Mental health disruptions are one of the biggest concerns for people during this time. It refers to the changes in mood, thought patterns, and even the way individual views themselves. People are thinking of ways to stay healthy and how to avoid getting sick, but many forget to take care of their mental health as well. Mental health disruption can occur in several ways during COVID-19.
During this pandemic, the cumulative grief that people have withheld is so vast that almost each individual is familiar with the feeling of loss. Whether it’s the loss of identity, occupation, livelihood, health and the worst, your loved ones, this pandemic certainly took something integral away from each and every one of us.
July 2, 2021
Early childhood, specifically the first 1000 days of life, are extremely important in shaping lifelong consequences for your health & well-being. Social Learning case studies, such as Bandura, have provided evidence on how receptive children are to information and how their perceptions at that prime age build key values of their future life. In other words, the child in you is the one that builds the foundation for your adult life, and potentially knows more about you than what you as an adult think you know.
If you ever look at the world from a child’s point of view, you can recognize the innocence and wonderment that they carry. As they learn from their environment and shape their own understanding of this big world, they also discover and craft some of your most intrinsic needs that help you grow. From a 5 year olds point of view, much of what they perceive is to be in their best interest. For instance, going outside to play will result in them being happy, going to bed will result in being well-rested and energized for the following day. This full-of-life attitude and optimism is only ever found and enriched in this beautiful phase of childhood. The funny thing is kids want so eagerly to become adults when actually the purest and most wholesome time of your life is your childhood. Additionally, the interesting thing is that we don’t remember all of it, which makes it even more special as our adult brain can’t intellectualize or rationalize it.
In a digitally advanced world, as parents we have the liberty to begin shaping children into well-behaved, educated social beings from an even earlier stage than recommended. And, there is no evidence that excessive stimulation and pushing a young child to learn beyond their interest, capabilities and developmental maturity will increase their intellectual capacity. However, the fact that this action amuses me and makes me wonder that more than the need to have children grow up, it’s the adults who are seeking to cater to their own child instincts.
As a child, our gratification system is so simple that happiness seems like it’s right around the corner. Happiness is a feeling which is destined, not craved. It is abundantly available from several resources and very few things or people have the power of taking it away from you. The 5 year old thinks there is good in everyone and even when they see the bad, they still live in the good. Getting over things and feeling good is easy and the best way to live is in the now.
According to recent studies, once survival, safety and basic comforts are assured, external circumstances don’t affect our happiness level much. The largest determinant of our happiness turns out to be our own mental, emotional, and physical habits, which create the body chemistry that determines our happiness level. If these very habits are formed as a child, then how do we grow up to be less happier than our child selves?
Some answers would include maturity, learning about the atrocities in the world, traumatic experiences and various social encounters. But ultimately that foundation has a huge part to play in order to lead into our adult lives with that same exhilaration and challenges. Unfortunately, many of us grow up thinking that our child self was the embarrassing one, the naive one, when in fact the adult version is often more of a disappointment in terms of the way we face obstacles.
As we age, we don’t just grow up and mature into overgrown children wearing pants and talking about smart things. We become more and more distant from the things that make us feel alive in the now and focus predominantly on the things that we do for our future goals and what we aspire to become. As children, we live vicariously through the small things that make us happy momentarily without care for the consequence, fear of losing this happiness or wanting more of it.
Growing up is part of life and there’s no escaping it. Often when we face trauma or experience difficult situations, we find ourselves captivated by thoughts and anxieties that make us wonder what it is that life is essentially taking away from us in all the growth and positive accolades we achieve. It is precisely that our inner child is becoming overshadowed further & further away. The inner child’s voice is being silenced with all the overbearing noise of the others, the adults, the intellects and other social constructs that help us become rational beings. The key to finding what makes us happy is essentially tapping into that inner child and reminding ourselves that no matter how old we get and what experiences take place, that child remains and exists within us as an anchor to our true purpose and unconditional self-love.
Resources:
Winter, P. (2010). Engaging families in the early childhood development story. South Australia: Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs.
https://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/emotional-intelligence/happiness
https://www.psychology.org.au/for-members/publications/inpsych/2017/dec/Early-childhood-matters-most
An expat in Dubai who loves engaging with diverse people and having honest conversations about life, through her blog- Egoiste Life. As a passionate artist, Manahil spends most of her weekends writing about the world, reading poetry and creating adventurous memories with the people she loves.
