In this world of constant commotion, change and advancement….the inner peace and calm do go for a toss often and here is exactly where we come to the topic of mental health-the most frequently ignored yet the most important. With days passing the awareness is rising…despite this the stigma around mental health still hovers above humankind, putting its very existence at threat. This blog is a modest attempt to aid in supporting the cause of mental health.
WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?
So, mental health isn’t merely the absence of a disease, but it involves complete emotional and mental wellbeing. It involves self-realization, and a sound mind along with being able to accept and evolve with changes as well as aptly respond to situations with rationality. It involves incorporating important virtues like resilience, positive psychology, optimism, moral ethics, a good conscience. Mental health is one of the primary domains of psychology the others being physical health, cognitive processes, biological processes, social influence and personality, and developmental processes.
FIRST AID IN MENTAL HEALTH
Just like first aid is a must and the ultimate savior for physical injuries, similarly first aid is of paramount importance in the case of mental health. The ALGEE action plan is extremely efficient and proceeds as follows:
1)Assess risk: this step helps in assessing the gravity of the situation. It might be a rating scale of the severeness of the situation based on a scale of one to ten and is the major determinant of the steps to be taken.
2)Listen Non-Judgmentally: Listening is the key to understanding the person and getting to know the emotions of the person. Let them speak their mind without passing comments and provide a receptive and supportive environment. Strictly avoid passing judgements.
3)Give Reassurance and Information: let them know that your are there for them and you have their back. Letting them know that things will turn out good eventually will give them the ray of hope.
4)Encourage appropriate professional help: Professional help widely helps to relieve the symptoms. Visiting a psychologist might provide them with necessary tools like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Acceptance and commitment therapy(ACT), talk therapy, humanistic therapy, holistic therapy. These tools are the foundation of a strong building standing by itself.
5) Encourage self-help and appropriate strategies: self-help goes a long way and adds a cherry on the cake along with professional help. Journaling is a wonderful way to vent out feelings. Another way is reading affirmations out loud. These instill confidence and are also a key tool for the manifestation of the desired.
These steps if followed can work magic and help in the betterment of your loved one.
SOME SELF-HELP STRATEGIES
1) Journaling: maintaining a record of your feelings is an important way to analyze your progress. Journaling involves an honest jotting down of the thoughts and feelings. One of the ways I usually do journaling is the three-column format. The three columns include one of the thoughts, the second one for your feelings, and the third one for disputing the irrational thoughts. It makes me feel lighter and the blank pages are quite patient in everything you let them know.
2) Meditation: Taking deep breaths rejuvenates the mind and the body and gives the feeling of tranquility. Abdominal breathing is better than chest breathing. Let your belly out while you breath in and let it fall to place as you exhale. You can also practice guided meditation, spiritual meditation, mantra meditation, visualization meditation.
3) Mindfulness: Mindfulness is the very essence of staying in the moment without pondering about the past or the future and involves giving undivided attention to the task at hand. In true sense it is living the moment.4) Affirming in front of the mirror: this is an excellent way to instill confidence and let the positive thoughts be soaked into the subconscious mind. It helps to build a strong faith. An example of a few affirming sentences can be
I am sufficient, strong and confident. My heart is filled with kindness, and I do things with the correct intent, Today is my day and I am going to completely win over it by working hard. I love myself and everyone around me and radiate an aura of freshness, love and joy.
5) Confiding in a person: Confiding in someone trustworthy, eases the tension and also paves the way for acceptance.
“We all have both light and dark inside us, but it’s the part that we chose to work on.”
So let’s end the stigma around mental health and create a world where people with mental disorders are not labelled but are helped and passionately cared for. Just as one talks about cancer, diabetes and other physical diseases openly without the fear of being judged let us create this environment where people can speak their heart out. Because a sound mind leads to a sound body, greater productivity and merrier days.
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