OPINION // CALLUM SKEFFINGTON
CALLUM SKEFFINGTON HARMFUL HABITS ONE
OF
THE
MOST
COMMON
New
Year’s
mental health.
health is the only way to destroy the stigma surrounding this topic, and you don’t have to
resolutions is to go to the
We live in an era where we are made to feel
wait for a qualified therapist to be provided six
gym and to be healthier,
guilty for taking care of ourselves. In a time
months down the line by the NHS; a friend or
physically.
physical
when mental health is more prominent in
family member can provide just as much, if not
often
society than ever before, the need for self-care
more, support and guidance than a medical
prioritised over all else, but
is higher than ever before, yet between the
is it not more important to
lacking guidance for mental health in schools
professional. Finding someone to trust your
improve your mental health
and the NHS, and the social stigma against
first?
admitting that you aren’t coping with life’s
Our
appearance
are
pressures, most find themselves completely Some
people
that
working
are out
lucky is
unprepared to deal with their own mental health.
therapeutic for them. They
emotions and thoughts with will alleviate the stress you are feeling. Things not to trust as antidotes to your mental health; drinking, drugs, toxic friendships/ relationships or endless tv show marathons.
can kill two birds with one
These pressure are sometimes heightened in
stone,
both
the early stages of a New Year. We have all
their physical and mental
these aims and goals for the year ahead, but
fitness at the same time.
the likelihood of seeing immediate results is
For
thought
slim, but our mental health is more important
of going to the gym is, in
than anything else. Especially as LGBT+
to do with your breathing. Smoking enables us
itself, anxiety inducing. It
people, we are more prone to mental health
to take more conscious and deeper breaths,
isn’t the end of the world if
conditions than our straight, cis -gendered
which has a calming effect on our bodies,
going to the gym isn’t your
counterparts.
despite the nicotine that’s rushing through
improving
others,
the
going to the gym, and for some the idea of working out is the last thing they would
consider
to
be
therapeutic.
DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TAKE A STEP BACK IF IT IS NECESSARY FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH.
If there is one thing you should do in the year to come, it is find your form of therapy. Maybe reading a good book and getting lost in a fictional world will help you detox from life. Maybe you prefer to be creative and
create
art
of
harmful habits that restrict our mental health. A common ‘anxiety relief’ is smoking, and most can’t even explain exactly why. Well, it’s
our veins. Taking negative coping mechanisms
thing; working out at home is equally as beneficial as
It is incredibly hard to put an end to the
DO NOT BE AFRAID OF BEING SELFISH WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR MENTAL HEALTH.
and replacing them with positive outlets will result in a happier head and a healthier body. If smoking is your vice, perhaps you should try meditation techniques. As we continue through the year of 2020, I think the best thing we can do for ourselves is to be mindful not only of our own mental health, but also of those around us and the struggles and issues they may be experiencing. It is easy to talk the talk, now walk the walk
your
own. Or maybe you simply want to spend more time surrounded by your friends and family.
DO NOT SACRIFICE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH FOR OTHERS.
Whatever it may be, putting emphasis on the things that
One of the things that I have learned through
ease your mind and clear
my own struggles with mental health is that
your head will result in more
talking really is the best way to deal with
productivity and improved
depression and anxiety. Talking about mental
This is an opinion piece from the columnist/contributor and not the opinion of GNI MAG / Romeo & Julian Publications Ltd.
FIFTEEN // GNIMAG.COM
