Secret Benefits Of Mental Health Awareness

A few weeks ago, I was in the office of my psychologist office at a large mental health institute and he told me stories from his students about how their lives have transformed during this pandemic and I realized there are some secret benefits of mental health awareness. He mentioned that he is happy to share these stories with you but I did not believe them because they sounded like lies so I decided to do some research on the topic and after three days I have come to know that they were real. The first thing I thought was that maybe this is an exaggeration? Well, once again it took me three days to find out that yes, it is indeed true, many secrets are there but most people are unaware of them. For example, here are the 4 advantages of Mental Health Awareness: 1. we need to take care of our emotional well-being 2. We need to spend almost 90% of our time on physical exercises 3. We need to reduce our stress level by practicing Meditation 4. Some simple tips to give you excellent mental health care are given below:

1. Practice self-love and compassion

For the last 30 years, I have been pre, aching mindfulness in workshops and seminars so I still follow the principles of the Mindful Living (MBL) philosophy (the act of living in the present moment and observing one’s thoughts and emotions with the awareness of the outside world around us). But lately, I started getting feedback from students who tell me that during meditation we can lose ourselves and the concentration of our minds drops below 10%. This is happening because we become disconnected from our loved ones as they are busy sleeping or eating. If we start being self-critical, our attention becomes divided between tasks, and focusing on something negative like work, family, etc. doesn’t help because we end up hurting others and becoming selfish. The practice of listening to yourself, without looking at the situation through rose-colored glasses is so vital when we realize what lies beneath our external perceptions and beliefs. By thinking “I am worthy of love” we begin to feel more connected to ourselves and others. Being mindful of our emotions and experiences will increase our sensitivity and make us aware of internal conflicts in us that need more attention.

2. Emotional support

We all know that no person is perfect and we all carry vulnerabilities but the truth is that we can be vulnerable too. When my kids are upset, I just sit down and try to read for some time for myself or watch for my son or nephew. Even if it hurts I try my best to reassure them that I am very much with them and that I am always there for them. This can also happen if we have lost someone important to us and sometimes our inner world becomes over-compensated and we cannot feel safe anymore. This happens when we do not look out for each other in our way. So one key thing we can learn is that it is OK to cry out loud because your pain may not be yours only, it can affect others, and too many times we don’t even hear or even acknowledge it. Because we didn’t know how to respond to the sadness and suffering of those we care about and we didn’t know how to handle those feelings we end up doing what we always do – running away. Now we realize that nothing can change the hurt and grief that we will feel for a very long time and eventually we will die or live with that pain.

3. Nutrition is critical

We all know that nutrition makes or breaks our body and good nutrition is essential for keeping our muscles healthy and helping us feel better when we get sick and tired. For instance, I take vitamin B12 every day and I am careful to check my blood sugar level because the lack of Vitamin B12 can lead to serious problems like dementia, etc. But I know it is important to maintain a healthy diet and for that, I will share the 8 foods that I eat daily which are easy and quick and they have anti-oxidants to fight off bacteria and toxins and provide us with nutrients like zinc, vitamins, minerals and essential fats like flaxseed, almonds, avocado and olive oil too. So when it comes to nutrient deficiency, a lot of the common symptoms of deficiency are anxiety, depression, and insomnia and fortunately, studies have shown that the right kind of food changes a huge part of the brain called the hippocampus. So think of it like this – if you are hungry, you will eat something you love, you will eat whatever fills your stomach and your tastebuds. If you don’t eat everything that goes into your mouth you won’t survive, you will die! What does it mean to live in harmony with one’s mind and body? There is enough evidence now that says that nutrition alone cannot improve mental wellbeing but in combination with mental wellness it can drastically increase our cognitive function, energy levels, sleep quality, mood, and a general sense of well-being. And, guess what? You don’t have to go completely vegetarian. Just choose to eat fruits and vegetables and add a little bit of protein sometimes and feel good. Or try drinking green tea before bedtime. It might do you a lot of good and can also help reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease too.