Elohor Oderowho: Be Intentional About Your Mental Health

I am in the midst of yet another dilemma and my mental health is paying dearly for it. There seems to be an endless cycle of frustration and I can’t help but be filled with resentment – at everything. Right now, I’m exhausted and frightened but with some little scraps of hope and resilience.  

Another mental meltdown? That is how I have been feeling lately.

Feeling mentally burnt out has become a process of life, especially in this chaotic society of the 21st century. The negative news flying here and there, fuel hikes and cash scarcity, inflation all add up to the frustration. The past days have been inexplicably traumatising. There’s no denying that Nigerians are once again jolted to the reality of the many failures existent in the system.

More than ever before, it has become of utmost importance to pay attention to and take care of one’s mental health, else, you will continue to find reasons to be sad, dispirited and frustrated. And when this happens, you may find yourself transferring aggression to everyone around you.

Addressing a burnout or mental meltdown is beyond taking deep breaths, cups of tea or bubble baths. You must first be aware that you feel depleted before you decide to work on it. The most important way to combat a mental breakdown is to try to switch your focus from what is not working to what you have control over. That way, you can expend your mental and even physical energy on things you’re sure to get results on. It is amazing how drastically better you can feel when you decide to intentionally work on improving your mental and general well-being, as opposed to worrying over situations you cannot control or change.

It is also important to carefully choose your battles. It’s easy to become absorbed in situations that do not even relate to you. For instance, if the people around you are depressed or frustrated because of a situation or event, it is possible it’ll rob off on you. Be intentional about the energies you absorb, carefully select the information and channels you feed on. While it’s impossible to totally stay away from all the bad news and negative predictions saturating the media, you can choose to limit them.

Also, recognising and labelling the triggers can greatly help you avoid a mental meltdown. Are you just tired or are you feeling regretful about an action you took some time ago? Are you disappointed in the result of an event or situation or are you feeling dispirited following a communal crisis? Identifying emotions will always give you a better picture of what you’re up against and how to combat it.

It is important to devise means to counter the triggers. Instead of feeling regretful about things you cannot change, choose instead to be thankful for the experiences you’ve gained from your mistakes. You can also choose to focus on the truths of every situation than live off social media speculations and multiple opinions. Most times, the media tend to zoom into seemingly mundane things and make issues way bigger than they are. If care is not taken, you may begin to feel depressed or angered.  

Your mental health is a pivotal part of your life and you must be careful to guard it.

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