Chika Jonah Writes

Tag: health

  • 7 Things to Improve your Mental Health

    Things to improve your mental health are as easy to come by as things needed to improve your physical health.

    Once you notice any sign of weakness in your body, or any symptom of sickness, the first thing you do is, make a run for medications, prescriptions, exercise, anything to heal your body and make you healthy, but when it comes to your mental health, it becomes extremely difficult to take care of it.

    There are a lot of physically fit people with mental health issues on the streets.

    Why?

    Because, the same attention you’ve given to your body has not been given to your mind. Also, there are those who don’t even take care of both their body and mind as should.

    The fact remains that taking care of your mental health is not difficult. The things to improve your mental health are very easy to come by. All it takes is your determination and consistency, which becomes hard part.

    I’m not here to give a pep talk to a grown adult on the importance of mental health and why you should be consistently prioritizing it, because if you as an adult, (18+) do not know the importance of your mental health, then you are sleeping. (Tell that to some Nigerian Parents)

    It would baffle you to know that, some Nigerians still perceive a toll in mental health as madness. Shameful!

    If you’re reading this and you’re one of those Nigerians, then your thinking is far from the truth. Such perception is vague and misleading.

    Signs that Your Mental Health has Taken a Toll

    1. Anxiety

    2. Overthinking

    3. Toxicity

    4. Insomnia

    5. Lack of Gratitude

    6. No self worth and self love

    7. Depression

    8. Jumpiness and Anxiousness

    9. Bad eating habit

    10. Distancing yourself from others.

    Its easy to experience all of these things because life presents situations that make you anxious, pain that make you depressed, toxic people that try to rub their toxicity on you and fear that makes you jumpy. (Sarmlife shared something helpful on Anxiety you should see) The key is to listen to your body, and mind to know when these things get out of hand. And when they do, that’s when you know its time do things to improve your mental health.

    This is where the Mental health help guide come in. It’s important that you are aware of these 7 things to improve your mental health and apply it in your everyday life.

    7 Things to Improve Your Mental Health.

    Overcome Triggers

    Triggers are events, experiences or other stimulus that initiates a traumatic memory or action in a person. If you were abandoned as a child, any form of rejection can trigger that traumatic experience again. There by giving you reasons to respond to it. Avoiding triggers can do so little, but overcoming triggers lies the real gain. You can overcome triggers by;

    • Reminding yourself that its all in your head.
    • Reminding yourself that you can control it.
    • Not responding to its effect on you by not letting it overwhelm you.
    • Understanding that such traumatic event cannot affect your present. Affirming that Good things will come.

    Love Yourself

    We are all imperfect beings with flaws, weaknesses, and deficiencies, and you are one of those people. Perfect in imperfection. Love yourself. Be kind to yourself. Respect yourself enough to not look down on yourself. Spoil yourself. Tell yourself sweet things. A friend posted on his status yesterday saying, “I’m so happy because I first fell in love with myself.”

    Reading that alone brought tears to my eyes,  because there’s an undisputed amount of happiness that come with loving yourself and it is one of those things to improve your mental heath that I love so much. Self love is gold.

    Take care of your body

    Taking care of your physical body as one of the things to improve your mental health works like magic. Things like:

    •Exercising
    •Eating well
    •Avoiding alcohol and drugs
    •Drinking plenty of water
    •Sleeping and resting well
    •Engaging in hobbies
    •Having fun exercises

    Meditate

    Meditating connects your mind with your surrounding. It opens your mind to positive possibilities. It stretches your mind to see more than what has or is happenening around you. It calms your nerves and refreshes your soul. It organizes your thoughts. It takes away the feeling of fatigue and allows your mind to see more, to ponder upon situations in a collected way and to build positive growth reflections.

    Journal

    I call Journaling every ones best friend. Sometimes I hear people say “but how can I just be writing anything on a book.” That is the purpose journaling. To show you that there is something in your nothing. Journaling helps you make sense of the senseless. Putting them down on a journal, and writing all your feelings and thoughts helps you clear your head. Let me also add what I shared In my last post on Journaling, “Write on your journal regularly, your thoughts, actions, plans, ideas or just how you spend everyday. Go back and read it, you’d be amazed at the things that would begin to unravel.”

    Be around good people

    Good family and friends are one of the things to improve your mental health. Good people who share good values like you are such a rare blessing. If you know them, hold on to them. Surround yourself with them. They would be a source of encouragment, love, support, and care on those days when your mental health detoriates. Don’t push them away or deny them the right to love and comfort you.

