JB Times Nº5: Mental Health

CISV Mexico

Building global friendship

JB TIMES

December 22, 2020

CISV México

5TH Edition Health care

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Why is it important?

Oftentimes we have been led to believe that only people with severe mental disorders need to pay attention to their mental health. Society has taught us that going to see a psychologist or going to therapy probably means you are “crazy”. Over the last few years we have opened up discussion about mental health topics, nevertheless we have a long way towards normalizing this very important issue.

Talking from personal experience, I have had several years facing difficult times with my mental health. When I tell this to people, they tend to be worried. What I would like for people to understand is that it is OK to not be OK. Whenever we are facing difficult times, communicating our troubles is what will lead us to have a healthier mental state.

Although I am no expert, I have come to the conclusion that the more we talk about these things, the easier it will be for everyone. It is equally as important to take care of our physical health as our mental health!

There is no need to pretend that everything is “normal”, especially during hard times like the pandemic. The more we bottle things up, the worst our problems will become.

As we go through life, we may all encounter situations that do not make it easier for us to be in a good mental state: whether it's a new environment, being locked in quarantine without any social interactions, overwhelming stress due to school or work, not feeling comfortable with a certain social group, etc. We may think we are alone, but there are many people facing similar situations than we are. Sometimes it may be hard for us to understand what we are feeling, but talking to others, to professionals, or even writing in a journal might help clarify what we are feeling.

Sometimes we feel that because others have it worse than us, we are not entitled to ask for help. No matter how big another person’s problems may be, that does not take away any validity from the situation you may be facing. We have to remember to be kind to others, and especially to try to be empathetic. Sometimes people try to speak out about a certain way they are feeling, but are instantly crushed because others tell them they are “exaggerating”. It is not as simple as it seems… one cannot just tell somebody with depression to “stop being sad”, or somebody facing anxiety and panic attacks to just “calm down”. Mental health is something to be taken seriously, and although not everyone may understand the struggles some face on a day to day basis, that does not mean they are not real struggles.

It is time for us to break down the stigmas around mental health! I encourage you to rethink the way we deal with mental health as a society, and begin conversations in order to normalize the way we view this matter.

The Chemistry of Happiness The formula of happiness is an ideal pursued by all human beings. Every action, goal, decision, word is driven by this purpose. Experts point out that happiness depends on four chemical elements:

OXYTOCIN Its importance is focused on intervening to establish good human relations: empathy, trust, love, affection, generosity, altruism or compassion. Recent studies suggest that oxytocin helps humans connect with themselves to achieve balance.

ENDORPHINS Better known as happiness hormones. To generate endorphins all you have to do is sing, dance, laugh, play sports, eat spicy food.

SEROTONIN It acts as a modulator of the functioning of other neurotransmitters. To increase the serotonin levels you should sunbathe, but with your bikini, using sunscreen and facing the sea or sleep well (if it rains, better).

DOPAMINE It is one of the chemical elements responsible for our well-being and motivation to undertake new things.

There are studies that suggest that the presence of dopamine in the center of the brain influences what you like. Usually when you buy something, you take into account the emotional aspect rather than the function of that which you have decided to buy.

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Free resources for mental health Atención Psicológica a Distancia (UNAM)

(55) 5025-0855 ; available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (México)

Línea de apoyo emocional AMPH

you can find them on Instagram @amph.mx (Central and South America)

National Institute of Mental Health

(866) 615-6464 ; Available Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST (United States of America)

TelefonSeelsorge

0800-111 0 111 or 0800- 111 0 222 or www.telefonseelsorge.de ; Available 24 hrs a day (Germany)

Croix-rouge écoute

0800-858 858 ; Available every day from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (France) In any emergency crisis, you can call 911 and they can also help you. * Please keep in mind that these helplines may not apply to your country. If this is so, you can search for more options on the internet, several countries and associations have free psychological support lines *

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% $ & # ' The ! " Side of Life

As in every edition of JB TIMES, there must be a section where I talk about the best news of the past couple of weeks. Why? Simple, because there is ALWAYS a twinkle of light in a world of darkness. Not that we’re living in darkness or whatever, but this year has been a wave of negativity.

Now this edition, as you probably have read in the title, is about the importance mental health. I have no idea how each individual reader feels, so I’m going to describe how I feel to explain why it’s important to have a dose of good news from time to time and maybe you can feel related in some level. Being in quarantine or lockdown has made me spend much more time with the most important thing in my life: me. Not that I only care about myself, but because the person I’ll spend the rest of your life with, literally, is me, as redundant as it sounds. Taking care of you, your mind and getting to know yourself even better is essential, and spending all this time secluded has absolutely helped me with that! Of course I feel lonely sometimes, I miss my friends, I miss going to school, I miss dancing and going out. So while I’ve been locked in, something that has helped me smile a bit has been doing this good news section. Good news, as little as they may seem, raise our morale, release a bit of serotonin and they bring hope back to the table. Reading or listening to good news lets our mind know that it will be okay, no matter what. And I believe that it’s my duty as a person and a reporter, to bring a smile to your face, even if it’s just a smirk, and let you know, through good news, that it’s all going to be okay.

So sit back, relax and look at the bright side of life :)

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How can I know if I need psychological help?

by Aline Perera W Mistakenly, we believe that asking for help is a synonym of weakness.

That those who ask for help do it because they are “crazy”. We are ashamed of asking for help, therefore we prefer to shut up, keep things to ourselves and wait for them to sum up, until we reach our breaking point.

But why? Asking for help is an enormous act of courage, where one is able to recognize that something is not right with oneself, and therefore wants to change it to feel better.

Knowing this, we return to the initial question: How can I know if I need psychological help? The first step is to recognize my feelings and thoughts, and although it is not easy to do so, it is very important to always try to be aware of it. The moment I understand what I am feeling I have to ask myself: how is feeling like this a ecting me? Am I doing something to stop feeling like this? If I already am, what am I doing? This step is extremely important, because when you start to feel that things are going out of your hands and that you no longer know how to keep them in control, or that it is beginning to a ect you in a much constant and intense degree, it is a clear sign that it is time to ask for psychological help. An example of this could be a situation where you can identify that you are not handling it in the best way, therefore it makes you have anxiety, intense sadness, or any other feelings that lasts for many days, weeks or even months. Other examples could be when you have sudden mood changes without an explanation, when you begin to have attitudes that start to harm your health and/or development, such as consuming harmful substances in a more constant way, isolating yourself from friends and family, among many others.

Well, now that I have identified this and that I know it is time to ask for help comes the big question, ¿how can I ask for help? Many times we believe that by only talking with friends, family or even with ourselves we can solve our problems. And this is neither wrong nor bad, many times it is like that and we only need some else’s advice, but when we do not even know where to start it is time to seek help. If you already know a psychologist whom you trust, it is only a matter of making an appointment. If you do not know any yet, it is important that you try talking to your parents and tell them that you want to talk to a psychologist, so that they can help you find an expert to talk to. It is normal that we tend to feel ashamed of doing so or that we do not even want to tell our parents, but it is extremely important that we try to do so.

Never never never hesitate to ask for help! Doing this is an act of bravery and it does not mean that you are crazy. Everyone, at some point in their life, needs external help and so it is completely normal.

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