mental health

The benefits of being open about your mental health

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It’s no secret that mental health is still stigmatized. In many societies, discussing your mental health struggles shows weakness. However, being open about your mental health can be beneficial in many ways. Doing so can help break the stigma, normalize conversations about mental health, and ultimately lead to better support for those struggling with their mental health. Here are a few reasons I believe being open about your mental health is essential.

Being open about your mental health can help you find understanding and support from others. We all may feel alone in our mental health journey from time to time, but something must be said to be honest and open about our struggles. By taking a moment to dive into our feelings and speak openly about them, we can help ourselves find understanding and support in those around us. It may seem intimidating initially, but even the slightest showing of openness can do wonders when alleviating tension in an otherwise uncomfortable situation. The power of connection that comes with being open about your mental health cannot be overstated – why not give it a try?

It can also help to reduce the stigma around mental illness.

Mental illness is a complex subject, and it can be tempting to shy away from the topic, but discussing it openly is one of the most helpful tools for supporting those with it. By removing the stigma surrounding conversations about mental health, we can create a more inclusive environment that promotes understanding and acceptance of different struggles while helping others feel heard and appreciated. After all, no one should face these issues alone — open acknowledgment is the first step towards creating more robust support systems for those facing mental illnesses daily.

Being open about your mental health can also help you better understand yourself.

Being open about one’s mental health is integral to a life of self-awareness and understanding. Instead of burying our troubles deep within us, we should confront them head-on and use them to learn more about ourselves. For those brave enough to take this approach, talking about your mental health helps bring clarity to our thoughts and allows us to gain perspective over our emotions. With this newfound insight, we can become the master of our destiny instead of being held hostage by our mental health issues.

Finally, being open about your mental health can lead to positive changes in your life.

With so much attention on the importance of physical health, it’s easy to forget that mental health is just as important. Unfortunately, our society still hasn’t embraced discussing mental illness with the same positivity and understanding as physical illness. Thankfully, things are beginning to change thanks to those brave enough to open up about their mental health struggles, which can often lead to significant changes for the better. Being honest about your struggle provides an essential sense of relief and allows for a more supportive environment. Of course, life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but when we openly speak about our mental health, we give ourselves the opportunity—and permission—to improve our overall well-being.
 
Being open about your mental health is an excellent way to find support from others, reduce the stigma around mental illness, better understand yourself, and make positive changes in your life. So go ahead and be open about your mental health–you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Wishing you the best in your Wellness journey.

How to disclose your mental health condition to a new partner

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One of the hardest things about starting a new relationship is deciding when – and how – to tell your mental health condition. Do you wait until after the first date? The third? Or do you blurt it out on the first date to get it over with quickly?

There is no easy answer, but there are some things to consider that may help you decide. Here are a few tips for disclosing your mental health condition to a new partner.

It’s not always easy to disclose your mental health condition to a new partner, but being honest about it from the start is essential.

It can be tempting to pretend that everything in your life is fine when you meet a new partner – after all, who wants to manage the stigma and misunderstanding that so often come with openly discussing mental health? However, staying true to yourself and being authentic is essential. Deviating from that could mean clear expectations need to be established, and relationship dynamics are based on incomplete information. Ultimately, despite any awkwardness or challenges, being forthright with your relevant mental health history can help build trust and create a stronger bond, setting the stage for a more honest and supportive partnership.

You can’t control how your partner will react, but you can control how you tell them and what information you share.

It’s easy to get caught up in our emotions when it comes to telling someone something we think might hurt them; however, if we take a step back and consider the most efficient way of getting our point across without damaging the relationship further, then it can go a long way. It’s important to remember that you have control over how you deliver your words. Include only the pertinent information and try your best to be honest but also find a way to approach an uncomfortable topic least harshly.

Be prepared for questions and be honest in your answers.

Trust is an essential part of any romantic relationship, and it starts with being honest and forthcoming with questions early on in the courtship. Whether you’ve been together a week or several months, be prepared to answer questions honestly when your partner asks. Don’t feel like all of your secrets must come spilling out at once; being honest doesn’t mean you need to rush into divulging every detail about yourself, nor should you overwhelm your partner with all your information upfront. Instead, be gentle, take your time and communicate when both of you are ready. That way, trust can grow naturally over time.

Remember that your mental health is just one part of who you are, and don’t let it define you or your relationship.

