Mental health in a chaotic world: Why we’re all struggling more than ever

 

Anxiety disorders affected an estimated 359 million people worldwide in 2021, making them the most prevalent mental health problem.

Mental health has always been a delicate part of the human experience, but today’s world amplifies every stressor in ways previous generations never had to face. We live in an age of constant noise—digital, emotional, social, and informational. As soon as we get up, we are bombarded with notifications, news, opinions, and expectations.

 

Seldom do our minds get the quiet time they require to recharge. Our neural systems are kept on high alert by this constant stimulation, which makes it more difficult to think properly, have a good night's sleep, or feel grounded. Simultaneously, the speed of modern life has increased beyond the capacity of our brains.

 

According to productivity culture, we should constantly strive to do more, accomplish more, and better ourselves. By showcasing carefully chosen glimpses of other people's lives, social media creates an additional layer of pressure that makes us feel like we're lagging behind even when we're trying our hardest.

 

As a result, we have a persistent sensation of inadequacy, a silent conviction that we are insufficient, and increasing fatigue from attempting to keep up. This chaotic society also contains a deep sense of loneliness. Although we are more connected than ever, it is now more difficult to find true human connection.

 

Many people feel alone even when they are surrounded by others because deeper conversations that promote emotional well-being are often substituted by digital interactions. In the absence of substantial support networks, everyday challenges feel heavier, and times of crisis become much more overwhelming.

 

Lastly, there is an unavoidable background hum of anxiety brought on by global uncertainty. There is a perception that the world is changing more quickly than we can adjust due to political unrest, economic volatility, ecological concerns, and rapid technological advancement. Even though these problems don't directly impact us on a daily basis, they

 

Recognizing our surroundings and granting ourselves permission to seek solitude, connection, and compassion in a world that never provides them freely are key components of understanding this rather than placing the blame on ourselves.

 

Nowadays, mental health problems affect people of all backgrounds, and anxiety and sadness are on the rise globally. Systemic issues, including unstable housing, stagnating earnings, and income inequality, aggravate the crisis and directly lead to a rise in anxiety and depressive symptoms.

 

Particularly in developing countries, where emotional anguish is frequently a reaction to unfavorable social circumstances rather than an inherent flaw, social determinants including poverty, unemployment, violence, and institutional corruption are potent causes of unhappiness. 

The medical approach frequently pathologizes typical emotional reactions to adversity, deflecting focus from structural remedies like better social welfare, education, and economic opportunity, even as mental health awareness has increased.

 

Reduce anxiety and manage the overwhelming mental noise in today’s world

 

Experts advise combining mindfulness exercises, cognitive techniques, and environmental changes to manage and lessen anxiety in the excessive mental noise of today's world. Recent guidance emphasizes the importance of grounding techniques and intentional self-care to counteract the constant stream of thoughts and external stimuli that fuel mental distress.

 

To relax the nervous system, engage in mindfulness and deep breathing exercises. Methods like a body scan meditation or a 60-second breathing cycle (inhale for four counts, hold for four, expel for four) can help shift attention from worried thoughts to the present.

 

To stop recurring or upsetting thinking patterns, employ distraction and mental reset techniques like the five-second rule (count down from five and change attention) or playing a straightforward mental game. By establishing limits on screen time, social media, and notifications, which can increase internal mental noise, you can reduce your exposure to information overload.

 

Examine professional assistance, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy, or exposure therapy, which have been shown to be effective in treating anxiety associated with overthinking and noise sensitivity. 

To lessen sensory overload in stressful situations, create a relaxing physical space using devices like earplugs, white noise machines, and noise-canceling headphones.

 

Slavery Lasted 400 years, So Why The Protests Against COVID 19 Lockdown For Some Few Days?

 

Protesters against coronavirus lockdown in the Netherlands

The coronavirus lockdown is provoking many people that want their freedom around the world, despite the high rate of COVID 19 infections in recent times.  Hence, many people worldwide, including the Netherlands, not satisfied with the lockdown rules to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, took to the streets protesting.

There is no one who doesn’t like the taste of sweet freedom because as humans, people are not interested in laws and rules that will confine them to one place. Frankly speaking, freedom is more effective than any medicine as it prevents loneliness, depression, any psychological problems, including the tendencies of committing suicide.

