Welcome to the Epic Writing Battle hosted by Cherry Book Awards! This exciting contest features two teams of talented writers who will be battling it out to see who can come out on top. Representing Team Wokeseeds and Team Stalwarts, Crystal Nicole and Mayaa SH will be going head to head to showcase their skills and creativity on a given topic. But the ultimate judge of their fate is you, the reader and voter. So sit back, relax, and get ready to be blown away by the incredible writing talent on display.
MATCH 3 – Mental Health
Team Wokeseeds – Crystal Nicole
Mental. Health.
These two words carry a stigma, sometimes more damaging than the mental crisis itself. According to nih.gov, nearly one in five adults live with illness (in the US). That translates to 52.9 million and this was in 2020. With Covid residing and its mental effects becoming more clear, racial tensions, the unstable economy, and the countless other affairs of the world and home life. It’s easy to see how mental illness can develop. Mental illness is a complex, full body experience, one that I have personally lived. For 13 years, I lived with depression and suicidal ideation. Being a young mother and wife, I believe exasperated and exposed underlying issues that were already there. One of the most damaging experiences I had during this time was when I reached out for help from the church I was attending at the time. The response I received was, “maybe you need to pray harder”. I would like to think this was meant with good intention, however it had the complete opposite effect. It caused me to retreat further into myself and isolate even more. An action that can be dangerous for persons struggling with depression or any mental illness.
You want to encourage dialogue, you want to show that you are supportive in the language that that person can understand, not how you want to show support. This is where a lot of people “get it wrong”, and where mental health organizations, schools, and community centers could really step in. Support training consisting of language use, physical, and emotional components would greatly benefit everyone involved. All the components are useful, however the language piece is the most important in my opinion. The perception of someone living with mental illness can be slightly or severely congested or “foggy”, and this can cause a distortion in how language is filtered and processed. Language support training would provide participants with “an alternative vocabulary pool” to use when using dialogue to support someone. This alternative vocabulary pool is designed to bypass the congested or foggy perception. One of the ultimate needs for someone with mental illness is to feel heard, and the alternative vocabulary pool does that. Schools should implement and allow mandatory mental health days. Instead of a traditional school day, that day will be a field trip day to somewhere designate as healing and calming. There should also be stricter, no tolerance anti-bullying laws implemented at the federal and local levels.
Again mental health is a complex action, it doesn’t just affect your mind, it affects your body, your eating habits, your sleeping habits, and relationships with others and most importantly YOURSELF!!
Team Stalwarts – Mayaa SH
Our mind is a Silent Spectator .What matters the most is how we treat ourselves first and how we pereceive our own self-worth.The word “Mental” is considered a taboo to a very large extent , but it should be noted that people are not challenged by issues plaguing them but are hassled more by the outlook of society in general towards them and these matters.It is a social and moral responsibility of all citizens to neutralise their outlook towards anything that might appear difficult or challenging to cope or adjust with , but a more humane and empathetic not sympathetic approach in life to understand situations will prove worthwhile to build a more resilient and a tolerant environment .
Health is an indicator of the completeness of person’s mental, physical and social life. Our mental health is more than physical health. It is determined on the basis of some kind of emotional, mental and social prosperity. Mental health is an index of our thinking and our behaviour. Its reflection is clearly visible in our social relationships to business relationships. The combination of our thoughts, feelings and behaviors and relationships with others classifies our personality. A person is said to have a happy and healthy life when he or she is free from physical ailments and mental disorders and is enjoying good interpersonal relationships. For achieving this we have to ensure that we constantly feed our mind with positive thoughts and ensure that we try our best to stay away from situations that are no longer serving us or anything that is demotivating us .We have to set ourselves free as well from constant self – doubt and limiting beliefs that we are at times not capable of achieving perfection , instead we must cultivate habits that help us Grow and Evolve firstly at our own level.
