OPINION BY MRS AFOLASADE IPINMOROTI: “Mental Health”

A Blessed Saturday was what each member of the Yemiefash FanMily WhatsApp platform had in which everyone was engaged in a day seminar with a guest speaker Mrs Afolasade Ipinmoroti in a topic titled “MENTAL HEALTH” Here below are the extracts:

Good evening everyone. Trust we had a swell day. I am happy to be here to give a brief talk on Mental Health, and I want to specially appreciate my brother and friend @YemieFash for this platform. You have been an exceptional being and I pray God will continually help you.

I would be sharing briefly on what Mental health is, the causes, and possible solutions. Please note that the discussion on Mental Health is inexhaustible. We can’t say all within this short period. However, I will try and touch on the very vital areas.

WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?

The World Health Organization (WHO) conceptualizes mental health as a “state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”.

Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It also deals with how people think, feel, and behave.

Mental health can affect daily living, relationships, and physical health.
It should be noted that mental health has nothing to do with age, size, belief/religion, and as such, it is important that everyone looks after their mental health.

There are however a few number of things that can affect one’s mental health:

•Physical Stress– Your daily routine can either make or mar your mental health. Physical Stress can somewhat affect one’s mental health. To this end, one needs to consciously be aware of the daily activities one engages in. You might wanna ask if it is possible to avoid physical stress, well, it is almost impossible, but then reducing it to the barest minimum is achievable.

Excessive physical stress can shut you out of social and emotional aspect of life: you find yourself over stressing and needing a lot of rest, which reduces your other productivity. So, as much as possible, avoid excessive physical stress.

•Emotional Factors– This is particularly common today. Heartbreak or should I say “breakfast’? is a very common cause of mental health illness. You find people gradually losing their minds because of an emotional trauma, either as a result of heartbreak from a lover or betrayal from a friend. Many people tend to keep this in and not share it with anyone simply because you don’t want them to make jest of you or maybe for some other reasons.
This particular factor can’t be utterly avoided, cos how would you know breakfast is around the corner, or, how can you possibly sense betrayal from your “bestie”. However, when this happens, seek help and start your healing process. Your mental health is more important than anyone’s perception of you.

•Childhood Adversity
Several studies trusted source support that adverse childhood experiences such as child abuse, parental loss, parental separation, and parental illness significantly affect a growing child’s mental and physical health.

There are also associations between childhood abuse(sexual, verbal or emotional) and other adverse events with various psychotic disorders. These experiences also make people vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

There are various types of Mental Health Disorders, but we can’t exhaust all here, will just elucidate a few of them:

• Anxiety Disorders– People with these conditions have severe fear or anxiety related to certain objects or situations. Most people with an anxiety disorder try to avoid exposure to whatever triggers their anxiety. Further examples of Anxiety Disorders are General Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Phobias and Panic Disorder

• Mood Disorders- People with these conditions have significant mood changes, generally involving either mania, a period of high energy and joy, or depression. Examples of mood disorders include: Major depression, Bipolar, Seasonal Affective Disorder.

• Schizophrenia Disorders- These are highly complex conditions. It is often characterised by psychotic features and other severe symptoms.

These disorders can be diagnosed by a Medical doctor through series of tests and also looking at the person’s medical history.

Please note that these disorders are quite different from your general mental health care, although some people use them interchangeably. We just had to touch on this to know the types of disorders.

WHO CAN HAVE MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESS/BREAKDOWN?

It should be noted that ANYONE can have an ill mental health, irrespective of your age or social status. Some believe that teenagers or adults who are extremely rich can not have mental health illness. Well, mental health illness is no respecter of persons

RED CODES TO LOOK OUT FOR:

?️Are you losing interest in things that used to thrill u before?

?Do you find yourself withdrawing from the world; friends, colleagues or family (maybe staying indoors more and being alone in an awful mood)? More like you prefer being by yourself?

?️Do you sometimes feel maybe if u are no more alive, u won’t feel the pain u r feeling? More like you think of harming yourself?

?Do you sometimes just break down in tears and you can’t really figure out why?

?️Do you sometimes get unnecessarily apprehensive or moody and people around you wonder what the problem is?

?Do you find yourself sleeping too much or too little?

?️ Do you sometimes feel hopeless?

? Are you consistently having low energy?

?️ Are you using mood-altering substances, including alcohol and nicotine, more frequently?

? Do you see yourself displaying negative emotions?

?️ Are you confused and maybe uncertain about the future?

?Are you unable to complete daily tasks, such as getting to work or cooking a meal or general and usual tasks?

?️Are you having persistent thoughts or memories that reappear regularly?

If you find yourself in any of the above-stated positions, u need to seek help as soon as possible. Different factors may be responsible for any of these traits, however, one shouldn’t take any of it with levity. When your mental health is not well taken care of, it gradually degenerates from one stage of depression to the other. But once you seek help early, it won’t get any worse, rather it gets better.

WHAT TO DO
✅ Accept the fact that you need help. This is the very step stage to healing from any trauma or mental health illness. Many people wallow in self-denial that there is nothing wrong with them, that they only need rest and will be fine. Well, rest is good, but it’s only a temporary measure. Admit that you need a professional help.

✅ Employ the services of a counsellor/therapist that you are comfortable with. Personally, I would discourage you sharing your thoughts with friends. I have had terrible experiences with a friend who in the long run used what I told them against me, and it really destabilised me. So, Get someone who is neutral and unjudgmental, someone you can absolutely trust. I must warn that the person you talk to is very important in your healing process.

Talking to the wrong person will do you more harm. There are certain friends you MUST avoid talking to. That’s why I totally discourage sharing with friends. Not all friends will turn out bad, yes, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

OTHER TIPS TO SAFEGUARD YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

✅ Avoid gaslighters– people who seek to sow self doubt in you, who want to control your mind and make you feel less of yourself. There are friends that would always put you down or any opinions you have. RUN from them, they are not good for your mental heath.

✅ Avoid guilt trippers– one who makes you feel guilty for what they have done. Also, do not guilt-trip yourself. If you realise you have done badly, it’s ok to feel bad, but don’t let it linger for long. Accept your wrongs, make amends and MOVE ON.

✅Develop your self confidence. Be good at whatever you do, yes, someone would always be better than you, but DO NOT be blinded by another person’s shine, focus on yours and keep being better at your craft. You are doing a lot of harm to yourself if you keep comparing your progress to that of another person.

✅LOVE YOURSELF. You are amazing just the way you are. Love your body, love your goals, CELEBRATE EVERY WINS, it is not easy to win a coin. Celebrate every milestone, no matter how little it might seem.

✅ DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY
This doesn’t include any criminal or abominable acts please, so you don’t say it is one therapist that asked you to do what makes you happy??

✅ Engage quotes. There are handles on Twitter that have amazing quotes that will help you. Some are: @PoemPorns, @PerfectGuide_ , @Positive_Call, @ArtOfLife_ , @dedoyinajayi and many more
Thank you so much for your time. We have come to the end of the session. I hope you have learnt one or two things.