Tag Archives: mental health

World Mental Health Day

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World Mental Health Day, observed annually on October 10, serves as a global platform to raise awareness about mental health issues, reduce stigma, and advocate for better mental health care. Since its inception in 1992, the day has grown into a significant event, uniting individuals, organisations, and governments in a collective effort to prioritise mental well-being.

The concept of World Mental Health Day was introduced by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) in 1992. Initially, the day lacked a specific theme, focusing broadly on promoting mental health awareness and education. However, in 1994, the WFMH introduced annual themes to address specific aspects of mental health. The day has since evolved into a global movement, supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international bodies. It now involves over 150 countries, with activities ranging from public awareness campaigns to policy advocacy. In some regions, the day is part of a broader Mental Health Week, further emphasising the importance of mental health in society. 

Mental health is a cornerstone of overall well-being, influencing every aspect of our lives, from how we think and feel to how we interact with others and navigate challenges. Prioritising mental health is not just about preventing illness; it’s about fostering resilience, enhancing quality of life, and enabling individuals to thrive. Good mental health enables individuals to cope with life’s challenges, build meaningful relationships, and contribute to their communities. Conversely, poor mental health can lead to a range of issues, including reduced productivity, strained relationships, and even physical health problems. Mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, are among the leading causes of disability worldwide. According to the WHO, one in four people will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives, yet stigma and lack of resources often prevent individuals from seeking help.

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Failing to address mental health needs can have severe consequences. Untreated mental health conditions can lead to chronic physical illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes, which are often exacerbated by stress and poor coping mechanisms. Additionally, mental health issues can impact educational and professional achievements, leading to reduced productivity and economic instability.

Stigma surrounding mental health further compounds these challenges, discouraging individuals from seeking help and perpetuating a cycle of suffering. This is particularly concerning in low-resource settings, where mental health services are often inaccessible or of poor quality.

Mental health profoundly impacts our ability to function effectively in daily life. When mental health is prioritised, individuals can better manage stress, make informed decisions, and maintain healthy relationships. Conversely, neglecting mental health can lead to difficulties in coping with life’s challenges, reduced productivity, and strained personal connections.

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Good mental health contributes to emotional stability and psychological resilience. It helps individuals maintain a positive outlook, manage anxiety, and cultivate a sense of inner peace. This emotional balance is essential for navigating life’s ups and downs, fostering self-esteem, and building meaningful relationships. Mental health also plays a critical role in how we perceive ourselves and our ability to achieve personal goals. A strong mental foundation enables individuals to stay motivated, pursue their passions, and realise their full potential.

The relationship between mental and physical health is bidirectional. Poor mental health can exacerbate physical conditions, while good mental health can enhance physical well-being. For instance, mental health conditions like depression and anxiety are associated with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Addressing mental health can, therefore, lead to better physical health outcomes.

Mental health significantly influences productivity and creativity, both in personal and professional settings. Individuals with good mental health are better equipped to focus, problem-solve, and innovate. In the workplace, prioritising mental health can lead to higher engagement, reduced absenteeism, and improved job performance.

Mental health also affects how we interact with others and contribute to our communities. Individuals who prioritise their mental health are more likely to build supportive relationships, engage in community activities, and foster a sense of belonging. This, in turn, strengthens social networks and promotes collective well-being.

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One of the most significant benefits of good mental health is the ability to develop resilience and effective coping mechanisms. Resilience allows individuals to bounce back from adversity, adapt to change, and maintain a positive outlook even in challenging circumstances. This is particularly important in today’s fast-paced, often stressful world.

Investing in mental health yields long-term benefits, including improved quality of life, greater life satisfaction, and a reduced risk of mental health disorders. It also helps individuals build a strong foundation for handling future challenges, ensuring sustained well-being throughout their lives.

To reap these benefits, individuals can adopt various strategies to prioritize their mental health:

  • Set Goals: Identify specific mental health focus areas and set achievable goals to address them.
  • Seek Support: Don’t hesitate to reach out to mental health professionals for guidance and treatment.
  • Practice Self-Care: Engage in activities that promote relaxation, such as mindfulness, exercise, or hobbies.
  • Build Resilience: Develop healthy coping mechanisms to manage stress and adversity.
  • Advocate for Mental Health: Share experiences and resources to reduce stigma and encourage others to seek help.
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Taking care of mental health is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. It impacts every facet of life, from emotional well-being and physical health to productivity and social connections. By prioritizing mental health, individuals can build resilience, enhance their quality of life, and contribute positively to their communities. In a world where mental health challenges are increasingly prevalent, recognizing its importance and taking proactive steps to care for it is more critical than ever.

