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August 22, 2023
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Dr Lihini Wijeyaratne
Founder of Total Care, a holistic care service
Mental wellness is relevant to everyone. No matter where you live, what you do or what your individual circumstances are, the chances are your mental wellness matter has been challenged in the past, or is being challenged today.
Mental wellness doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time, or in a state of zen throughout the whole day (although that would be nice!). What it does mean is that you are generally positive about life, find fulfilment in how you live and are able to weather the storms of life with a little more ease.
Your mental wellness may be disturbed if you feel down a lot, irritable and angry, have trouble sleeping, feel very stressed, or find it very difficult to manage when things go wrong e.g. when you have an argument with someone.
To be truly well and healthy doesn’t simply mean having normal reports and being ‘clear’ on your annual check up. Being well means you are well physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually. Mental wellness is a part of this.
If our mental wellness gets disturbed, we can develop problems like stress, anxiety and depression. These conditions affect how we function at home, at work, and in our relationships. Sometimes these problems are mild and can be sorted out with talking or counselling. Sometimes, it can be more complicated, and requires medications.
Disturbed mental wellness can also affect our physical health. It can cause or worsen conditons such as diabetes, weight gain and high bood pressure. Stress can make us turn to coping strategies such as comfort eating, which is often done with unhealthy foods. Stress can also increase our blood sugar and blood pressure. If your mental wellness is low, you are also very likely not exercising in anyway. A lack of exercise is a common cause of low mood, and vice versa. A lack of exercise also contributes to long-term health problems. Finally, if you are feeling low, it can be hard to look after
yourself and your health. You may experience fear when booking doctor’s appointments or doing tests. It can be harder to remember when to take your tablets. And it can be hard to do all the right things to live in a healthy way all by yourself.
Our mental wellness also affects the mental wellness of those around us- our families and our colleagues, as well as our wider social circle. Think of it like a ripple effect. The more mentally well you are, the more you will spread a similar feeling to others. On the other hand, if you are feeling low, others will feel this and it will affect them too.
For all these reasons, it is important to evaluate how to preserve or further improve your mental wellness.
There are many factors, and it depends on you and your individual circumstances. For many people, relationship conflicts, disagreements at work, financial stress, health concerns and worries about children and ageing parents are common causes.
Relationship conflicts can occur with your spouse, children, colleagues or friends. Pressure from work may be too high. The pay may be insufficient. You may be also balancing looking after children, thinking about their future, looking after the rest of your family, while working full-time.
In addition, you may also have health conditions such as being overweight, have polycystic ovary syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These are common conditions that can affect women from a young age, and continue throughout the course of their lives – and these can cause additional stress. It can be stressful to live with a long-term health condition. It can cause worry, and you may not know how to manage it in your daily life. If you have a condition like polycystic ovary syndrome, you may also not feel good about yourself, and the way you look. Having weight problems, acne and too much hair growth can serious affect mental wellness. However, there are things that can be done to help.
There are some simple strategies you can try. Pick one that works for you and practice it everyday – even 5 minutes is worth it.
Keeping our minds on what is happening right now, in front of us, helps us to focus on the present instead of being dragged into thoughts about the past or future. Mindfulness exercises can help you develop presence. You can focus on the sensations of brushing your teeth in the morning, or practice yoga, or perform 5 minutes of mindful breathing. Being mindful helps us to be less reactive to life, and instead choose how to respond to the situation.
Gratitude is a powerful tool, and it’s free! Take 5 minutes a day to think about what you are grateful for in your life- it can be anything, no matter how small. Think about what you are grateful for in terms of your body, yourself, your life and career. You don’t need a long list, just enjoy the feeling.
You don’t need to write reams and reams- just a few lines will do. It is amazing how letting your thoughts appear on paper can being so much clarity and peace. Just start writing and see what comes up. Or else, if you need a prompt, why don’t you try this – How would I like my day to go today? Or if at the end of the day- How did my day go today?
Exercise in any form can help lift your mood. A walk, a run, swimming, dancing, aerobics, zumba – they all help. If you find someone to team up with, it will be a lot more likely that you do this regularly. Also, it means you get to enjoy spending time with a good friend or your spouse, in a relaxed manner.
Spending too much time on social media can seriously bring down your mood. It is addictive and unfulfilling. It stops our brains from functioning properly. It also makes us very unmotivated. Try and find something else you can fill that time with – learn something new, play a game with your kids, visit an elderly relative, spend time in nature or cook a hearty meal. Opt for company and giving to others, and your mood will instantly be elevated.
Dr Lihini Wijeyaratne is the Founder of Total Care, a holistic care service that runs programmes for women with PCOS who want to lose weight, and also for people who want to improve their diabetes control. Total Care looks at all the different aspects of health, including physical and mental health, to help you live as well as you can, for as long as you can.
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