"Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but you are not the rain." - Matt Haig
This year’s theme for the World Mental Health Day is “Make mental health and well-being for all a global priority”. Every 10th day of October, mental health awareness is being celebrated to advocate and put double efforts for a call to action and stop the stigma.
Mental health sums up our emotional, psychological, and social activities. It is how we think, feel, and act. It determines our capabilities in handling stress, relate to others, and make choices. At every stage of life, mental health is essential from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Over the course of life, mental health affects your thinking, mood, and behavior and contributes as a huge factor particularly in the process of decision making.
While the pandemic did take a toll on our mental health, prior years it has always been present. Rates of people experiencing suicidal clues are increasing around the globe. People with lived experiences of mental health, their family members and other sector of populations continue to tell us that their mental well-being is still a challenge for daily living.
Although the general perception of mental illness has improved over the past years, studies show that stigma against mental illness is still compelling, largely due to media stereotypes and lack of awareness, education, and that people tend to attach stigmas to mental health conditions at a far higher rate than to other diseases and disabilities.
Health organizations across the world have been working to make sure that mental is treated at par with physical health. Non-government organizations were established as additional support for the affected individuals so they can seek for support in any possible form.
On top of the steps and interventions in treating people with mental issues, note that food plays critical role in terms of thinking and handling situations better. There are groups of food that can improve your mood and contains the following vital chemicals and hormones that can boost your self-awareness.
1. Serotonin - known as the happy hormone and has an effect on mood and behavior. The chemical is commonly linked to feeling good and desire of living longer. Excellent sources are banana, egg, cheese and nuts.
2. Dopamine - gives you the sense of reward, motivation, good memory, attention and even regulation of body movements. Protein from plant sources such as beans, peanuts, and green leafy vegetables are recommended.
3. Oxytocin – also known as the love hormone, cuddle or bonding hormone. By eating avocados, watermelon, and spinach, it can increase your oxytocin level.
As every day we celebrate life, may we not forget people who survived past the darkest days of their lives. The battle against the mind is the hardest battle to win. May we never discriminate however we deal with matters, personally and professionally. At the end of the day, nobody deserves to go through such bumpy road of mental illness. Awareness, education and learning more about mental health allows us to provide helpful support to those affected in our families and communities. (Development Management Officer II (PNFP) Gwyn Y. Balaba/This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it./0963-1090-198)
References:
Department of Health (DOH). Mental Health Program. Retrieved on 7 October 2022 from https://doh.gov.ph/national-mental-health-program
United Nations (UN). World Mental Health Day 2022 "Make mental health for all a global priority" (2022). Retrieved on 7 October 2022 from https://www.un.org/en/healthy-workforce/world-mental-health-day
World Health Organization (WHO). World Mental Health Day 2022: Make mental health & well-being for all a global priority. Retrieved on 7 October 2022 from https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day/2022
