Better Self Mental Health Care

What is resilience?  How fast do you bounce back from setbacks or how well do you cope when faced with a negative situation? Let's talk resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back or recover from the challenges of everyday life. But how easy is it? Given the severity of an experience or the availability of some kind of resources, it can be difficult to cope. Some people may become hopeless or easily resort to unhealthy copying mechanisms but a resilient person is able to cope effectively regardless of whatever situation they may face.  From time to time, we must face tough situations not only from an individual level e.g job loss, abuse but also from a societal level such as the COVID-19 pandemic and this may affect how we recover from those situations. Our ability to effectively cope with these challenges is what is called resilience. The resilience theory proposes that resilience is not a fixed trait meaning it is something you can build overtime. It isn...

What is bipolar disorder? Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that is marked by extreme mood changes that oscillate from elevated moods to low and depressive moods. These extremely high moods are known as mania or hypomania(less intense than mania) while low moods are called depressive episodes. Bipolar disorder severely affects one's day to day activities, mood, behavior and even relationships. However, with appropriate treatment and support, one will be able to manage their symptoms effectively and stabilize their moods. Every individual experiences mood changes from time to time but people with bipolar disorder experience these mood shifts in intense and extreme levels. These extreme mood changes can adversely affect one's energy levels, sleep, decision making, perceptions and behavior which can make it hard for them to function and become productive.  Types of bipolar related disorders Bipolar I disorder   One experiences at least one manic episode an...

What is an attachment style? An attachment style is pattern of behavior one displays in a relationship. It includes how one responds emotionally to their partner, how they navigate through the relationship and the type of behavior one manifests in the relationship. There are different types of attachment styles and that includes anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, fearful-avoidant/ disorganized attachment and secure attachment. Attachment styles in adulthood results from one’s early childhood experiences in relation to their primary caregivers. Contrary to popular belief, an attachment style is not associated with one’s personality but it is a style of attachment that you have learnt on how to relate with others. According to the attachment theory formulated by psychologist Mary Ainsworth and psychiatrist John Bowlby in the 1950s, an individual’s attachment style is shaped by their early childhood experiences in relation to the relationship they had with their primary...

Have you ever been in a group of people but not necessarily felt like you were a part of it? Or that you know a lot of people but have no real deep connections? This could be a sign of loneliness. More than just essential needs, the feelings of love and belonging are innate needs in human beings and without it our longevity tends to subsequently decrease. Loneliness looks like wanting to fit in, wanting to be seen and heard but not having the capacity to support human interaction. When we feel deprived of the feelings of love and belonging in our lives, we may end up feeling lonely even in the midst of others.However, the experience of loneliness is personal and unique therefore we tend to experience it differently e.g one might feel lonely after having a divorce while another might feel lonely because they are unable to make friends. The needs are different in both cases. So much has loneliness become an evident epidemic in today's society such that the UK and Japan gov...

What is depression? Depression is a mental health disorder that is marked by persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness and a general lack of interest in everything. According to the World Health Organization, 800,000 people take their own lives and 300 million people are suffering from depression worldwide. Depression is more than just feeling sad, it is constant feelings of sadness as if a dark cloud is always hanging around you. Depression can affect adults, adolescents and even children. Due to the stigma attached to it, many don't seek help and it is often mistaken as moodiness, laziness and introversion and this perpetuates the impact of experiencing it. General symptoms of depression Having depression is marked by intense, persistent feelings of sadness that last for over 2 weeks and are out of proportion to the circumstances you are experiencing in your life. It is important to seek immediate professional help from a doctor or a mental health advisor if you are experie...

What is a mother wound? A mother wound is a psychological issue that you experience if your mother was not physically or emotionally present or was overly controlling. A mother's presence is very strong and without it, an infant finds it hard to adapt to its' surroundings, has attachment issues and doesn't feel safe and secure within itself. Sometimes, it's easy to come to the realization that we may have been under mothered e.g if our mother was a drug/alcohol addict, had an untreated mental health condition or had a physical illness that made it hard for her to show up as a mother. In other instances, however, we may not be aware that we have a mother wound because on the outside it looks nice and wonderful. We may have had our basic needs provided for, have all the material resources we needed but when it came to love and attention, there was a major deficit. This can happen if she was emotionally distant and seemed to be preoccupied with her life or even...