Enhancing Our Emotional and Mental Well-Being

The world is a lovely place, filled with beautiful people, places, and things, but it is currently under attack in the worst way possible, an attack that we cannot see. Consider fighting a war on something you can't see with your own eyes. I talk about duality and how we live in a world divided into good and evil. In a figurative sense, there is duality everywhere: good and evil, peace and war, black and white, up and down. So, how do we deal with an opponent like this?

We have been exposed to unimaginable things because of the pandemic. Some people's mental and emotional health has deteriorated to the point where they have lost hope. I emphasize the importance of maintaining our mental health since we cannot function at our best without it. What steps can we take to improve our mental health?

To begin, I'd like you to consider the following:

• Are you consuming the correct foods? Nutrition is important for mental health since specific nutrients and proteins are required for brain function, cell creation, memory, and nervous system circulation.

• When you're having a difficult time with uncomfortable thoughts, do you face them or do you distract yourself with alcohol, narcotics, and sex?

• Do you have healthy boundaries in place? When you don't want to do something, do you say no? or are you supporting it because you don't want to disappoint somebody else? Remove yourself from bad relationships; nothing, including ourselves, lasts forever. When a relationship ends and no longer benefits you, it's over. It doesn't matter who you're in a relationship with. Keep in mind that you should always put yourself first.

• Is that body of yours moving? Exercise, dance, and long walks can be beneficial to the mind, body, and spirit.

• What do you like to do while you're by yourself? Are the shows you watch, the music you listen to, or the discussions you have healthy and have a positive impact on you?

• Respect one another and learn to be patient. People who are in better health have more positive attitudes, which leads to better life choices.
  

During the stormiest weather, learn to listen and stay calm. You're just human, and you can only control so many things. Allow things to happen the way they're supposed to, at the time they're supposed to. Learn to educate yourself on the topics that you are unclear about, and surround yourself with people, places, and things that will foster positivity and other things necessary for your growth.

You'll know how strong you are when you learn to remain calm and still until the storm has passed. Take care of yourself this Thursday!

Please don't harm our children; they are the only ones who can save us.

People are concerned about the lack of compassion and peace in the world. Some of us are trying to bring peace to a world divided by hatred, violence, and despair. Some people are unaware that we already have the keys, but we're not making good use of them. Due to the pandemic, inflation, a spike in gun violence, and mental health issues, the world is falling. Regardless of race, gender, social status, or religion, we have all been affected by the pandemic in some way.

Our children, in my opinion, are the ones who are most affected. Children are our future, yet there will be no future if we do not protect them. Every child is one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable, and contributes something to the world that no one else can. We must recognize that every one of us is a piece in the jigsaw puzzle that I like to refer to as life. A puzzle isn't complete until all of the pieces are in place. If we are the pieces, it indicates that we all contribute to the final result, which is oneness. A world devoid of unity is a world devoid of peace. There is bitterness, rage, and a lack of compassion in the absence of peace.

Some of our children have been victims of other people's wrongdoings, they suffer from mental health issues, low self-esteem, food insecurity, and a plethora of other indescribable issues that have worsened since the pandemic. Frank A. Maffei and Cathleen Palm, child activists, discovered that child abuse kills more children than the COVID-19 virus. According to their COVID-19 pediatric data, the pandemic has had a significant negative impact on children.

"When a child dies, the promise that was that child’s life is now lost and society is less because of it," says Maffei and Palm. The number of emergency room visits for adolescent suicide attempts has increased, and isolation and alienation are worsening the problems that children and teenagers already confront. Despite the efforts of many organizations to ensure that our children have access to their programs, it is simply not enough.

As a result of the pandemic, children are experiencing depression and anxiety:

• Children who do not eat three meals a day and look forward to going to school to do so are no longer able to do so.

• Children from broken homes who want to go to school are unable to do so because they are forced to stay in an abusive environment and take lessons online.

• School children are terrified for their safety after a fellow student chooses to carry a firearm to school and shoot it up.

• Some kids are buying guns and carrying them to school and other places because they don't feel safe traveling without one.

As a result of an alarming increase in gun violence, innocent youngsters are being killed by stray bullets. Experts, parents and service providers are all concerned, but I'm wondering as to what they plan to do about it. Community leaders and government officials, in my opinion, need to be more effective in their approaches since they continue to tell us that they are here for us and that they would defend us, but they have yet to do so.

Do we just sit and wait? Or do we take the initiative and do something ourselves.

We must save our children; the purity of our children can heal the world.

Are you expressing your gratitude?

Happy New Year!

We greet the year 2022 with open arms. As we enter a new year, we look forward to a fresh start; many of us see a new year as an opportunity to start over. It may be a new diet, a new home, or a new hairstyle. We all have different ways of starting over, but when the year began, we were bombarded with awful news daily.

A lot of pain has come with the new year. So many people have died in horrific circumstances. This includes workers who are killed while on the job, as well as children and adults who die as a result of natural catastrophes such as floods, hurricanes, and devastating fires. The ability to leave and return home in peace is an underrated blessing. We should never take these things for granted. Learn to be content with what you have, not because you shouldn't want more, but because someone is always in a worse circumstance.

So, are you expressing your gratitude?

Gratitude is the quality of being grateful; it is the willingness to express gratitude for and return kindness. It can begin with being grateful for the small things, such as clean air, water, a home, your job, and the list goes on indefinitely like the square root of pie.

Examples of gratitude:

• Be grateful to the person who prepared your meal.

• Gratitude for your good health.

• Take the time to thank the person who cleans your house or watches your kids.

• Recognize your coworker for taking the initiative to lighten your load.

• Being grateful for the independence you provide to yourself.

I, for one, am grateful for life and the chance I still have to live it, a second chance to try again. I'm grateful for a lot of things, and while I try my hardest to communicate my gratitude, I know I need to work more and be more consistent.

As I previously indicated, the new year is frequently regarded as a fresh start. Imagine losing everything or everyone in a fraction of a second after the new year. My prayers and condolences go out to all the victims, as well as adequate recovery for the survivors, as tragedy will have a significant mental and emotional impact on them.

I wish you all a great Monday, and a very happy New Year!