It’s important to remember that just because you experience a mental health condition doesn’t mean it has to control your life. Of course, it should be taken seriously and treated with care, but acknowledging its presence doesn’t have to take away your identity or make you any less the person you were before – and this especially applies to relationships. Don’t let your mental health condition be the only part of whom people see; let them meet the real you too. After all, mental health is just a part of our complex tapestry; there’s still plenty of room to bring forth who you are!

Coming out to your new partner about your mental health condition can be daunting. But it’s essential, to be honest, and remember that you control how much information you share and when. Be prepared for questions, but don’t feel like you have to give all the answers at once – take your time and do it when you both feel ready. And finally, don’t forget that your mental health condition is just one part of who you are; it doesn’t have to define you or your relationship.

 

The Lasting Effects of Compulsive Lying on Relationships

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Pathological and compulsive lying can seriously affect personal relationships at home and in the workplace. Chronic lying is defined as a habitual pattern of dishonesty and deceit in which an individual intentionally lies regularly about matters that are generally trivial or insignificant. Compulsive lying is defined as an inability to stop oneself from repeatedly telling falsehoods. It is often associated with pathological and compulsive behaviour. Pathological lying is a long-term behaviour pattern involving frequent and habitual lying without clear motives or benefits. Let’s take a closer look at how this behaviour can impact relationships with family members, coworkers, friends, and even strangers.

The Impact on Family Members

Pathological and compulsive lying can significantly damage family relationships, particularly between spouses or parents and their children. Lying within a family can lead to mistrust, resentment, guilt, anger, confusion, and even fear among the other family members. If left unchecked, it can cause irreparable damage to the relationship between family members as trust erodes over time. In addition to causing emotional distress for everyone involved, pathological lying can also strain the family financially if the liar lies about money matters such as income or debt.

The Impact on Coworkers

Pathological lying can also hurt workplace relationships between coworkers who must interact with each other regularly to complete specific tasks or projects successfully. Coworkers may start to feel untrustworthy of their colleagues if they begin to question their honesty or motives due to lies that were told in the past. This lack of trust can lead to feelings of conflict and tension within the workplace that could hamper productivity levels or make it difficult for employees to work together effectively.

The Impact on Friendships

Pathological liars may find it challenging to form successful friendships because people tend not to like being lied to by their friends. Even if someone has only been lied to a few times by the same person, this may cause them enough discomfort to choose not to pursue further interactions with that individual. This means that pathological liars may have difficulty forming meaningful connections with others since people are likely wary of trusting them after having been burned by lies in the past.             

Treatment Options

Treatment options are available for individuals who suffer from a pathological or compulsive lying disorder, such as therapy sessions with a psychotherapist specializing in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT focuses on identifying maladaptive behaviours, such as chronic lying, while teaching new coping skills so that patients learn how to better manage their emotions without resorting to old patterns of thinking or behaviour, such as chronic dishonesty, when faced with stressful situations in life or social interactions with others. Additionally, various support groups are available online. As a result, individuals suffering from similar issues can talk openly about their experiences while gaining advice from others who understand firsthand what they’re going through.
 
Pathological and compulsive lying can have severe consequences for personal relationships at home and in the workplace. It is essential to recognize when you or someone close to you may be engaging in this behaviour so that appropriate steps can be taken toward treatment options such as cognitive behavioural therapy to raise awareness; gain insight into their destructive behaviours or support groups. By accepting these proactive measures, individuals suffering from pathological lying disorder will gain more control over their emotions and learn how to better manage their thoughts without resorting to chronic dishonesty in various situations. With help, it is possible to break free of this destructive behaviour pattern and rebuild trust with those around them.

Wishing you all the best in your Wellness journey.

Post COVID-19

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What Will The New Normal Look Like?

It seems like a lifetime ago when we could freely roam about our communities without worries of catching a deadly virus. Life is certainly more unpredictable these days with the COVID-19 pandemic running its course. It used to be that we’d wake up and know fairly well how our day was going to go. We had the security of a job, a fairly good assurance of coming home without any type of virus, and a routine that helped us feel stable.

However, since COVID-19, we’re living in a world where fear and panic have risen to the surface, with many people struggling to cope each day.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), fear and panic are defined as intensified or excessive fear launched by something specific. Panic is defined as intense or paralyzing fear that tends to come on suddenly.

