HOW AWARE ARE WE OF OUR MENTAL HEALTH | ANAS MUNIRA

We all know when we are ill

We all know when we have a fever or a stomach bug

We know when our bodies are not acting right

We even keep track of symptoms for when we eventually go to the hospital because that’s what we have been taught

We learn that when we are not feeling well we go see the doctor and even for those of us who do not like hospitals we still look for remedies

We are aware of a cough, cold, and sore throat right down to the more severe illnesses

But how aware are we of our minds

How many of us know when our minds are ill

How many of us monitor our minds the way we do our bodies

And even for those of us who do realize something is wrong

How many of us speak up

How many of us can tell our friends and family we are going to see a psychologist or a psychiatrist

And I know you might be thinking, but the world has evolved we should be able to talk about mental health

Yes we might talk about it but not in the way we do our physical health

We talk about in a disconnect from ourselves

We see mental illnesses as extremes, we fail to realize that our mental health constitutes our thoughts, as such it can be derailed by little negative things we say to and feel about ourselves

Not forgetting that this negativity can come from people around us as well

As such we need to do better as individuals and as a society

Our mental health is just as important as our physical health and we have to start taking care of our minds the same way we do our bodies

So keep track of your everyday thoughts

What are your reactions to situations?

Are you plagued by negative thoughts constantly?

What are your responses to these negative thoughts?

Are you completely overwhelmed by them?

Do you believe them or are you able to respond positively to them?

These thought processes enable us decide if we need to seek professional help

And realizing we do does not necessarily mean we are mentally ill, it just means we need a little help getting our minds into a healthy state

And know that you seeing a Psychologist/Psychiatrist or any other mental health professional is not something you should be ashamed of, you are simply taking care of yourself which is good thing

So today let’s make an effort to do and be better

Let us strike a conversation about our mental health with our friends and family and let it be normal

Let us all start with ourselves and change our attitudes towards our mental health

So today, choose to speak up and seek help when you feel you need it and know that there is absolutely nothing wrong for doing so.

Please leave your thoughts in the comment section and let’s learn from each other as to how we can normalize conversations about our mental health

                                                                                                         Love, Neera.