News Flash: You Are Not Alone

World Mental Health Day was celebrated last October 10, 2020. During these trying times and with all the distress we are experiencing, most have secluded themselves from the rest of society for the last seven months. This gave difficult times for people to act the way they used to around the people they love. Being alone for a long time has taken a huge toll on their mental health, which seems to get worse as time passes. This is why people from all over the world came together for this international event—to recognize and value every person and their emotions.

A bad mental health can result in feeling down all the time, acting irrationally or dispassionately, and speaking as such. Our mental well-being affects the way we live and so the World Mental Health Day ensures that we prioritize making it healthy. This day is greatly significant to let them know they are appreciated, for most people have a hard time coping with themselves and the unwanted effects of quarantine. There are people who are often anxious of what will come next, those who feel lonely being alone, and those who cannot help but overthink. This day was made to help them. This day was made for them.

To celebrate this day, here are some ways to maintain our mental health especially during quarantine. Mental illnesses are often caused by the things surrounding a person, both people and environment included. Therefore, we must provide others a safe and healthy environment where they do not feel threatened, insecure, or disheartened. Creating a community at peace makes us achieve peace with others and with ourselves.

The brain is like a sponge as it absorbs almost every piece of information given through the senses. The brain yearns for stimulus, but we are faced with the repetitiveness and seemingly unending routine in this quarantine. These dull our senses and even our mental capacity. To prevent this from happening, continue your hobby and broaden your horizons by starting a new one. Try taking up gardening, cooking, or origami. Even simple things like reading and watching TV shows can make a difference. This helps you relax and relieve the stress off your shoulders.

Another thing that can help is the sense of belonging that we feel in the presence of people around us. While the new normal limits contact with others, it does not entirely forbid us. We can visit others once in a while just as long as we observe the guidelines and rules. However, we can also keep in contact with those around us through the use of technology. 

While people suffer from the effects of isolation, we must begin finding ways to help. We must all come together and make each other feel better, safer, and happier. This is not because of our social obligation but because of the necessity in realizing that a person’s mental health is important. Along with that, we must also remember to check up our own mental health. As others are important, so are you and you can greatly help others if you know how to help yourself too.