Your Mental Health Is Your Responsibility.

 In July 2021, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the "head star of the United States Olympic Team" made a candid decision following the admission of Naomi Osaka, the world's second ranked tennis seed in the world earlier that same year to withdraw from tennis tournaments to protect her mental health. That athlete is Simone Biles, a four time Olympic gold medalist, who for the sake of personal well being and mental health expressed the pressures she has been going through. in her words, "we also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day, we're human, too."  

According to The Associated Press, Simone Biles was quoted as "We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than go out there and do what the world wants us to do."

Lets pause for a bit and ask ourselves a question:

Would you go any length to protect your mental health? even if it means to quit a job, miss a session in school, or miss an event? 

As you keep this question bouncing in your heart. Let us go deeper into What Mental Health is all about.

What is Mental Health?

Mental Health is a concept today that is identified by The World Health Organization (WHO), as a ..."state of wellbeing in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community." 

The notion of WHO with regards to the definition emphasizes that mental health is not only the absence of mental disorders and disabilities. The actualization of  mental health at a top level involves reaching for wellness and high level of happiness tht is not limited to the act of self avoidance of active conditions.

It is crucial for ones mental health to be preserved on individual basis across the world.

Nigeria which is the seventh largest county in the world, the world's most populous black nation according to WHO, that One in four Nigerians that is approximately 50 million people that suffer from mental health related sessions and conditions. 

According to WHO, Nigeria also has the highest caseload of depression and is ranked 15th in the world as per how frequently people commit suicide. 

Mental health is of significance because it can make or mar a person, the behaviour or functionality of an individual in personal and workplace relations, friendships, family and other areas of life also heavily depends on its sanity. Your feelings, thoughts, perception, mood and behaviour circles around your mental health, it affects the way you relate with people, friends, family and colleagues at work, therefore the well being of your mental health is something that should matter to you.

Mental health problems can have a huge impact on your personal relationships with people around you, it makes it difficult to cope with the everyday ups and downs of life extending to other activities in your life.

Mental Health Conditions

The following are three most common conditions associated with mental health.

1. Anxiety Disorder: Anxiety is condition we all feel whenever we are worried over the outcome of an event that is about to happen or in the future. It is an hormonal reaction or response to a feeling of threat or danger. It is a common experience, like the way I felt when I was about to write this post or as a student your project defense or that presentation at your workplace. These are normal feelings and can last for a few minutes before we eventually overcome them. Anxiety often comes whenever we are about to do something for the first time, like the first time you took a test or exam, the first time you made that radio presentation, drove your car or flew on air and so on. But you might wonder what if these feeling becomes overwhelming and constant? It raises a red flag at this stage because you are about to experience an anxiety Disorder which impacts on your everyday life. Anxiety disorders include: Specific and Social phobias (Agoraphobia and Claustrophobia), Panic disorders and so on.

2.Depression

Depression is best observed when someone is experiencing a low mood or spirit for a long period of time. It can adversely affect the well being of an individual as depression includes sad and suicidal thoughts, feelings of numbness and emptiness. 

It's very okay to feel sad or miserable at some point as life sometimes gives us situations to do so, but all these feelings usually pass in due time. 

However, if the feelings continue and it begins to interfer with your day-day life or activities then you will have to ask for help.

Depressive episodes may vary from mild, moderate to severe.

Types of Depression. 

• Seasonal Effective Disorder(SAD), this type of depression occurs at a particular time of the year or season.

• Dysthymia - Dysthymia also known as Persistent Depressive Disorder or Chronic Depression is a mild variation of depression that lasts for a period of two or more.

• Prenatal Depression: Prenatal Depression occurs during pregnancy, as the statement implies this type of depression is experienced by pregnant women.
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• Postnatal Depression (PND): It occurs within the first year after a woman gives birth.

Depression comes with lots of thoughts surrounding, guilt, shame, hopelessness, self-pity and to an extreme lead one to thoughts of suicide.

3. Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia is a mental condition that interferes with a person's ability to think clearly, make sound decisions and judgement, manage emotions and relate to others. This condition is also related to Psychosis. The experience of each individual is unique when it comes to Schizophrenia, some thoughts and experiences include:

• Disorganized thoughts, emotions and speech
• Concentrating Difficulty
• The need to avoid people and social gatherings 
• Prone to confusion or suspicion of others

So far we have dwelled on what mental health is, types of mental health conditions, but what determines your mental health, what factors help to shape your mental health positively or negatively? 

Read on to find out.....

Factors That Determine Mental Health

Every individual on earth has some form of developing a mental health disorder, regardless of sex, income, religion, status and ethnicity. Few factors such as social and lifestyle choices can greatly contribute to a person's mental health.

Let's look at some few factors:

1. High Unemployment
2. Insecurity
3. Poverty
4. Biological
5. Social
6. Economic

Without doubt the employment status of an individual is one major factor for an individual to develop a mental health problem. Biological factors such as brian chemistry and genes also play a vital role.

However, other biological factors also contribute to these disorders but it goes beyond just having a gene with links to a mental health disorder to experience it. This means that mental conditions such as anxiety Disorder or depression are not hereditary, it cannot be transferred from your parents to you, you can't share it with your twin as a result of genealogy. “Your illness is not your identity. Your chemistry is not your character.” — Rick Warren

The societal or economic orientation of an individual such as limited financial stability, marginalization or ethnic minority can also increase the risk of mental health disorder, factors such as poverty, debt, and occupational inconsistencies are modifiable while others like age, gender and ethnicity are non-modifiable.

How to Maintain Your Mental Health

1. Keep Your Mind Quiet: You are your state of mind, so what you do per time with your mind matters alot. “You can’t control everything. Sometimes you just need to relax and have faith that things will work out. Let go a little and just let life happen.” — Kody Keplinger. The mind is the land where  thoughts are grown and harvested. Take time out to meditate, do some relaxation excises and Prayer helps too, everyone believes in prayer no matter your religion. Take some few minutes every day to cool your mind down...
2. Place Value On Yourself: Love yourself, make time for your hobbies, learn new stuffs, treat yourself to a very delicious meal, be kind and respect yourself, eat well and drink sensibly, dehydrate and get enough sleep. “You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” — Buddha 
3. Take Time Out To Laugh: Endeavor to hang out with a friend that is funny, watch a comedy skit and let that laughter come effortlessly. Laughter helps to reduce anxiety.
4. Avoid Alcohol and Other Drugs: I sincerely say that you may not like this point though especially if you see consumption of alcoholic drinks as a lifestyle that is treasured, but keeping to a minimum intake of alcohol will save you from a lot of problems. Alcohol and drugs are used by people for "self motivation" but in reality they will only increase already existing mental problems and lead to more mental health conditions.
5. Practice forgiveness :For a merry heart turns away wrath. Even if it's just forgiving that person who just broke your heart, left you on read, insulted and cheated on you or generally just cut you off . People who forgive have a tendency of having a better mental health and report being more satisfied with their lives. "What appear to be calamities are often the sources of fortune." - Disraeli
6. Send A Thank You Note to People: The act of saying thank you to people for their help, their kindness and care is a very sure way of leading to an aggravated level of happiness and fulfilment. Let people know how much you appreciate them.
7. Seek Help When The Storm is Gets Tough: We are nothing but humans, nothing like superhumans, seeking help is a sign of strength, so is vulnerability. When you seek help over an issue it should not be seen as a sign of weakness. It is great to speak out when you get so overwhelmed with life, things not going according to plan, and you find it difficult to cope. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.”  -Maya Angelou. If you've had a personal experience with mental illness or recovery, feel free to share.Please ask for assistance from family, friends, colleagues even though they may not be able to medical related help but a listening ear and practical help they may offer is valuable..

In conclusion, Mental Health is a personal responsibility no one should shy away from, Guard your space, Speak out when you experience any mental health session, endeavour to keep a positive mindset at all times, when life strikes you hard, take it in, cry sometimes and write that pain down and let it all go, it's not easy but you have to try to do it.  In the words of  Linda Poindexter “One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart.” and maybe sometimes you feel like Charles Buowski who said “Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I’m not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you’ve felt that way.” 

No matter how you feel there is always help out there for you.

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