World Mental Health Day serves as a call to action for individuals, organizations, and governments to prioritise mental health. Advocacy efforts include raising awareness, reducing stigma, and improving access to mental health services. Initiatives such as public education campaigns, community support programs, and policy reforms are essential in creating a society that values and supports mental well-being. 

World Mental Health Day is more than just a date on the calendar; it is a global movement that highlights the importance of mental health and the need for collective action. By understanding the origins of this day, recognising the significance of mental health, and addressing the consequences of neglecting it, we can work towards a future where mental well-being is a priority for all.

In My Hands Today…

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How to Be Enough: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists – Ellen Hendriksen

Are you your own toughest critic? Learn to be good to yourself with this clear and compassionate guide.

Do you set demanding standards for yourself? If so, a lot likely goes well in your life: You might earn compliments, admiration, or accomplishments. Your high standards and hard work pay off.

But privately, you may feel like you’re falling behind, faking it, or different from everybody else. Your eagle-eyed inner quality control inspector highlights every mistake. You try hard to avoid criticism, but criticize yourself. Trying to get it right is your guiding light, but it has lit the way to a place of dissatisfaction, loneliness, or disconnection. In short, you may look like you’re hitting it out of the park, but you feel like you’re striking out.

This is perfectionism. And for everyone who struggles with it, it’s a misnomer: perfectionism isn’t about striving to be perfect. It’s about never feeling good enough.

Dr. Ellen Hendriksen—clinical psychologist, anxiety specialist, and author of How to Be Yourself—is on the same journey as you. In How to Be Enough, Hendriksen charts a flexible, forgiving, and freeing path, all without giving up the excellence your high standards and hard work have gotten you. She delivers seven shifts—including from self-criticism to kindness, control to authenticity, procrastination to productivity, comparison to contentment—to find self-acceptance, rewrite the Inner Rulebook, and most of all, cultivate the authentic human connections we’re all craving.

With compassion and humor, Hendriksen lays out a clear, effective, and empowering guide. To enjoy rather than improve, be real rather than impressive, and be good to yourself when you’re wired to be hard on yourself.

In My Hands Today…

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Gentle: Rest More, Stress Less, and Live the Life You Actually Want – Courtney Carver

Written by minimalism expert and celebrated author Courtney Carver, Gentle is the “don’t do it all” self-help book you need to live with less stress and more ease, less overwhelm and more joy by uncovering the Gentle You.

Grounded in self-compassion and a fierce commitment to less, becoming the Gentle You isn’t about taking the easy road. It’s a practice of real self-care that, over time, will soothe your nervous system and strengthen your relationships.

Organized into three parts—Rest, Less, and Rise—30 challenges and simple practices will help readers radically and (yes) gently shift their pace, headspace, and heart.
It’s time to find strength in your softness, fierceness in your flexibility, and to finally rise—not by pushing through but by connecting with the Gentle You, standing in your light and honoring the person you are.

In My Hands Today…

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Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ’80s – Gary Gulman

For years, Gary Gulman had been the comedian’s comedian, acclaimed for his delight in language and his bracing honesty. But after two stints in a psych ward, he found himself back in his mother’s house in Boston―living in his childhood bedroom at age forty-six, as he struggled to regain his mental health.

That’s where Misfit begins. Then it goes way back.

This is no ordinary book about growing older and growing up. Gulman has an astonishing memory and takes the reader through every year of his childhood education, with obsessively detailed stories that are in turn alarming and riotously funny. We meet Gulman’s family, neighbors, teachers, heroes, and antagonists, and get to know the young comedian-in-the-making who is his own worst―and most persistent―enemy.

From failing to impress at grade school show-and-tell to literally fumbling at his first big football game―in settings that take us all the way from the local playground to the local mall, from Hebrew school to his best (and only) friend’s rec room, young Gary becomes a stand-in for everyone who grew up wondering if they would ever truly fit in. And that’s not all: the book is also chock-full of ‘80s nostalgia (scented markers, indifference to sunscreen, mall culture).

Misfit is a book that only Gary Gulman could have written: a brilliant, witty, poignant, laugh-until-your-face-hurts memoir that speaks directly to the awkward child in us all.

In My Hands Today…

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The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness – Jonathan Haidt

A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech—and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?

In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood” began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood” in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood” has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems” that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes—communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children—and ourselves—from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.