THE MENTAL HEALTH HULLABALOO

After eons of being out of sight and mind, I have come back with my tails in between my legs to find solace in writing after such a long time. While the bunch of you will think that my new blog post alert is an April Fool's prank I implore the lot of you to take a chance on me this umpteenth time and if not for anything understand how important today's babble is.

---

If you are my friend, you will realize I more than often ask "How are you really?" because I am sure the regular question does not care for you to elaborate how you really are. The average African adult cares less about the stress on their cerebral cortex or how such little things as a bad day can affect their disposition. March was stressful enough as it is on my brain and coupled with 2 major setbacks I faced I feared the worst for me. According to a peer-review journal I read by the WHO, "In recent years, there has been increasing acknowledgment of the important role mental health plays in achieving development goals. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds. People with severe mental health conditions die prematurely – as much as two decades early – due to preventable physical conditions". If one in every person that chooses the suicide path read up anything on mental health and seeks the necessary help from family, friends, and doctors the grueling figure of the suicide rates that continually spike yearly will dwindle.

Nigeria is already tough as it is, scratch that the entire world is; we just have it a tad harder down in the West coast. A typical young adult in Nigeria faces a range of emotions from the moment their feet hit the ground when they get up in the morning; the power is out and your landlord is waving a crazy bill with a nonsensical tariff in your face, your food supply out and its probably 18 more days until payday, your younger siblings want that cash so bad for school or just to buy airtime, your parents are not left out and black tax or not they feel entitled to a part of your meager income and the list goes on and outrageously on. Shall we pay no mind to your toxic boss at work who will work you to your death and will not hesitate to show you who’s boss at the very little mistake you make at work? It is no respite some of us turn to drugs or wallow in booze; I wish I had the chance not with my almost Strict upbringing but to each their own huh or how do they say it.

When I realized Q1 was ending but noticed my goals for the first three months of the year were no closer to seeing light not to speak of being achieved, I broke down. I remember just crying every single day and hoping a miracle will present itself. The unwanted thoughts of self-inflicting came up too many times for me to not think I was borderline suicidal. I will just weep and look gloomy the entire day. It was easy to pass it off as stress, it is always easy especially if you are a workaholic like me. I ate too much on some days and ate little to no food on other days. This one day I did not have a bath all day and my entire room was a mess. Talmabout the mood swings and transferred aggressions, someday I will think deep enough to figure out who bore the brunt of my dazed weeks. Maybe it was just me whining but March seemed like 2 whole months wrapped in 31 days and man did I pray for it to end. I have redacted more gory details and considered seeking help because it might seem I am in the clear but masquerading my problems well.

Let’s get to the fun part of being in a reverie most of the days in March. I bought shoes and shoes. I vaguely remember doing what Ariana said in 7 rings, “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it“. It isn’t like a truckload or anything of the sort but best believe I have a new pair to wear for quite some time. It was even worst when no one around me understood what was really happening. My sister must have just thought” she’s always liked shoes, so I guess it’s nothing serious” I may have bought more bottles of wine during the period, if I couldn’t drown in booze maybe sparkling wine would do the trick. Not to digress much for I would be such a crass lifestyle  blogger if I didn’t share the principal message I want today’s post to pass to you

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Not sure if you or someone you know has their mental health threatened, Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign:

• Eating or sleeping too much or too little

• Having low or no energy

• Feeling helpless or hopeless

• Smoking, drinking or using drugs more than usual

• Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships

• Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head

• Thinking of harming yourself or others

Food for thought; LET JESUS HOLD YOUR HAND through the stressful period and relax.

Better days ar e always ahead of these horrible ones.

Your wannabe mental health advocate

Helen Dami 💙+ a lot of light