One aspect of your well-being that you most likely never give a thought is your mental health. That may be because you too have fallen victim of the society-set stigmatisation standards. And mental related illnesses feature prominently on the said stigmatisation table.
That is why you feel like smacking your ‘mind’ whenever it makes the misadventure of contemplating the subject of mental health, no matter how little.
But let be candid, you aren’t doing the right thing. And that does not mean you need to resort to self-flagellation. That isn’t right either.
After all, you aren’t the only culprit. The best of us are culpable of this same misdeed.
The simple truth is it’s never too late to right the wrongs. It’s never too late to start afresh. All you need to do is learn how to prevent and manage mental health issues, as well as how to support people battling them.
Here are some practicable suggestions.
1. Decongest your mind always
If you keep your emotions bottled, depression might be lurking around just waiting for the best time to pounce on you. But when you pour them out, you often discover they’re not as critical as you once thought they were.
So, discuss your problems with somebody, preferably a professional counsellor. But if you’re the religious type, a priest will do.
You remember the saying: problem shared is problem solved? Yes. Once you mention what you’re going through, it kind of lift some weight off your chest.
But where you don’t feel like discussing with anyone, you can just write down whatever is upsetting your mind on paper. Though there isn’t going to be any feedback, researches have established it that this action does work in relieving your mind of its burdens.
2. Try to align your expectations with reality
Your expectations from life play a big role in your mental health. Where expectations are unrealistic, mental health is exposed to lots of risks. Especially in achievement related issues.
To be realistic, you need to know your potential and your limitations. Any expectations outside them is unrealistic and can easily lead to disappointments and frustration.
Remember life is never smooth all-through for anybody anywhere on earth. So you’re not the only one with difficulties. Like others, you also have to learn to cope with the usual stresses of life and strive to work productively and fruitfully.
3. Raise your surroundings
Your built environment, especially your home and office, can be used to boost your mental health. You can manoeuvre your surroundings to lighten up your moods and raise your spirit.
Flowers have been found by numerous researches to boost mood. The same thing with colours. So also are the furniture and other fittings in your home and office.
Even though there are many themes and ideas everywhere that can be explored to make your office complement your mood and spirit, getting a professional touch always makes a lot of difference.
You know, office being a corporate outfit may not be made to appear too informal. At the same time, you don’t want it to be too grim with seriousness.
It sounds conflicting?
Don’t worry, just check out Maris for corporate office designs and you will get the real picture of what I mean.
4. Review your social media usage
Well, you may find this tough to implement but trust me if you do, you’ll certainly boost your mental health. As ubiquitous as social media have become in our world, they may not always be beneficial to us.
In fact, there have been findings that connect high social media usage to high mental health risks. So you may need to cut back on how often you use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.
The worst part is that while they appear to connect us with our loved ones, they’re actually disconnecting us. So, we cannot even support those who need us blood and flesh beside them.
5 Seek prompt medical help
When a case has come to the open and they are medical, they just must be treated accordingly. Otherwise, the case may be escalated out of hand.
Whenever a mental illness is suspected, you must promptly see your doctor.
Generally speaking, mental illnesses can be stubborn. They hardly get better on their own. And if you leave them untreated, serious complications may set in.
A final warning please. You must steer clear of self-medication or drugs. Drugs only help you sweep your challenges under the carpet. Meanwhile, the challenges are back before you mocking and staring you in the face as soon as their euphoric effects wear out.