Protecting your Mental health during crises. |
Hello everybody! My name is Blessing Ofili and today I will be talking about protecting your mental health. I hope everyone here is doing well though.
For about two weeks a lot has been happening in our country. A lot of which is disheartening and just terrible. We protested for a better Nigeria but the government responded with a massacre. Crazy!
I got to see things that they couldn’t have possibly shown in biology class and in one way or the other, every single person in this country was affected by the videos and images we saw.
What happened last week broke the spirit of many. It made some question the need for hope and question life generally. For someone who has been trying to keep their mental health healthy and stable, the massacre of last week might have shaken them a bit too much. For me, it made me question the point of life generally if it can be gone in a second; just like that.
PROTECTING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
In the midst of everything flying around,
1. STAY AWAY FROM IT:
Do not even over think it. You are not “wicked” or inconsiderate for staying away from the news and reports. It is not a selfish move. It is however what is best for you.
I was an aggressively retweeter during the protest. Since Tuesday last week, I have probably spent less than 5minutes on Twitter all together. Like damn, I didn’t even watch the presidential speech even though my family put on the generator just to watch it. I knew the president was going to say nonsense and I didn’t want to hear/watch him say it.
This doesn’t mean you should isolate yourself or not stay informed. It simply means to avoid information that can act as stressors or triggers.
2 ENGAGE YOUR MIND:
“An ideal mind is the…..” I was going to type the devils workshop but then… 😅
Read a book, start a new series, listen to a message or teaching… Do anything!
Your mind can be conditioned and when faced with troubling information, you can engage it in something positive instead.
I started a new series Tuesday night. I’m on season 4 now😉
Do things that will bring you joy or at least take your mind off the troubles of the past few days
3. REVISIT:
If when you do feel better and stable, I believe it is important to revisit the events of the past week. Not the images and videos, but the fact that it isn’t the end! There is still hope. Even though it might seem like the cover ups worked, we know the truth and their end will come.
Reason for this is although you are staying off social media, the events of last week and all that followed is still the topic of discussion.
You can’t sweep it all under the rug really. Nothing good can come from that. Address it.
4. PROCESS YOUR EMOTIONS:
If you can’t talk about it to others or a professional, you can write about it or Talk to God about. Whatever makes you comfortable. Try to find some form of release.
Talking to someone still remains a good way to go though. If you have someone you can trust. Or just simply discuss the event with someone where you can both agree that the events of last week were terrible but it is someone we can move on from and overcome. Then I advice you do talk with that person. A therapist is a good idea too😌
5. ASK YOURSELF, “HOW CAN I TAKE CARE OF MYSELF?”
This includes physically too. Make a list of ways you can take care of yourself and do them.
People tend to separate physical health and mental health as two very distant things. They are not. They are best friends and most times influence each other! Don’t lose guard!!
Many of us will be resuming work. It is not a bad thing if you slip back into work and do your job. This doesn’t undermine the sacrifices that were made. It only means that we live to plan and strategize for another day.
So as you work. Keep taking care of your self physically and mentally.
Blessing Ofili A psychologist/project manager |
Thank you for featuring me on blog. You are doing amazing work!
This is a nice content Blessing. I AM SUPPER BLESSED
Oh my!
So Nice, a very vital point to note
Bravo! Keep it up dear
Thanks you so much.
Nice keep it up dear