Mental Health Matters: Supporting Emotional Wellbeing and Recovery

Times are tough. Things are quite precarious. We all face the difficulties of economic and social instability. We are just beginning to wrap our brains around the toll the Covid pandemic has taken on our world. As a result, the topic of mental health has become increasingly more prevalent. Social media platforms highlight the positive aspects of life, yet many people are experiencing anxiety, depression and trauma. With the rise of mental health issues around the world, it is important for each individual and governments to now prioritize emotional wellbeing and recovery.

The pressures of contemporary life can make it difficult for individuals to process their feelings and emotions. This can result in the abundance of distraction available online, including social media, streaming platforms, video games, pornography, the news or even just surfing the internet aimlessly. While these activities can provide entertainment and a temporary distraction, they also have the potential to severely exacerbate mental health issues. Therefore, it is even more important now than ever, for individuals to dedicate time to self-reflection, meditation, mindfulness, and self-care practices that allow them to address and understand their emotional needs fully. (Tomorrow I will be sending out a post on how to engage in self-care.)

One major aspect of emotional wellbeing is dealing with trauma and its consequences, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In my work with clients, PTSD has been the main mental illness causing condition I have come across. We all deal with PTSD in some form now as a result of the Covid pandemic. Individuals can recover from traumas by seeking professional help, attending support groups, and practicing mindfulness while meditating, yoga, or through journaling. Trauma healing requires time and patience, but individuals do have the power to feel better through the support of loved ones, seeking therapy, and engaging in self-care routines.

Mental health awareness and support are essential not only for the individual affected but also for the people around them. While introverted individuals enjoy their time alone, they still need to prioritize social connections in their lives and form healthy relationships. Similarly, society needs to eliminate the stigma around anxiety and depression once and for all. It is not uncommon at all for individuals to feel overwhelmed, depressed and anxious- especially considering the challenges that the world throws our way these days.

As I wrote about in my earlier essay on gaslighting, it also is important to establish a conversation around gaslighting awareness and the importance of seeking professional help. Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, or sanity. It is a significant root cause of mental health issues and anxiety. Thus everyone must call out gaslighters and develop healthier coping mechanisms such as therapy, self-care, and mindfulness, or just simply seeking the support of friends and family.

Mental health matters now more than ever and should be a priority in an individual's life. With the right support from friends, family, and mental health practitioners, individuals can take care of their emotional wellbeing and achieve full recovery from traumas or mental health disorders. While it may be a long journey, taking the first step is crucial, whether that's seeking therapy, meditating, relaxing more (without distractions), going for walks, eating better or journaling to process and regulate emotions. The key takeaway is for individuals to make small changes in their daily lives and hold themselves accountable for their emotional wellbeing. With support and consistency we can recover from mental illness and live a more mentally healthy (stable) life.

If you would like to begin working on your mental health, please feel free to schedule a session with me.

Gaslighting 101

So what exactly is gaslighting? We hear this term thrown around a lot these days, so I thought I would take a quick deep dive into what gaslighting actually is.

Gaslighting is a term used to describe a form of psychological manipulation in which a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, or sanity. The term originates from a 1938 play, "Gas Light," in which a husband manipulates his wife into doubting her own sanity by dimming the gas lights in their home while denying that the light level has changed.

Gaslighting behavior can range from subtle and insidious to overt and dangerous. It is often employed by abusers, narcissists, sociopaths, and cult leaders to gain control over their victims by distorting reality and undermining their sense of self. This can take many different forms, including lying, denying, deflecting, minimizing, and blaming, as well as withholding information, love, and support.

One of the most insidious effects of gaslighting is that it can cause the targeted person to doubt their own grip on reality. Individuals may begin to second-guess their own perceptions, memories, and experiences, and may feel they are losing their sense of self. This can lead them to question their own judgment, feel isolated, lose a sense of self-worth and strangely enough become even more dependent on the gaslighter for validation and support.

Gaslighters often target specific vulnerabilities in their victims, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, or trauma, to more effectively manipulate them. They may also use subtle cues and microaggressions to gradually erode their victim's confidence and self-worth over time. The effects of gaslighting can be profound and long-lasting, often leading to anxiety, depression, insomnia, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This in turn has a profound effect on a person’s health.

One of the most important things to remember about gaslighting is that it is a form of abuse. It is not the victim's fault, and it is not a reflection of their worth or intelligence. Gaslighting is a dangerous and insidious form of psychological manipulation that can have profound and long-lasting effects on people. It is important to recognize the signs of gaslighting and to seek help and support if you suspect that you or someone you know is being gaslit. By raising awareness about gaslighting, we can help make people more aware and hopefully prevent this form of abuse in the future.