relationship. Having strong mental health doesn't mean you don't experience challenges anymore, it means that you just know how to deal well with life's setbacks.

According to the University Medical Center Groningen (2019), Mental health problems come in all shapes and sizes. Often times, when we talk about mental health illness, we think about anxiety or depression, yet there are a lot of mental health conditions such as eating disorders, neuro-developmental disorders, and etc. There's also a lot of definition that may describe what it is all about.

DESTIGMATIZING

However, there's a stigma on mental health too. Stigma can lead to discrimination, and through this, it may be obvious and direct such as someone making a negative remark about your mental illness or your treatment. Or it may be also unintentional or subtle such as someone avoids you because they see you as a person that is unstable, violent or dangerous due to your condition.

For an instance in Philippines, when you are diagnosed or have a mental health condition, they'll call you "baliw". When you have depression, they'll tell you "ang drama mo naman". When you have anxiety, "para iyan lang, natatakot ka na?". When you have obsessive compulsive disorder or ocd, they'll tell you "ang arte mo naman". When you have adhd or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, they'll tell you "bida-bida ka naman". When you have autism, they'll tell you "ang monggoloid mo". And when you try to speak out, the society will tell you that you just lack in faith.

As you can see, people having such condition struggles a lot. And we realize that in order to slowly break the  stigma, we should educate ourselves regarding Mental Health and its illnesses. We have to learn first what does it really mean, how important it is, how to recognize the condition freely, and how can you say that you are positive in having such conditions with just the some symtomps you know.

Young people are more prone to have mental health issueses. Though, mental health problems come in all shapes and sizes, being educated with proper caring and loving of one psychological well-being is such a big help for them to be resilient even in their early age.

HOW TO TAKE CARE?

            When you know and love yourself, their opinions won't affect you because you know yourself better. That's why this year, as we celebrates World Mental Health Day last October, we have some of the most effective tips to take care of our mental health, especially our self.

1.      Exercise daily.

When some people heard the word "exercise", they usually think of the aerobic routines and such for being physically fit. But there's more in doing exercise daily.

According to some medical researches, exercise is one of the effective way to take care our mental health. By doing exercise in our daily life, it can help us boost our mood and may reduce stress, and anxiety. We also tend to be energetic, and reduce insomnia risks as we can sleep better at night. It can also sharpen our memories. And really considered as one of the powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety. That's because when you do exercise regularly, your brain will have a new activity patterns that may promote calmness to a person. It can also serves as a distraction from all the thoughts inside your head.

2.      Have some time to sleep.

You surely are busy in work or in studying. But you should know that sleeping has an effect on how you'll feel emotionally and physically. It is as important as same with exercising and Not having enough of sleep may let you feel so tired. Learn to rest and sleep too.

3.      Eat something healthy.

There is a saying that I vividly remember: you are what you eat. Simply because food is our fuel and the kinds of foods and drinks that we consume affects the types of nutrients that enter in to our body. It impacts how our mind and body will be able to function.

            For an example, for those people who have an anxiety disorder, they should avoid those drinks with caffeine because it can trgger their panic attacks, they may tend to palpitate. But if you really need some caffeine to boost some of energy, try drinking some tea because it has a lower amount of caffeine than cofee.

            Do not also skip meals, especially breakfast too because it may cause you to fatigue.

4.      Take a time to listen to a song.

"Music speaks when words fail."

Listening to music is one of the self-care tips that I usually do. It's fascinating how the lyrics speaks when you couldn't explain what you are feeling. Also some researchers say that listening to some classical music may improve the brain function and may help you in studying. Some of the classical composers that have a nice instrumental music are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Franz Lizst, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Somehow, it is also considered as one of the best therapy and also in managing stress.

5.      Have some time for yourself.

There may be times that you forgot to take care of yourself. To do some of your self-care routines. You tend to be so busy that you got no time for yourself.

Take a bath. Eat something healthy. Drink some water. Going outside. Doing what you love. Have some sleep. Go to malls or go shopping. Take some massages. Do some art. Try to reach out with others. These are just an examples of how you can have some time for yourself. It is called self-care tips in a random aspect. Don't forget do your self care routines because doing self-care means gaining your power back again.

6.      Let yourself breathe.

In order to breathe, you should let it out. It's okay to cry and cry sometimes. It's okay to talk about what made you feel bad or even hurts you. It's okay to talk about how tired you are already. It's okay to have a therapy. It's okay to ask for help. You and your feelings are valid, and you don't need other people to validate it. Only yourself can do it.

Again, inhale and exhale. Do it multiple times until you feel calm.

To someone who's feeling defeated because their mental health is not doing the best right now,

Maybe you feel like no one understands you, or like you would just be better off not being in this world. I know it all too well, because I've been there. I understand what it feels like when your mental health makes you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders — like you're drowning.

I know when people tell you to just "try harder" and "get over it," you can feel like a failure because people have no idea how hard you've already been trying. I just want to let you know that you're not a failure, and you're not a waste of space in this world. You're not "crazy" for what you're currently going through. You're human, and sometimes being human means going through things that don't always feel so great. Please remember that your life matters.

K E E P G O I N G

s.c.m