Mental Health and my Journey

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Okay, mind! I'm at a loss for words; should I begin by noting how underappreciated and mistreated it has been, or by noting how everyone handles it with kid hands, just to have it come back to haunt us? The state of our minds and how we feel have long taken a back seat.

To begin, what exactly is health?

The definition of health was an essential component of my early college training as a medical imaging technologist, and I vividly recall every word of its simplicity and comprehensiveness. The World Health Organisation has established the following as the most widely accepted definition of health:

Health is not only the absence of sickness and disability; rather, it is a condition of total physical, mental, and social wellbeing.

I emphasised the word "mental" since most people believe that maintaining a physically good appearance is sufficient for a state of mental well-being.

However, as you can see from this all-encompassing definition of health, mental health and social health play significant roles. Therefore, it is essential that you present the impression that you are physically and mentally healthy to others around you.

Why Do We Care About Mental Health?

I've progressed considerably in my conceptualization of mental health; this is prerequisite to exploring its many facets in greater depth. To be mentally healthy, one must be resilient in the face of adversity, realistic about their own strengths and weaknesses, open to new experiences and information, and able to effectively learn, work, and give back to their local and global communities. I'm trying to seem very cerebral.

It is evident that one's mental health and happiness are crucial to their success. Poor mental health and/or being in an environment that impedes mental health and well-being, such as the current state of affairs in Nigeria, may account for the fact that many people today are not doing so well and are not thriving in life to the extent to which their potential allows.

The Nigerian Mental Health I Suffer From

A few things need to be said before I can discuss the parasitic link between my life in Nigeria and my psyche.

No one can be entirely well on all fronts, mental, social, or physical, and not all Nigerians would share my perspective (individual situations differ greatly).
Having said that, being a Nigerian living in Nigeria has been a major contributor to my mental health problems. The vast majority of Nigerians outside of the realms of politics, influence, and fame would agree with me on this.

Our nation faces a wide array of challenges, including but not limited to severe economic hardships, declining morality, societal problems, and more. Mental health problems arise because of the many obstacles I must overcome in order to succeed in this environment.

It's like a war between me and the government, as if the country is actively working against my efforts to succeed. The government keeps making poor choices, and we have to deal with the repercussions. Life in Nigeria is difficult. Especially bearing the burden of governmental incompetence at every level.

The government and the people of Nigeria are making it difficult for me to leave the country, with simple procedures becoming needlessly complicated and requiring bribery at every turn.

How I've Kept My Mind in Good Shape

At first, I focused excessively on my concerns and the never-ending difficulties facing my country. I saw much later that I wasn't being entirely fair to myself, so I had to lower my standards and take a more realistic attitude.

First, I realised that no nation is ideal and that, while mine may be the worst, conditions are not improving and I can do little to nothing to change that. Therefore, I stopped obsessing over what I couldn't change and started working on improving what I could. As a result, I gave myself a higher priority, both in terms of attention and affection. While I am unable to witness the country's prosperity, I have witnessed my own growth and improvement, which has been immensely beneficial.

I also made an effort to limit the amount of news I read. It's hard to watch even ten minutes of news these days without wondering where the world is headed and why we're watching it. Although the news reports on a variety of significant developments and announcements, I found that not all of it was really relevant to me. In most cases, I've found that keeping up with the news does nothing but increase my level of anxiety. So, for the protection of my sanity, I've filed away the latest headlines where they belong.

This is only a small part of my experience with mental health issues. I might tell you more if you give me a similar prompt in the future.