Mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities and can cope with the normal stresses of life. They work productively and fruitfully, and can make a contribution to their community.
This is a definition on the internet provided by the World Health Organization, but mental health is more than just this. We have come across this term a lot of times.
Do you sometimes relate to questions that hit your deep insecurities?
Do you feel suicidal or depressed? Sometimes, not even 7-8 hours of sleep is complete for you. Do you still feel tired? You don’t have any motivation to work even if you watch productive and motivational videos, or looking at all the work just makes you more stressed and you just wish you could leave it all behind. Do you sometimes feel that you want a break from schoolwork, parents, friends, tensions? Do you ever feel you just want to go somewhere where there is peace?
Mental Health can affect daily living, relationships, and physical health. Conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety can all affect mental health and disrupt a person’s routine. WHO (World Health Organization) stresses that mental health is “more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities.”
Risk Factors for Mental Health Conditions
Everyone has some risk of developing a mental disorder if their mental health is not in a good condition. Social and financial circumstances and lifestyle can deeply affect a person’s mental health. The normal stress of life makes a person push to complete their tasks but too much work stress or life stress can make the person’s mental health unstable leading to an unhappy lifestyle, mental disorders, and in serious conditions, no urge to live.
Talking about the current situation of Covid-19 pandemic, many people have gone through a lot of struggles leading to a lot of stress, depression, etc. The combination of physical distancing, economic stress, barriers to mental health treatment, pervasive national anxiety, and a spike in gun sales is creating what JAMA Psychiatry referred to as “a perfect storm” for suicide mortality.
“Suicide is likely to become a more pressing concern as the pandemic spreads and has longer-term effects on the general population, the economy, and vulnerable groups,” according to David Gunnell, professor of epidemiology at the University of Bristol and head of the Bristol Suicide and Self-harm Research Group, and his research team who recently published their findings in The Lancet Psychiatry.
According to a meta-analysis co-authored by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, lack of social connection heightens health risks as much as smoking three-quarters of a pack of cigarettes a day.
The coronavirus has obviously exacerbated the problem. Lack of communication, unemployment, loneliness, workload, staying quarantined at home all lead to disturbing people’s life physically and mentally.
As a student, I, along with some of my mates, had a hard time coping with all the school work, higher than before screen time, unable to go outside and hang out. Online classes lead to us being distracted by other social media apps. We were locked in their houses, surrounded by social media, for the better and for the worse.
During online classes, students were assigned many assignments, while the world was falling apart, students were completing their assignments to stay on top of their work. Even if they lost someone, they still had to attend classes but their mind had several thoughts running through their mind, which made it difficult for them to catch up with the teacher. They couldn’t meet any of their friends, all their joy was limited to screens. Nagging of parents just irritated them because of increased screen time. Now that school has reopened, all the exams are offline and so are the submission of assignments which leads to completing all the work in 2-3 days leading to a lot of stress, anxiety, and less amount of sleep for the students.
Having depression and anxiety at the same time is like being scared and tired at the same time. It’s the fear of failure but no urge to be productive. It’s wanting friends but hating socializing. It’s wanting to be alone but not lonely. It’s feeling everything at once and then feeling paralyzingly numb.
To conclude, there are various methods for managing mental health problems. Treatment is highly individual, and what works for one person may not work for another. Some strategies or treatments are more successful in combination with others. A person living with a chronic mental disorder may choose different options at various stages in their life. The individual needs to work closely with a doctor who can help them identify their needs and provide them with suitable treatment.
It always gets better.
SO,
Start where you are.
Use what you have.
Do what you can.