Mental Health: A couple of years ago, “depression” was called anything – from a bad mood to autumn melancholy. But today, few people have questions and doubts about the need to monitor their own mental health as carefully as their physical condition. Self-isolation has clearly demonstrated this: the percentage of people approaching depression has increased significantly during the pandemic.
According to the World Health Organization, every fourth or fifth inhabitant of our planet suffers from a mental disorder, and every second can get sick with it throughout his life.
What is Mental Health?
WHO defines mental or mental health as a state of well-being in which a person is able to realize their potential, that is, they can cope with the stresses that periodically arise on the path of life, work productively and make their own contribution to society.
What is needed for a healthy mind? It is important for a person to know that he can do what he wants. A sense of confidence, satisfaction with life, joy and employment. It is only important not to confuse the concepts: mental health does not equal happiness. A mentally prosperous person also faces difficulties; he cannot always be happy. But on difficult days, a healthy person knows that he has enough strength and flexibility to cope.
Who is more likely to suffer from disorders? Both men and women are equally affected by mental disorders. It’s just that women are more prone to one mental process, and men to others. But women turn to specialists for help more often than men who try to cope with the problem on their own and without proper treatment go into other disorders.
Not only adults but also children are subject to mental disorders. Psychiatrists treat even small patients from the age of 4-5 years. They have different mental disorders: congenital and acquired. Parents during this period need to be especially attentive and tactful towards children. You can not write off changes in the child’s behaviour only for adolescence and think that over time everything will pass by itself. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Prevention is Your Way of Life
The American Mental Health Association calculated that in the first wave of visits to doctors for only two disorders – anxiety-depressive disorders and stress disorders – increased hundreds of times. During the pandemic, people’s mental health deteriorates significantly. Obviously, you need to take care of it consciously. Instead of playing all the time in the PlayAmo app you need to have some time allocated for your personal health because it is the most important thing in your life.
The way we live, think and feel changes the chemical composition and density of brain tissue. Knowing this, we can change our habits and consciously do things that help maintain mental health.
Get Enough Sleep
Stop cultivating workaholism at the expense of a normal night’s rest. A night of good sleep in your life is much more important than any other business. Sleep is the main indicator of human health, which positively affects the functioning of all internal organs.
In an endless stream of cases and tasks, you need to exhale and give yourself the opportunity to relax. After a short pause, forces always appear that will allow you to “immerse yourself” in the workflow even deeper. However, for some reason, we feel like lazy people at the mere thought of rest. Try to avoid unwarranted remorse and give yourself a day or two a week to recharge.
Contact With People
Connecting with others boosts self-esteem and gives you a sense of belonging to something greater. Relationships with family and friends give us a sense of support and confidence that we are understood. Find time for personal communication: social networks even create the illusion of contact, but liking is not the same as chatting.
Have Some Time for Exercise
You don’t have to go to the gym or go for a run. It is important that the body works, and how exactly is a matter of your choice. Someone likes team games like volleyball, someone prefers to dance, and someone prefers to walk the dog. Activity is necessary not only for the body but also for the brain. Mental problems, even the most insignificant ones, are the same chemistry as all processes in the body. Exercise is a way to regulate these chemical processes by producing hormones that are released in response to actions.
Practice Breathing Techniques
Regular practice of controlled breathing helps reduce the effects of stress and improve overall mental and physical health. Moreover, mindful breathing helps optimize digestion, improves sleep, allows you to lose weight and even reduces body temperature. The positive impact of breathing practices is explained by the principles of biology.
Limit Yourself From Bad News
Research shows that in difficult and troubled times, people love to seek information – this is a natural survival mechanism. But doom-scrolling as browsing social networks does not affect our health in the best way. Just two or four minutes spent watching negative news spoils the mood, and in the long run, can worsen our morale and cause various disorders. What we can do? Use social media consciously, choose content, and don’t focus only on bad news.
Control Time Spent on Gadgets
A good way to keep your mental health is to turn off push notifications on your phone; Or better yet, turn off all notifications altogether. Another method is to allocate only ten minutes per hour for rest during work, then there will be almost no time for gadgets.
Always Keep Learning
Studying helps keep the brain in good shape and reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It also gives a reason to love yourself: we are learning, so we are great. It is very important to feel comfortable. It is not at all necessary to learn foreign languages or get another higher education. The main thing is to strive for something new.
Make a List of Encouraging Phrases
Write down in a notebook a list of things and beliefs that are truly important to you. If you encounter difficult events, these phrases will become your “antidote” in the maelstrom of negative thoughts and emotions.
Also for mental health, it is important to live in the present, not thinking about the past and what has not happened (and may never happen). You need to live in the present, and feel yourself and your body. Some call this state of mindfulness. It only seems that everything is simple, but it requires attention to yourself and uncompromising honesty.
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