 

Even animals and birds like freedom, since many are fed up being kept in the zoo. Even in a cage, a bird may seem happy whistling and hopping around, yet open the cage for that bird and you will see the full force of flight that bird will be applied to escape into the air without looking back.

 

There was much unrest through Europe, including London, over the lockdown. In Eindhoven, one of the cities in Holland, protesters set fires and threw missiles at the police against the lockdown measures, while the police fought to control the situation with tear gas and water cannons, leading to the arrest of at least 55 people.

 

Many times, I keep wondering if people that have never suffered slavery, racism, colonial brutalities, the Apartheid form of government, and the handicapped by deliberate infection of diseases, understand the situation of people that have experienced such tragedies and bitter experiences of black history.

 

Africans were captured and sold as slaves in the most degrading and horrifying manner that lasted 400 years before abolition, yet today we are witnessing carnage, destruction, crimes against the authorities because they want people to obey the laws implemented to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.

 

How sincere and thoughtful are we as human beings? You, in life many don’t care about other people's sufferings because they are not the victims. Selfishness, greed, lies, and hypocrisy are some of the ailments that shut down the brain of human beings to be considerate to think about the well-being of other people.

 

If black people have survived slavery, Apartheid horrors, and colonial atrocities that lasted for decades, why some people always want to break the rule and find it difficult to survive a lockdown for some few days to prevent the spread of a disease that will benefit us?

The truth is in life if you haven't been through certain difficulties, you wouldn't have the experience to accept certain rules for your own benefit. People often don't care about the tragedies that fall on other people but the reality is whatever goes around, always comes around.

The situation about the coronavirus is hard to understand. We don't see people getting ill or falling on the streets, yet we hear of people dying each day by COVID 19. Whether what those health experts are telling us is true or false, we must obey the rules and see what happens

Break free from depression and reclaim your inner strength

Suicide tendencies can be eliminated by seeing a doctor or through prayer.

Everyone has wonderful hopes, dreams, and expectations of their future, but many times what we are looking for never comes our way. Some of us have been robbed of our joy through the loss of a loved one, and many feel lonely and hopeless when they find themselves in abusive homes and domestic violence.

If One Pretends To Be Dead, Mourners Will Pretend To Bury Him Alive

Discussing your problems with someone you love is the best way to get help and solutions to the problem.

“If one pretends to be dead, mourners will pretend to bury you alive,” is one of the thousands of African proverbs meant to educate, shape our lives, and inspire us, as each proverb carries a moral lesson, advice, and wisdom. This particular proverb speaks against pretending.

As imperfect human beings, we are responsible for both the good and bad things we do. Whichever way one takes it, to pretend is also considered to be something bad. 

The question is, why do people pretend? According to a study, pretending has both advantages and disadvantages.

Sometimes one needs to pretend. For example, when all of a sudden in a cinema hall, a gunman on a shooting spree takes everyone by surprise without any escape route, pretending to be dead among those already dead could save your life. 

But in other ways, pretending can cause self-destruction, depression, loneliness, and other psychological problems. How?

The pressure in society is enormous. Things are not going well, yet many people prefer to hide their problems behind a false smile. 

If you don’t share your problem with your family or a trustworthy friend, how can someone know your problem to give the attention or help you need? 

Researchers reveal that hiding a problem behind a false smile or faking happiness is more likely to bring you harmful feelings.

You might not be happy with your job because your boss or a colleague is sexually harassing you, exploiting you physically, emotionally, and mentally, yet you wear a false smile behind such psychological scars. 

Instead of pretending to be okay, it’s always better to tell your problem to someone to receive help.

Many wish to be someone because of the extravagant lives other people live. But we must be careful about what we sometimes wish for. We must be content with whatever we have to live a happy life. 

Don’t let your neighbor’s expensive car push you to live beyond your means, and put on a fake smile, deceiving people that you are living great, while you know that you are struggling to make ends meet.

In Africa and other countries around the world, many are believed to be sick of HIV but scared to go and see the doctor, because they aren’t ready to be told they have contracted HIV or Aids.  

They would rather prefer to hide their problems with a fake smile, forgetting that no one drinks medicine on behalf of a sick person.

To pretend that everything is okay, while suffering, is not good for our health; we must, therefore, confine our problems to those close to us for help and solutions. That’s the only way we can overcome and defeat our problems.