Self-awareness is not just all about self-love and positive feelings. During the process, many fears or negative thoughts may surface from you looking inwards. You may encounter criticism, shame, guilt, unraveling of this persona that you have constructed, and maybe even a deconstruction of the life that you have created. This happens because the more you become true to yourself, you start to notice that many ideas, principles, even people no more serve you. Once you see the truth, you cannot unsee it. So, the next time you’re in the shower, experience the water on your skin, smell the shampoo, and remind yourself to stay in the present.
Do you know someone who is going through something but cannot themselves see it? Or refuses to ask for help? How do you get them to open up to you and how can you be there for them? The answer is not easy, it requires some level of introspection, but once you have recognized your own potential and willingness to help- you can make a huge difference to them any maybe even safe a life.
March 31, 2021
A child with speech & language disorder is put at a disadvantage when it comes to learning. Speech & language disorder does not only manifest through inability to enunciate words properly or stuttering. It can appear in subtle ways but its effects on the development of the child are still drastic. The holistic approach in education means that children are active participants in learning, with teachers serving as guides. But when a child is unable to properly process information or when they have difficulty expressing what they are feeling and thinking, it could lead to problems.
Speech & language disorder refers to the impairment of speech or the production of sound, voice, fluency, or language. This type of disorder has significant effects on a child’s educational performance as well as their social and emotional development. A diagnosis of speech and language disorder will mean a child with a stutter or experience difficulty when it comes to articulating words and phrases. Children may also have a voice disorder or lisp. Children with hearing loss also experience difficulties with speech.
When a child is diagnosed with a speech-language disorder, particularly receptive language disorder, they will have problems in understanding and processing what is being said to them. When information is presented in such a manner with the expectation that the child has to remember the information, it can be very difficult for the child to understand what was said, let alone recalling the information by memory.
Their inability to understand and recall verbal instructions or information correctly can severely impact their ability to complete tasks as expected. A child with this disorder will most likely have difficulty following the instructions of the teachers, especially when those instructions are given verbally or contain a lot of words or steps.
In addition, a child already experiencing difficulty with speech or language skills are also prone to having difficulty in learning how to read and spell. Research has stated that in order to develop reading skills well, it is vital that verbal skills are already well-developed. Children faced with difficulties when it comes to verbal production need to learn how to associate sounds with letters. They then have to segment each of those apart to learn how to read and spell. Children who are faced with speech-language disorder will find this skill especially difficult.
The first step in helping children with speech-language disorders is proper diagnosis. When the problem is determined, then appropriate intervention by a qualified speech-language therapist can be created. They can also recommend virtual speech therapy activities for remote patients.
For children to remember what was said to them, the information should be broken down into smaller chunks and then repeated as needed until the child can fully understand the information. Giving them a written form of the information can also be helpful.
Children with speech-language disorder can be perceived to be less intelligent as they are unable to process information as well as their peers. But if the information is presented differently or repeated, the child has a better chance of performing as well as other students. Also, when the child is seen as ignoring what was said or perceived to be defiant because they are not following verbal instructions will receive undue punishment which can demoralize their spirit. This will lead to them being discouraged with learning and schoolwork.
To help them with reading and spelling, it is important for instructions to be repeated and to have enough time for practice. This can be done both at home and in school by teachers, parents, and caregivers. Therapists can also help by providing helpful exercises and activities.
Eliza can be reached at:
Website- http://verboso.com/
Psychologists say that our brain and nervous system are coded to focus more on negative experiences and emotions. However, simple practices that might help us create balance do exist. One of which, and my personal go-to, is a Positive Moments Journal.
We faced many mental health challenges in 2020 and our mental health was all over the place. But what we must acknowledge is that the human race really came out stronger and wiser and finally focused on what really matters, for ourselves, the people we love and the generation ahead of us.
January 9, 2021
Ever caught yourself talking to the walls about something that was bothering you? Or maybe playing back a scenario in your mind where you could have done things differently? I have always found myself doing this and wonder why I almost subconsciously choose to replay things in my mind and try to potentially change the circumstance in my imagination at the very least. This is where I realised that self-talk allows us to narrow down the clutter in our mind and sometimes even reduce our anxiety before certain social situations but the kind of self-talk we have with ourselves is what needs attention. Research shows that positive self-talk makes us feel a little more prepared, calm and secure as the mind has recognized the importance of this matter. However negative self-talk, the one almost everyone ends up having without noticing, is the one that really affects us detrimentally.
