– By Funke Olayiwola, ABH PRESS
The World Mental Health day being celebrated all across the globe today, the 10th of October 2018.
According to research,it is been discovered that half of all mental illnesses begin at the age of 14 with depression being a leading effect, secondary to this is the harmful use of alcohol and drugs, then comes suicide which caps it all up. This has been seen in varying cases of teenagers and young adults pulling the guns to their heads and going on drug overdose to terminate their lives.
Very few if not many people all around us,all across the globe go through mental stress and disorders in one way or the other.
Do you know that friend of yours who is suddenly withdrawn and never talks to the rest of the group could be battling with depression?
Do you ever realize that the happy girl next door to you could be dealing with peer pressure and societal pressures?
The fulcrum point of mental health begins with the functional state of the mind of the man or woman.
How does he feel about himsefl?
How beautiful does she think she looks?
What goes on through her mind when she sees people with more class or affluence than her?High self esteem or low self esteem?
The journey to sound mental health begins with the mind.
I will be sharing 4 major tips to stay sound and sane in the mind.
1)Develop a Sound Thinking System
As the popular adage goes “Garbage in,garbage out”
Thoughts and imaginations are primarily built by content and external information.
What do you read?
What do you watch?
What do you listen to?
The things you constantly expose your mind to in literatures,media and sights have a great ability to make your mind sane and sound,or the other hand, they can also negativiely affect your thinking system.You are as sound and healthy as the things you read, watch and listen to.
Reading good books, watching sane media contents,listening to great music gives you an overall sound thinking system.
2)Have A Strong Network of Friends and Family
I completely agree with the conventional phrase “No man is an island“. If God wanted us to live life alone, he would have made only one of us on planet Earth. A strong network of friends comprising your loved ones,your familes,your colleagues at work help to ease life’s tension and burdens. This happens so, that during hard times and in your low moments you have people around you who can encourage,inspire and motivate you to be better.
Detachment from a strong network system of friends and family is one of the leading causes of depression all over the globe.Sharing our low moments as well as the joyful moments with our loved ones help our mind stay sound and whole.
3)Live,Laugh and Be Happy.
“Happiness is a contagious scent that spreads through every room and every city it walks into”
Happiness they say is in the things we see and the things we possess,but for an individual who would live life to the fullest should choose to be deliberately happy and content with life irregardless of what he has or what he doesn’t have.
Perhaps you have achieved all your dreams and desires or maybe you are still on the ladder to the top, you have a choice to deliberately live life to the fullest,be happy and content with what you have.
Life is too short,so live each day in gratitude and in happiness.
4)Learn the art of gratitude and contentment.
Too many times, people get caught up in the frenzy of social media,the wealth and affluence displayed by people. Apparently you do not know what this people have been through or are going through,so never get down or depressed because they have what you crave or desire for.
Comparison is the number one thief of happiness and sound mental health.
To stay sound ,sane and happy in your mind,you need to learn the art of contentment.
Stay content and thankful for where you are and that which you have,in this is soundness and wholeness for your mind.
