The pace of living in today’s world has reached a stage where people are pressured into earning more money to keep abreast of the ever-spiralling cost of living.
People are being diagnosed with more mental health problems as they mature, and this can be attributed to the pressure of day to day living in our modern society. The fast pace and the higher standards that have been set, seem to be taking a toll on people’s mental health. Unfortunately, we are not content to live together in harmony, life has evolved into constant competition with our neighbours. We compete to find a job and keep it, then struggle to attain a comfortable lifestyle.
Everyone experiences stress from time to time. Some people cope with stress more effectively and recover from stressful events more quickly than others while other delve deep into unhealthy methods to cope and response towards stress –
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Watching endless hours of TV, and Mobile
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Spending aggressive amount of time on social media
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Withdrawing from social life to avoid facing problems
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Overeating or weight gain
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Undereating or weight loss
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Sleeping too much
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Alcohol consumption & Smoking
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Lashing out at others or violent outbursts
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Taking over-the-counter drugs that promise some form or relief, such as sleeping pills, muscle relaxants, or anti-anxiety pills
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Taking illegal or unsafe drugs
SYMPTOMS
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Is your lifestyle healthy?
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Do you smoke, drink in excess and gamble?
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Do you feel “blue” on most days and have dropped interest in things you used to enjoy?
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Are you impatient?
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Do you get angry quickly?
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Do you find it difficult to take at least 15 minutes for yourself every day?
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Do you have heart racing?
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Do you feel frequent stomach issues?
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Do you feel loss of sleep or access of sleep?
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Do you feel irritable most of the time?
A proactive approach to one’s mental health will go a long way toward restoration of balance and stability of the mind and the emotions.
Recognize you are an important role model for the people around you on a daily basis. You live a healthy lifestyle and practising what you preach will generate good healthy results around you as well and foster healthy lifestyles for years to come.