The pandemic has created an increased level of uncertainty, anxiety, loneliness, and unhappiness, plus the feeling of exhaustion and fatigue in many of us. Because of the pandemic, people are starting to look into many mental health aspects and also trying to develop various types of coping mechanisms more than ever. We are obliged to look into the existing mental health system and create a new support system.
Despite the losses, we have learned different skills to deal with all the pandemic-related mental health issues. This struggle has made us put more effort to search for a sense of meaning and happiness in everything we do. The pandemic has made all mental health issues so visible that they cannot be ignored anymore. We are now looking into the mental health aspects of our lives which were usually not taken into consideration in Bangladeshi culture.
Mental health and its awareness are vastly neglected here in Bangladesh. People from both the urban and rural areas focus on physical health only, even though we always find people suffering from mild to severe mental health issues, like burnout feeling, stress, anxiety, sadness, depression, and so on. So, what can be done for mental health improvement and also raising awareness?
Due to the presence of multiple layers, addressing mental health issues is always very challenging. These layers can be attributed to –
- Lack of awareness about mental health and related issues
- Stigma related to mental health
- Socioeconomic condition and education
- Lack of mental health service facilities, etc.
This article is intended to share knowledge with the readers about mental health so they become more aware of their mental health aspects. So, what is mental health in general? Mental health is a combination of our thoughts, feelings, and behavior, driving our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
To maintain and enjoy sound mental health, we can practice different strategies even without knowing any technical terms at all. There are many ways to try-
- Mindfulness: The practice of mindfulness can help us to a great extent. It can start with a simple question “can we simply live in this moment (present)?” We can connect with a sense of spaciousness and awareness of what is happening right now. While doing mindfulness practice, we can check our feelings and find out if any change is happening.
- Connection: Life needs meaningful relationships. We can search for a sense of connection to others. Only then we can realize how the entire world supports us.
- Curiosity: We can be curious about the things happening around us, starting from the sensations of our own emotions to what other people are going through. Then we can check if this practicing curiosity is creating any impact on us.
- Wonder: We can appreciate the miracle of life, including ourselves and our surroundings, with a sense of awe and appreciation. Then we can ask ourselves if it changes anything or creates any impact on us.
- Gratitude: We can find out if we are grateful for the things we have in our lives and what it would be like not having those things. Does this new lens of appreciation give us any clarity?
- Meaning: We can ask ourselves if everything we do has a sense or meaning. What if every act is a way to love ourselves, or to love and serve others? We need to check then if this realization changes our activities.
- Empowerment: There is a big difference between doing something because we feel “we should or we have to” and doing something because “we choose to”. Can we choose our acts all the time or choose to opt out if we do not want to do something? We can feel what life would be like if we choose to do things from an empowered position, rather than feeling like life is just happening to us.
All these strategies have been compiled as per my knowledge and expertise as a mental health professional, which I have gained through numerous training and academic activities plus practice in my own personal and professional life. We may not try all these strategies at once. We can choose one at a time and practice it for a few days before moving to another one. Life gives us plenty of opportunities if we search for them. So, we should embrace them, do something before being caught up with negative emotions, and find someone to connect with through the activities.
Mousumi Sabina is a Bangladeshi Counselling Psychologist, M.Sc. and American Board of Examiners Certified Practitioner in Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy. At present, she resides in New York, USA