    Seek Help

    This can be a difficult part for some people. Although, there are few others who would shamelessly ask for help. Please be among those few others. I get that you may not want to burden someone else with your issues, but dear, there are people who can handle it. A counselor, (Guardian angel offers free counselling ) a therapist, a specialist in the area, a mentor or someone you respect. Just seek help.

    I hope that you’d take these 7 things to improve your mental health guide seriously anytime you begin to feel down mentally. So, bookmark this post and share with your friends and loves ones.

    Happy Mental Health Week.

  • Normal changes that may question our level of faith

    I’m saying a big thank you to everyone who’s ever stopped by to read my posts. You’re awesome.

    The fact that i can actually type this lengthy post is a big blessing to me and a miracle, and my heart is filled with so much gratitude.

    On Thursday i was down. I really don’t know how it happened. I left the house in good spirit, excited to explore what the day would bring my way. I tided up things at work as usual the minute i entered into the office and when i was done i sat down waiting for the next course of action. Then suddenly i felt hot. So hot inside that i thought maybe its because i hadn’t taken any water that day, so i did the needful and drank a lot of water. But it didn’t change anything.

    Okay this may be abnormal but i never catch a cold or even feel cold (laughs). Sorry to all those who always feel cold at the slightest thing, maybe someday i will too. Its that bad that i don’t have a single cardigan or any kind of thick cloths. Due to the fact that I’m not prone to cold, my body is always cold. I mean my female colleague in particular likes resting in my arms just to feel my cold body. But for the first time my body became extremely hot. (Saying it was as hot as a boiling water may not be an understatement). It gave me scare. And that made me realize that my abnormal life was becoming normal.

    From the hotness to headaches that felt like strange people were walking on my head to tiredness to saw throat to burring eyesight and to overall weakness. Both my hands and legs became numb.

    I didn’t need to run a test to know this was a serious case of malaria. I always enjoyed good health by Gods grace but knowing what this was i became frightened of what the solution to this would mean and if I’d be willing to do just that.

    I could take anything but weakness of any sort is something i couldn’t handle. I couldn’t even type a simple message. I couldn’t even contribute in the photography lessons i was taking. I couldn’t even talk properly on the phone. I barely made it home. It was all this that made me decide to do the normal thing that any normal ill person in my position would do. Taking treatment. But it was this same treatment that i was afraid of.

    Firstly i needed to get a test done and seriously treat it. Take the necessary prescriptions at the right time. Which is the cure for my sickness but i kept putting it off for the scared of drugs and for not ever taken drugs since junior high school (JSS3). Yes! The truth was i had never fallen sick since 2006 until now.
    After i got home i finally gathered the courage and tool a pill for the headache. And prayed that that would be all for now. But it wasn’t.

    Secondly mummy advised me to not try bathing cold water. After grumbling and murmuring i finally succumbed because i couldn’t deal with the weakness and pain anymore. I wanted to be myself as soon as possible. I knew doing this would be making a huge change because i had never bathed hot water since i entered boarding school when i was ten years old(weird right?). Making this decision was a big one for me. And as the hot water touched my skin that night. I felt it…i felt that clench in my muscles…i felt that difference…i felt that heat…i felt that relieve. After that i agreed that hot water was not that bad even though i knew i would not do it again because i cant deal with the heat afterwards (laughs).

    So guys I’ve just realized that because you’re like me that have enjoyed a strong health for a long time doesn’t mean you should avoid taking routine medications every now and then. The truth is that we are preys to bacteria and diseases every time we walk out the door. Let’s not wait till we’re down with the flu before we take the necessary treatment to kill every toxic cell in our body. Check yourself every one quarter of the year. Because sometimes this changes are inevitable as we grow older. I knew that God was by my side. And that i suddenly fell ill didn’t mean the divine healing I’ve enjoyed for years would suddenly stop. Some people make the mistake of turning a blind eye to their issues all because they feel they have enough faith to pull them true. But don’t forget. Faith without works is dead. Be practical. Do your best and God would handle the rest.

    I’m not so weak anymore but aside that every other symptom is still present. As much as i still want God’s supernatural healing, I’m not foolish enough to linger on that. So this morning I’m going to walk through that door and after my diagnosis I’m going to take all that the pharmacist prescribes for me; even though I’m still scared as hell.

    So guys i need a lot of motivation from y’all and prayers too.

    * * *

    Let me hear your story about that thing that is normal for everyone but is abnormal for you in the comment section. I’ll be glad.