Global media are reporting about the successful trials of COVID-19 vaccines, and people around the world are hopeful with the news that vaccines would be ready in deployment in early 2021.
Amidst the already existing COVID-19 pandemic, another health problem being reported worldwide is a mental illness that is making our health concerns double. The knowledge of how to protect our mind is crucial for us like knowing how to protect our body from diseases.
A study of millions of US patient health records suggested that one in every 17 people who have had Covid-19 could be diagnosed with anxiety, depression or insomnia for the first time.
A medical university says one in four of us are coping with a mental health disorder at any given time. Compare that to a high of one in seven who are diagnosed with the flu in a bad year, or one in 14 identified diabetics.
Mental illness is as common as the common cold, and the impact hits everything. Mind matters in recovery from all diseases. Therefore, we need to know how to keep our mind healthy.
To keep our mind healthy, be mindful all the time. “Mindfulness” is the best vaccine for all mental illnesses.
Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, says to the National Health Services-NHS that mindfulness means knowing directly what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment.
“An important part of mindfulness is reconnecting with our bodies and the sensations they experience. This means waking up to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the present moment. That might be something as simple as the feel of a bannister as we walk upstairs”, he says.
Another important part of mindfulness is an awareness of our thoughts and feelings as they happen from moment to moment.
How does mindfulness help mental wellbeing? Becoming more aware of the present moment can help us enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better.
How to be more mindful? Reminding yourself to take notice of your thoughts, feelings, body sensations, and the world around you is the first step to mindfulness.
NHS pointed out some effective mindfulness tips– notice the everyday happenings, keep it regular, try something new, watch your thoughts, name the thoughts and feelings, and free yourself from past and future.
Therefore, let us be more mindful and share the mindfulness tips with others so that we can create a better world.
GNLM