ONCE A MAN, TWICE A CHILD, BUT LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

The beautiful part of being old



One of the wonderful phases of the cycle of life is the arrival of a newborn baby into the world, after a months-long agonizing pregnancy. 


The devoted mother, after labor, sees her wonderful child in her arms and immediately forgets all the pains she passed through. You can hear the baby crying because he/she is hungry.


Looking after the baby becomes the task of her mother, in the morning, afternoon, evening, and at night. The mother can't sleep when the child is sick, making her lose the precious sleep she needs. 

This uneasy task of bringing up a child will go on every day until the child is of age and can take care of herself or himself.

Like every living thing, a human being grows. Year after year, everyone celebrates his or her birthday. Like running water going down the drain, everyone becomes old without thinking of how fast the years are going by. 

Old age is a difficult part of life that many fear. Loneliness, insecurity, and neglect are some of the issues that worry many old age people, even when there are homes or families to take care of them.

A man continues to grow and at a certain age, becomes like a child once again in his feeding and cleaning of himself. He starts acting like a child, sometimes crying and complaining about unnecessary things. 

Is it really worth living when you find yourself in this situation? Yes, it's worth living.

Life is more precious than silver and gold. It's worth being in this world to explore, learn, and teach. Many simply don't value life because they fully depend on material things, and when they fail to get it, they become disappointed. 

To be happy in life until old age, people also need to seek the spiritual part of life. It is written, "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven." 

Does this sound stupid? Just give it a try, and you will discover the value of life without a second thought of committing suicide when the going gets tough.

SEX WITH ANIMALS - WHAT'S ITS SIGNIFICANCE?

Having sex with an animal is an abuse.

Thoughts, work as forces, and that force determines what one wishes. Due to circumstances, many have no control over themselves, therefore doing abnormal things that they find them satisfactorily. 

Sadness, depression, frustration, and loneliness have taken control over people's lives, plunging them into a dark tunnel, without any control or willpower to liberate themselves.


It looks so pretty simple for many people, especially women, to make love with animals, but frankly speaking, it's insane. Total sheer madness. If one is lonely, depressed, or unhappy, there are thousands of books, doctors, and psychologists there to help. Why then must a depressed or sane person seek her comfort by making love with an animal?

Many women have sex with their dogs, and others who want to have an orgasm open their legs widely for the dogs to lick their vagina. The disgusting and ugly thing to do. 

On YouTube, you see women having sex with animals, including dogs and horses. If by anyway those who indulge themselves in such acts were to find their way to see a psychologist, believe me, they will be diagnosed with mental problems. Because a normal, hundred percent sane person can't make love with an animal.

This is the confession of a girl who saw the family dog 'fucking' her mother. "One day, when I was a teen, I went to meet my girlfriend to go to the movies. For some reason, she was not home, so I went back to my house, and the front door was locked. 

Assuming Mom had gone shopping as she said she was, I went to the back basement window, which I knew was unlocked to enter the house. Our basement had two rooms, a game room and a workout room with weights, etc.

I entered the game room and heard some moans coming from the weight room. I peeped around the corner and saw my mother bent over the weight bench and our family dog, a Black Lab, on her back, humping her. 

I heard her moaning and saying, "Yes, Buddy, Mommie needs it". I could not believe it, but soon Buddy finished humping her, and they lay there with Buddy on her back. I scooted back to the house and came back much later." 

From this confession, one could clearly determine the psychological problem this woman had. She was frustrated because for so long she hadn't been 'screwed'. This has made her sick and powerless to control herself. 

Sleeping with animals, as a matter of fact, is a complete sickness that needs a remedy. It can even give certain incurable sickness to a person. Making sex with animals often takes place in many parts of Africa. Some people have been caught red-handed either having sex with goats or chickens.

There are many sickening habits. Once you enter, you can't find it easy to get out; therefore, for those people out there who can't get out of this sick and disgusting situation, try to seek help from professional doctors, health institutions, or psychologists.

People who engage animals in sex, just as well know that they are abusing the animals. This act has made many dogs wild and aggressive toward male visitors who come to visit the women they 'fucked'.

Those who wouldn't like anyone to know that they had slept with their dogs or any other animal can help themselves by reading books, such as 'The Power of Positive Thinking and other books on self-coaching. 

Self-coaching courses are also recommended for people in such a situation.