World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma.
According to WHO, “World Mental Health Day 2023 is an opportunity for people and communities to unite behind the theme ‘Mental health is a universal human right” to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.”
We must understand that mental health influences how we think, feel, and behave in daily life.
It also affects our ability to cope with stress, overcome challenges, build relationships, and recover from life’s setbacks and hardships.
Strong mental health isn’t just the absence of mental health problems.
Being mentally or emotionally healthy is much more than being free of depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues. Rather than the absence of mental illness, mental health refers to the presence of positive characteristics.
People who are mentally healthy have, a sense of contentment, a zest for living and the ability to laugh and have fun, the ability to deal with stress and bounce back from adversity, a sense of meaning and purpose, in both their activities and their relationships and self-confidence and high self-esteem.
As Nigeria joins other countries to celebrate World Mental Health Day, today, October 10, 2023, here are tips to improve your mental health.
- Take time to relax, fun and laugh. Hang out with a funny friend, watch a comedy or check out cute videos online. Laughter helps reduce anxiety.
- Practice forgiveness – Make peace with all men, don’t hold grudges against anyone, people who forgive have better mental health and are more satisfied with their lives.
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet – Eat a healthy food to help you development your physical and mental self.
- Get enough sleep – Don’t be too workaholic to forget getting yourself a good night rest, good and adequate sleep relax the brain for further activities
- Exercise regularly – Exercise your body regularly, burn fat and calories in your body,bit makes your mental health improve better.
- Ignore people’s opinions about who you are, do what is always right.
- Avoid unnecessary competition and race with colleagues and friends to ease yourself of life pressure.
- After giving your best to anything accept God’s fate, don’t overdo
- Engage yourself in activities that bring out happiness in you.
- Spend wisely to avoid debt – accruing of debt profile can put your in mental health crisis, hence to avoid it learn to invest and spend wisely.
Compiled by Gbenga Adejayan
