“Mental health is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going…” – Noam Shpancer, PhD
May: Mental Health Month
May is commemorated as the month to boost awareness of many mental or behavioral health issues to reduce the stigma of numerous bad experiences. But why May? Well, there is history behind that. May was established as Mental Health Month in 1949. This was created to extend awareness for the importance of mental health and wellness and to celebrate recovery from mental illness (Youth.GOV, 2020).
Identifying Mental Illness
Every mental illness has their own unique symptoms, but common signs include the following (NAMI, 2021):
- Excessive worrying or fear
- Feeling excessively sad or low
- Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
- Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
- Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
- Avoiding friends and social activities
Gen Z and Mental Health
Several studies have come to the conclusion that Generation Z is the most depressed generation. However, Gen Z is also “the most likely to get treatment for anxiety and depression through counseling and therapy.” Some positive statistics include, “37% of Gen Z reported that they received help from a psychologist or other mental health expert, which is more than any previous generation” (AECF, 2021).
A massive factor of Generation Z being the most depressed generation is social media. Social media has a lot of negative impacts on mental health. According to a study executed by The University of Pennsylvania, high usage of social media apps such as Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook increases our feelings of loneliness (Helpguide, 2020).
“The strongest people are those who win battles we know nothing about…” – Jonathan Harnisch
Is Awareness on Mental Health Increasing?
Despite numerous people suffering from mental health, a lot of individuals are still unaware of their condition.
On the other hand, there are some positives:
- Public attitudes to mental ill-health have improved by about 10%, and people receiving mental health services have reported a drop in discrimination, which is really excellent news (Sheffield Halam University, 2017).
- Campaigns that encourage mental health have been gaining positive traction, especially by encouraging influencers or pop-stars speak about their experiences, as the audience resonates well with their role models. For instance, Demi Lovato launched Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health to assist struggling patients with mental illnesses. To better encourage patients to take action on their mental health, she teamed up with five mental-health organizations (Huffpost, 2017).
Okay… But How Do I Improve My Mental Health?
There are several methods and steps you can take to enhance and improve your mental health.
- Comics help people with anxiety and one advantage is their relatability to the characters. Reading about these characters could be a great way to remind yourself to be positive and improve your psychological state. After all, superheroes are meant to be role models (The Comic Health, 2018).
- Music does wonders! Classical music helps boost mental health and well-being. Whilst, listening to orchestral music helps boost your mood in times of worry (Classic FM, 2020).
- Yoga reduces the impact of excessive stress and should be helpful for both anxiety and depression. Other self-soothing techniques like meditation, relaxation, exercise, or maybe socializing with friends are highly encouraged (Harvard Medical School, 2020).
- Allow yourself to prioritize what makes you happy and have some “me time”. Revitalize and relax your body with Coco Veda’s soon to be launched Wellness Massage Oils, stay tuned! On this blog, Coco Veda is only sharing two of the six oils that will be launched, Coco Elevate and Coco Immune:
Coco Elevate is a relief oil for mild to moderate lifestyle stress, anxiety or depression:
- Natural and subtle scent that boosts relaxation
- Lightweight texture, easy to apply and absorb quickly into the body
- Contains lavender, frankincense and bergamot essential oils which promote relaxation, helps reduce anxiety, depression and insomnia.
Coco Immune is an all natural special blend massage oil for immune support. With stress and burnout, our immune system can be compromised:
- Cinnamon Oil helps aid cough and cold, and stimulates circulation
- Clove Essential Oil helps improve circulation
- Turmeric Essential Oil has Anti-oxidant and Anti-inflammatory properties
“One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart.” — Linda Poindexter.
This article is about tips on how to improve your mental health. Please do comment below to share the other suggestions, and we would like to hear from you!