Life as normal changed when our everyday lives were hit with COVID-19. No longer could we wake up and use our freedom to engage in work or our communities as we pleased. No longer could we face each day with a certainty that we and our loved ones would be alright. The underlying emotion in most homes has become fear and panic.

Effects On Mental Health Workers

As a psychotherapist working in a hospital, I’ve witnessed the direct effects COVID-19 has had on health care workers. A co-worker shared with me how challenging it’s been for her to watch patients suffer alone. In one instance, she had a patient quarantined with the virus. His family was not allowed in the room to see him, so she moved his bed by the window so he could see them as he talked to them on the phone.
The grief and fear healthcare workers are carrying can become quite heavy at times. They are courageously stepping it up to care for those that fall ill, all-the-while trying to practice self-care.

COVID-19 And Generalized Anxiety

When someone experiences persistent, intense worry, it’s diagnosed as Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It could very well be that most of the world is experiencing these symptoms directly due to the pandemic.
Anxiety, fear, and panic have set the stage for communities to begin living life in a different, self-distancing, isolated way. All of us have had to change our routines and make life adjustments that we hope will keep ourselves and our families safe.

To date, statistics report that almost four million people have COVID-19 around the world. Over 265,000 have died. The tragedy of loss behind the numbers is huge. The grief that cries out around the globe monstrous. All the while, most people continue to struggle with the same questions.

  • When will this be over?
  • Will I be alright? Will my family be alright?
  • What if I get sick?
  • Will I get my job back?
  • How am I going to recover from this?
  • What will life be like after the pandemic?

Moving forward, it will be important that all of us try to cultivate a new sense of normal. A sense of stability post COVID-19.   

Preparing For Life After The Virus

Most people want to get back to work and a sense of normalcy. They’re eager to get back to a routine with some stability. Routines help us feel stable and help bring a calming to our emotions. For children, parents can help them prepare for going back to school or being at home without parents when they return to work by keeping routine and structure in place at home during the pandemic. Children tend to thrive better when there are schedules and consistency. 

For adults, practicing self-care is essential. With the excess free time we’re experiencing, be sure to fill that time with things that nurture yourself. Get plenty of sleep. Take time to exercise. Do things that you enjoy. It’s easy to let boredom in the cracks, so consciously take on each day as it comes, engaging in meaningful tasks for yourself and with your loved ones. 

Hope For Life Post COVID-19

There will be a day when the pandemic is over. Keep that in mind. People will return to work. Children will return to school or daycare. The economy will startup again. Offer gratitude for what will be once again in the near future, as well as for all the good in your life right now. Enjoy the simple things right under your nose. 

In the grand scheme of things, it is an opportune time to evaluate our values and priorities. We have some time to reflect on what’s most important to us, as well as learn valuable lessons along the way regarding health, relationships with loved ones, community, and life in general. 

Quieting the inner Critic

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We all have different voices: one that uplifts and one that pulls us down, one that is encouraging and another that is discouraging. All these voices play different roles in shaping our lives. The critical inner voice focuses on what you are doing wrong while the inner nurturing voice brings encouragement. However, some people’s inner critic goes beyond, giving the feeling of aggression and shame.


What is an inner critic?
Inner critics are streams of destructive thoughts that discourage people from expressing their interests and living their lives. These voices may sound like, “why can’t you?” “What is wrong with you?” “you are fat,” “it is impossible,” “that is hard for you.” The critical inner voice constitutes of all the emotions, beliefs and thoughts that try to control people’s lives by telling them they are doing something wrong. These internal thoughts develop as we grow older.


Our inner critic is shaped by any external input, including our interaction, environment and the society in general. As young kids, we depend on our caregivers. Basing on their conditions, they try to raise us to ways that conform to there believes of reality. They shape us by giving reinforcements if we behave the way they want us to or punishment if we behave otherwise. Since we are dependent on them, we tend to suppress our enthusiasm and aliveness to act the way they want us to. In the long run, we get to internalize the rewards and punishments, limiting our views and range of action.


Our inner critic can be painful and harsh, depending on our upbringing. However, everyone has a critical inner voice that can impede our expressions. To learn and grow, we need to manage the critical inner voice.

Self-awareness – The first step to managing the inner critic is by being aware that they exist. Most individuals do not know that they have an inner critical voice because it has been their all their lives. So it feels natural. Pay attention to the voice that downgrades your accomplishments and catch yourself when you are too negative. Observe the continuous patterns of discouragement and doubts.


