Is bad mental health really a stigma, a disgrace, a stain or a dishonour?? or maybe it’s not even close to those negative words. In the present era where we are ultra-modern and accept everything with open arms , we still need more acceptance in this realm of life which we have complicated unnecessarily. Mental health is much more than the absence of any disorder. It is something which we need to take more seriously and talk about significantly.

Talking about the UK, depression is one of the most widespread mental disorders, affecting around 1 in 6 adults in the UK. Research shows that women are twice as likely to experience depression than men. Also, the depression rates in the UK have escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has shown 17 %of adults experienced some form of depression in the summer of 2021, which is a rise from 10% before the pandemic.

The reason for having bad mental health can differ from person to person, what triggers anxiety in person “A” won’t necessarily trigger anxious thoughts in person” B”.It depends on social and psychological factors like real-life incidents, deep-rooted childhood traumas, abandonment issues, and societal pressure to name a few.

The UK is a work-driven place where people are constantly striving to become successful, workplace depression is a significant concern with over 56% of UK employees experiencing some mild symptoms of depression.

Mental health problems among young people are escalating swiftly too. Between 2017 and 2022 rates of probable mental disorders in England increased. It was found from around one in eight children aged 7-16 to more than one in six for those aged 17-19. Rates increased even faster, from one in ten to one in four.

We all read despondent news about how people struggle with their mental health and how in some cases people have a tendency to become suicidal as well.

 What do we do about it? Raising awareness can be a big step in that direction.

HOW TO CREATE AWARENESS?

Are we deliberately sweeping this issue under the rug? perhaps, we are.

Do all people seek professional help when required? Not at all. Mostly many people suffering seek professional help after nearly a decade of hesitance and denial or even more in some cases.

Where does this hesitancy come from?

The hesitancy is rooted in severe social discrimination and the stigma or a blot associated with those who suffer from mental health issues. People are afraid of being judged and not wanting to be considered weak and mentally unstable.

Signs of mental health issues:

• Feeling depressed or unhappy without a proper reason
• Sudden emotional outbursts
• Anxious and negative thoughts
• Disturbed sleep schedules
• Change in appetite
• The constant sense of guilt
• The constant fear of the future

The above-mentioned could be a few symptoms of bad mental health but there are of course many more to it

What can be done?

Even small baby steps towards one’s healing journey can have a big impact on one’s life. Here are some super simple tips which can be incorporated into one’s life to fix their mental health.

Each method of self-care can fit into one of these 7 pillars: mental, emotional, physical, environmental, spiritual recreational and social.

• Eat healthy, have regular balanced, nutritional meals
• Meditate, practice mindfulness
• Set small doable goals and achieve those goals, treat yourself after achieving those goals.
• Get your adrenaline rush, do some daily exercises, maybe go for a morning walk,jog etc
• Focus on positivity
• Sleep well
• Maintain a work-life balance
• Be supportive of yourself
• Zoom out a little and take a look at your lifestyle habits.
• Spend time in nature
• Less screen time
• Journaling, writing your thoughts
• Gardening
• Bird watching

A well-balanced self-care routine can involve the above-mentioned activities, the more activities you incorporate the better you tend to feel, so why restrict yourself to just one or two pillars?

Creating a plan for yourself

• Assess your current situation, assess what according to you is wrong in your life and what you can do on a personal level to fix it.
• Identify where you intend to be at the end of this year in terms of your mental health, how you would want to feel
• Brainstorm activities to meet your needs
• Initially set easy tasks to achieve a sense of accomplishment, setting tough goals in the beginning and not achieving those could lead to a sense of failure
• Schedule your day and then follow that schedule religiously
• Take one day at a time. Don’t think too much about the future, it can lead to unnecessary anxiety and stress
• Oversee your weekly progress and celebrate your daily wins.
• Most important seek some external support when needed.

All the above-mentioned tips are what we can do on a personal level to make us feel alive and a little better. It can give us a temporary sense of accomplishment and a temporary relief

Having said that, professional help is a must and very crucial for treating mental health disorders.

Mental health professionals such as psychiatrists, therapists, and psychologists have specialised training to accurately diagnose and treat mental health disorders. They make sure that individuals receive the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan. In many cases, antidepressants are prescribed by doctors too as depression could be a serious medical illness that affects your mood and general mental health.

Studies have shown antidepressants can help improve the way your brain uses certain chemicals that control mood or stress.

So let’s start working on our mental health together and make it a new normal to focus on our well-being first. Let’s focus on having happy, healthy and jovial mindsets and gathering strength to talk about our “Mental Health Battles.”