This requires some effort and practice. Eating nutritious food and waking up on time is very important. A little walking is also necessary. Healthy lifestyle gives us a good health due to which our productivity increases; Physically we stay fit and get rid of health problems, remain stress free. Healthy lifestyle practices are: Good habits like a healthy diet, getting regular exercise and getting enough sleep, keep common diseases away. The 21st century is an era of ‘mental crisis’. From children to the elderly, everyone is living under stress due to the pressure of the demands of modern lifestyle. The World Health Organization predicts that stress-related diseases will outnumber infectious diseases by 2030. In such a situation, it is necessary that we understand the importance of mental health and be alert and ready to protect it. Mental health is extremely important in life. All the criteria of success such as: your grades, job, social status; All these are meaningless if your mental health is not good. The World Health Organization recognizes that ‘without mental health there is no health’. If we are physically fit but our mental health is not good then we are of no value. Therefore, it is necessary that we take care of our mental health just like our physical health.
Preventing mental health problems before they occur is called prevention. Prevention is always better than treatment. There are a number of things that can be done for this; Such as: organizing mental health awareness programmes, organizing seminars on the topic ‘Good mental health for all’, anti-stigma campaigns regarding mental health problems, running mental health literacy programmes, etc. In addition, supporting individuals at high risk for mental health problems and helping people with these problems are also actions to protect the mental health of others. Professional help is necessary if the problem is serious. The second approach to mental health care is ‘protecting one’s own mental health’. Lack of self-attention is seen in most of the people. We don’t pay attention to mental problems until physical symptoms begin to appear, but there are many science-based activities that can help protect and improve our mental health. These tasks are –
Be Positive-
Like two sides of a coin, everything in life has two sides – good and bad, positive and negative. Let us try to see the hidden good in everything. A positive attitude is a boon for mental health.
Remain Active-
Activity maintains physical health. Physical health is linked to mental health. Also, by being busy in work, we do not get time to think about unnecessary things and the mind remains healthy.
Learn To Say No-
Sometimes we take the burden of work on ourselves just out of hesitation or trying to be good. Often we are not able to refuse the work of others and take a lot of responsibility. As a result, we become a victim of stress. It is important that we accept the responsibility of others only after seeing our limitations, otherwise learn to say no politely.
You Don’t Have To Be Perfect –
Everyone has a different way of doing things. Your idea of always being perfect can put you under deep stress. Continuously working in a stressful environment for the sake of perfection is hazardous to mental health. Learn to take care of yourself . You can increase your physical and mental immunity by getting enough sleep, nutritious food, exercise, yoga, pranayama and meditation.
It is necessary to develop the art of dealing with the difficulties and stresses of life and dealing with them efficiently. This art helps us to adjust and overcome every situation and saves us from stress.
Maintain a Nutritious Diet-
Your mental health is closely related to what you eat! Your brain is the busiest organ. It needs a mix of all the essential nutrients to stay healthy. Try to have a balanced diet, which includes fruits, vegetables, pulses, grains and dairy.
Mental health is not only the absence of mental diseases, it includes all types of our emotional, psychological and social health. our thoughts, experiences and actions; Mental health affects everyone. Good mental health helps individuals realize their full potential, cope with stress, perform productive work, and make meaningful contributions to the community.Mental health is extremely important in life. All the criteria of success such as: your grades, job, social status; All these are meaningless if your mental health is not good. The World Health Organization recognizes that ‘without mental health there is no health’. If we are physically fit but our mental health is not good then we are of no value. Therefore, it is necessary that we take care of our mental health just like our physical health.It is necessary to develop the art of dealing with the difficulties and stresses of life and dealing with them efficiently. This art helps us to adjust and overcome every situation and saves us from stress.With the above mentioned measures, we can take care and protect our mental health and prevent any kind of mental problem before it arises because “Prevention is Better Than Cure’.
There is no dearth of people who find fault in you in the world. In such a situation, accept your reality and tell yourself that ,”Yes I am better as I am”. Work hard to improve yourself, not to please others.
