In recent times, light has been shed on mental health and depression in Nigeria. Quite a number of people are struggling with this yet choose to do nothing about it rather choosing to mask it by feigning happiness.
In Nigeria especially, we tend to have this mindset that associates depressed people with a certain type of stigma.
Statistics has shown that 25% of Nigerians are depressed and that one in every six women suffers from this. It has also shown that one in every eight men suffer from this too. The statistics for rate of depression keeps increasing daily.
So, what then is depression?
Depression can be defined as a state of the mind which is characterized by sadness, anger, guilt or low self-esteem to name a few in which a person is unable to deliver his or her normal daily activities. It can be triggered by stress, disappointments, emotional scars and physical scars. The good news is that depression can be rectified by good guidance.
here are the ways to aid the mental health:
1. Exercise: It is known that exercise is good for the body but do you know that exercise has been shown to also improve the mental health of individuals. Exercise has a way of making the body vibrant and active throughout the day. Surveys according to the World Health Organization has shown that exercise has a positive effect on the performance of mental health.
2. Relax: This is for depression that is work related. If you ever feel that you are constantly in a bad mood, consider taking a vacation to relax or take a day probably the weekend to just relax and sleep. It would help ones’ mental health a lot.
3. Stop over thinking: It would be good at this point to remind people why they should not overthink things. This point should be the leading cause of depression. Many people tend to live in the past and relieve it which often affects the present. So, the solution to this is to stop that train of thought.
4. Spend time with friends and family: This is also a way to combat depression as spending time with loved ones has been shown to increase happiness in a person.
5. Take time to care about yourself: We are often caught up with daily activities that we forget to take care of ourselves. This is very important, and we should ensure that we take this into account.
6. Do the things that you love: If you love to paint, go on a trip, eat in a fancy restaurant or go to the beach. Please do you!
It would be wise to take time to do these things, but if the symptoms of depression still persist after all these, it is recommended that the individual gets help or consult a trained personnel.
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