Stop ruminating – When you do something wrong or have embarrassed yourself, it may feel natural to keep replaying it over and over again in your mind. In most cases, the critical inner voice focuses on chastising rather than providing a solution. This makes you feel worse. When you find yourself ruminating, get a distraction, like talking about something or taking a walk.


Get that friendly advice – If a friend is doubtful about something, you will be compassionate enough to offer words of encouragement. “You can do it,” “it was not your fault.” Treat yourself as your friend and encourage yourself. Be kind to yourself.


Challenge your inner voice – In most cases, we try to ignore our inner critic. This is worse because the more you ignore the inner critic the stronger it becomes. You can challenge it by evaluating the evidence. If your inner voice says, I am never going to succeed in this job,” look at the evidence that supports and negates it. This helps evaluate the situation rationally.


Get a balance between acceptance and self-improvement – We all have flaws. Embrace your flaws and work to improve them. There is a big difference in accepting you have a fault and reminding yourself that you can be better. Acknowledging your flaws does not mean that they stay with you.
It may seem challenging to overcome the critical inner voice but is possible. You deserve positivity in your life!

Meet and Defeat Anxiety

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It’s completely okay to feel anxious from time-to-time. Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and often a healthy reaction to emotion. It can happen in children and adults.

In most cases, feelings of anxiety come and go, only lasting a short time. Feelings of anxiety can last from a few minutes to a couple of days. Unfortunately, in other cases, the anxiety can last much longer. It can go on for weeks, months, or even years.

What is anxiety?
Impending dread senses that your brain tries to rationalize by coming up with plausible-sounding excuses as to why you need to worry (when you don’t). It can also be described as a feeling that causes your body to go on high alert and to be hypersensitive to possible dangers and in turn, it activates your fight or flight response.

Recognize anxiety
Anxiety symptoms manifest themselves differently from individual to individual. A good rule of thumb is to keep in mind of how your body reacts to anxiety. If you have experienced anxiety previously, it is important to take note of the clues that your body is giving you about your anxiety levels to help be in control of what you are feeling.

This is a list including the most common anxiety symptoms:

  • nervousness, restlessness, or being tense
  • feeling in danger
  • experiencing dread or panic
  • rapid heart rate and/or rapid breathing, or hyperventilation
  • increased sweating
  • weakness
  • difficulty concentrating or obsessive patterns
  • digestive problems
  • insomnia

Can anxiety become a disorder?
The short answer is yes. If your anxiety lingers and persists to stay in your life until it begins to interfere with your daily activities such as family life, work, school. Thankfully, anxiety is a common, treatable, and most importantly manageable condition.

How to cope with anxiety with the help of strategies and tools
If you are feeling overwhelmed, try these tricks:

  • Get enough sleep each night.
  • Limit alcohol and caffeine intake, especially before sleep.
  • Take deep breaths and slowly count to ten. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which is responsible for activities that occur when our body is at rest. 
  • Talk to someone that can and wants to listen, such as a friend or close family member.
  • See a therapist who is trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
  • Understand the difference between hypothetical worry vs practical worry


How to react during a panic attack
A panic attack is the result of an overload of anxiety, it is a sudden onset of fear or distress that peaks in within a handful of minutes. There are five steps that you can take to try to manage a panic attack “AWARE”.

Acknowledge & Accept:
Take a moment to acknowledge and accept: that you are not in real danger and accept your feelings as you would a minor headache. It’s a passing feeling and you will feel better.

Wait:
If you have the urge to leave the situation, give yourself a moment to process what you are feeling. Do not rob yourself of the option to leave but do try to keep yourself in control. Remember to count to ten before taking any decision as panic attacks often rob us of our ability to think rationally.

Actions (to make myself more comfortable):
Every panic attack ends no matter what you do. Even when you have the thoughts that it will last forever, it still ends because everything ends. Your job is to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible.

Repeat:
Sometimes as soon as you end a panic attack, you can enter another one. In the case of a relapse, go through the steps again as often as necessary. Just take it from the top of the list again. You can make it through a second panic attack, just like you have through your first one.

End:
This step simply is here to remind you that the panic attack does eventually end, even if it comes in cycles or if you relapse at a later date. Do not pressure yourself to accelerate the panic attack or to suppress it, your only concern should be to feel comfortable and to “wait it out”.