Moeletsi oa Basotho Taking care of our mental health is one other important aspect of our life that requires to be taken as personal responsibility. Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Our mental wellbeing affects how to respond to situations; our thinking, emotions and behaviour. It determines how we handle stress, relating to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. It needs as much attention as with physical health because eventually, it will become physical. Research says that stress accounts for many illnesses that are presented at the health facilities and is also among the first 6 causes of death globally.
Lesotho has been noted by the World Health Organization as having the highest suicidal cases globally. It’s not just numbers, it’s people and their struggles. That number accounts for the number of people who have been noted to have struggled psychologically for some time, until they could not take it anymore. This number signifies the number of people who are struggling with their mental health and those who are being affected by the behaviours of these patients.
Often when we are wounded we bleed on the people that did not hurt us; our loved ones, people who care for us, people we care about, people we interact with, we get them wounded too and they wound others, and they wound us back. It becomes a vicious circle. This is because, when we are mentally wounded, our wounds are portrayed in our behaviours; we tap into our dark sides. We often become impatient, ruthless, too sensitive and overreact. We get to be very angry most times, irritable and don’t want to be disturbed; our daily functioning is negatively affected. This kind of behaviour denies the people around us to experience love and joy. You cannot pour from an empty cup. You need to fill your cup first. Take care of your mental health. Instead of sharing joy and love, we infect them with our bitterness, sadness and emotional outburst. For most people, before they find help, relationships have been broken, their dignity tainted, jobs and families lost and they are physically ill with lifetime illness like high blood pressure, heart problem, diabetes, arthritis or any other illness that would take a chance while the immune system was compromised by stress.
Many people are experiencing chronic stress, it has become the new norm, hence we have begun to believe that it is OKAY! And it has to stay like that. The feeling of intense sadness, anger and fear has become our new norm. Life is generally becoming more complex, we struggle or totally fail to have solutions, or at least better options to the challenges we face. This is even worse for teenagers and young adults as they are in the critical stage of defining their identity and forming relationships. This transition into adulthood requires stability, information and sense of security to allow them to strengthen their confidence and esteem, define their values and set boundaries that they are able to communicate clearly with everyone.
However, regardless of how long you have been living with these intense negative feelings, it’s never too late to seek help and experience happiness again. The advice is to intentionally & actively take action to take care of our mental health. It’s best to start off by having the knowledge about it and how it can affect your life and of the significant others in your life. We need to know the relevant behaviour changes associated with mental problem. Take preventive measures, or seek help if we are already suffering even if it means going to mental health hospital (Mohlomi Hospital) to get medication. Mental health is preventable and treatable.
‘Matsebo Mosoeu
Psychological Counselor at Mind Body Wellness
Contacts +266 68000088