You’re getting ready for an interview or a big presentation in front of a bunch of strangers and all you can think of is how it could go wrong and leave you feeling embarrassed. After a moment or two, you walk up in front of the mirror and tell yourself ‘you can do this’ and that even if it doesn’t go as you expect, ‘you’ll be proud of yourself for showing up for it with courage and hope’. That right there is the kind of self-talk that holds the power to calm your nerves and accept the possibility of any outcome. It has the ability to shape how you confront challenges, curve-balls and even dead-ends.
We indulge whole-heartedly in so much content on the daily and this content is what has the ability to create a framework of our internal dialog. Whether that’s podcasts, movies or TikTok’s, choose your niche carefully; it’s set to mark its territory in your mind.
Socrates famous quote ‘I think therefore I am’ really reminds me that I am and technically can become anything based on what I think I can be. Tony Robbins once said
“The only thing that’s keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself.”
Our life is a reality we create based on the numerous stories we tell ourselves. Some of these stories become the foundation of our belief system which then give rise to different beliefs that either empower us, limit us or estrange us. Self-talk is that first step to building our beliefs, most of the things we choose not to do or think we can’t do are caused by those beliefs.
We come across certain instances in life where we must make a decision that resonates with the whole of us. A lot of these decisions sometimes creates an internal conflict between what you think you want versus what aligns with your values. The stories we tell ourselves are so rigid because they usually align with those values and fit with us ecologically. This is why self-talk allows us to truly break down what we would like and whether it intrinsically works with us. Positive self-talk allows us to create better belief systems which form our most deep-rooted values. For instance, we might say certain negative things to ourselves which we don’t really mean, like ‘I am obese’ ‘I am ugly’, but unknowingly it may strengthen a limiting belief which could be harmful in the long run. Even when you may be feeling at your best, this little inner critic will throwback phrases you consistently fed it. So whether they are true or false, they are getting registered within you. Choose positive self-talk always.
This is by far the most used negative self-affirmation phrase. I am not good enough in/at xyz. We all face self-doubt but consistently reminding yourself to stay in the loop of ‘not good enough’ is going to refrain you from taking an active position in your life. A good way to tackle this is by questioning this belief. At what point do you think you will be good enough? What must you achieve or feel in order to do so? And who must you receive this validation from? Once you question yourself enough, you might end up with this answer. ‘Only when you finally accept that you already are’
Admit it. We are all guilty of playing back scenarios from the past and imagining how we could have done it differently. And that’s fine, as long as we don’t beat ourselves over what has past. Understanding our timeline and how time is a construct allows us to realise that at that time, place, emotional and mental state, we did what we thought was best. We could always do things differently in retrospect but does that even matter? Different doesn’t equate to better. The grass always looks greener on the other side but what we don’t see is that shadows always tend to change their place. Live in the now.
Sometimes when we feel overwhelmed or triggered by certain emotions or situations we act in ways that are completely out of our known character. And that’s alright because you know what, we’re human. To consistently judge our reactions and behaviours is heavily draining. We are not a machine with settings that are controlled by a framework made by humans. Elements like emotions, change, love, sickness, death, loss, opportunity and so much more that could never be deciphered into code and that’s what makes humans, humans. Humans are a framework that no one understands completely so really, judging ourselves for the way we react to every little thing is us being too hard on ourselves. Yes, we tend to be harder on ourselves than even life itself.
Resources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/positive-self-talk#_noHeaderPrefixedContent
https://blog.trello.com/limiting-beliefs
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/self-talk
An expat in Dubai who loves engaging with diverse people and having honest conversations about life, through her blog- Egoiste Life. As a passionate artist, Manahil spends most of her weekends writing about the world, reading poetry and creating adventurous memories with the people she loves.
The world is full of judgment but the cruelest of them all is the judgment we place on ourselves that cause our insecurities. Whether its social anxiety, self-doubt or even imposter syndrome, in a nutshell it’s our insecurities trying to make their existence be known.