“The best way to find mental health is to not only be happy but to make others around you happy as well. Learn how to achieve this goal by viewing happiness as a process and a way of life.”
We are in a lockdown world and depression for most has long been a challenge. Our anxiety levels and mood swings are why we need to work together as a community in fighting against many emotions. Being restricted in movement and confined into small spaces is not good especially for those who live in an urban setting.
In the last seven months, I live on an estate surrounded by other people. I have gone out of my way to meet new people. This is why I am happy. They are not people I would normally make friends with but I have made a choice to be open to new personalities.
What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.
Lockdown
I have never accepted lockdown life and been very vocal about it. I just read a report about how lockdown life is killing us mentally. “It is well known that when negative mood states persist over time they result in the dysregulation of physiological systems involved in the regulation of the immune system. Thus, there exists significant potential for the psychological harm inflicted by the pandemic to translate into physical harm. This could include an increased susceptibility to the virus, worse outcomes if infected, or indeed poorer responses to vaccinations in the future.”
There are broadly speaking two major interpretations of the events of the past year – the extraordinary powers seized by democratic governments and the reaction to those powers by national populations. The more optimistic (and flattering) is that there was a joint assumption of moral responsibility on both sides.
Isn’t that odd? Is it conceivable that the overriding impulse was not public-spirited generosity but self-preserving anxiety? That the modern obsessions with health and safety easily overwhelmed the principles on which our political system is supposed to be based? It is interesting to note here that the chief arguments used against lockdown have been on health grounds
The risk of other diseases, physical and mental, being ignored) rather than on moral ones (is it wrong to prevent children from hugging their grandparents?.
Anxiety
Our governments and media have played on our mindset in the last year. They have used psychologist’s expertise and created a life full of fear and anxiety. It’s called covert psychological strategies. Our leaders have used fear without sufficient context. Leaving countries around the globe in a state of heightened anxiety. fewer people are dying from Covid than predicted. Over the last year, my friend’s character strengths as human beings are not good. Their heart rate has increased. Their positive outlook on life is at an all-time low. Sadness and their human health are so very concerning to me now. Due to lockdown rules, the lack of social interaction is causing high anxiety and depression, and suicidal thoughts. I personally believe more people are going to die from mental health issues than Covid.
Lockdown Life
Our leaders gave us false terrifying predictions, which are often presented in such a way that they seem certainties have left people very fearful. When people do meet up in groups police like in Spain smashing doors down in private homes is lead to using fear and shame as a driver of behaviour change.”
We are living in a controlled mass sense of a communistic regime. Prewar behaviors amongst our leaders. Most of us are sitting back out of fear of taking it.
The media instructed by our politicians focused narrowly on mortality rates and case rates, but I’m pretty certain that the public would understand placing the deaths in the context of five-year averages.
I believe the loss of jobs and evictions will mean many will starve and live on the street and crime if not already will be an all-high time high. When you’ve lost it all what is their ti live for?
The problem with fear is that it clouds rational thinking.
You become more reliant on government messaging, which makes you more frightened, which makes you even more reliant on their messaging, creating a doom loop. We have forgotten how to analyse risk.”
Another “doom loop” may also be at play: the Government puts huge effort into tracking public sentiment to help inform policy, but critics say that creates an inevitable circle in which the public, put in fear by government messaging, favours a cautious approach to lifting lockdown, which the Government then uses to justify keeping the country in lockdown for longer, and so on. The burdens of this research show that the field of positive psychology is at an all-time low globally. In recent years suicide has already been a concerning factor especially regarding online bullying.
Our government’s rational thinking should be challenged by humanity. We have lost our freedom of speech and moveability. For me, we must fight back and get back to opening up shops in our high streets and pubs and restaurants too.
But there is a darker possibility. The conceit of enlightenment and its sacred values of individual freedom which modern democracies now believe can never be vanquished, which even saw off the communist dictatorships, can collapse into compliant terror without a shot being fired. We all just sat at home accepting it?
It’s time to fight and protest back our freedom to prevent mental health and social apathy.
Nelson Mandela
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
Social Distancing
The media has a lot to answer for. What are you reading or listening to before you go to sleep? If you sleep at all? In the last year, my sleeping patterns have never be so interrupted. This is not good for my low blood pressure or mental health.
Every night you get deaths, cases, patients in hospital, but you don’t get the economic costs every night or the indirect consequences like missed cancer tests they present this as an entirely medical thing. People are afraid to go to the hospital in case they will die of covid.
“I also hate the phrase social distancing, when what they want is physical distancing. We don’t want people to be socially distant, we want social togetherness.” This is against humanity and increases mental illness which I have witnessed amongst my family and friends.
The impact of being locked up in small spaces is affecting our nervous systems. Notice that when someone dies or gets sick it’s Covid that killed the,m. The flu no longer exists.
We need to just meet up with family and friends.
How To Fight Negative Emotions
Scientists encourage our wellbeing to surround ourselves with wilderness. In the short-term for most that are hard to do. In order to build resilience to this lockdown life be mindful of your surroundings. The benefits of nature for me have been the eradication of negative thoughts. I chose to leave a small confined flat and head to Tuscany and live in natural settings. Nature sounds for me are birds, woodpeckers, dogs, owls, and the views are like I am living in paradise.
The gratitude for this neighborhood’s surroundings is why I may become a permanent resident within Italy.
A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.
Tuscany is full of natural beauty and I am left in awe at some of the Villa settings. My life is less stress on my mind and my hormone levels during the last lockdown a year ago are much better.
The sounds of nature here are amazing. If you are in a city play wellness music or recordings of water and birds when you are super stressed. Before you sleep place rosemary under your pillow great for sleeping. I also use essential oils like lavender and frankincense great for mental wellbeing and relaxation.
Interventions
You must make life changes in your mind first in order to live this lockdown life. I sold most of my possessions to live a nomad life. It is hard going to be on the move and pack and unpack. The satisfaction of knowing that I can control my positive thinking is why I am having the best time of my life during a pandemic.
You must learn the art of being flexible and going with the flow. Change your pathways regarding depression, fear, and anxiety. For example, I am living each month not knowing where to live. I have to wait last minute with my current landlord who decides who to rent out to. The Villa is always on the rental market to the highest bidder.
So I allow only positive thoughts for my mental health benefits. Meaning that if I am to stay here in Tuscany in this villa then it all comes down to bookings. To date the last seven months no one has booked my villa. Those are the blessings I am grateful for.
I can move but am mindful of my stress levels on my family. Moving is stressful.
Watch What Your Read And Listen Too
I love TED talks of hope. I walk and touch olive trees as a tree of hope. I am living a phenomenon of business opportunities because I will not give into lockdown restrictions. I am self-employed hence my mindset is one of pure optimism. I make sure I surround myself around positive hard-working people. people who are like-minded and try to look for any opportunities.
The greenery I am surrounded by is a clear reminder of nature and how we can allow vegetation to heal our soul, and mental health.
In this pandemic, the biggest lie of them all is that lockdown life is the only way we will avoid death.
The pursuit of happiness is following my guy instinct living and meeting people to inspire and encourage each other.
Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.
I am in Italy which is not my home and don’t know many people. But through Facebook groups and meeting people on the estate. That is why I am having the time of my life. it’s hard work going against our leaders regarding fear inputting life.
Business and friendship opportunities are at an all-time high for me.
I did a hotel review at Grand Universe Lucca last month during a lockdown. I am the first journalist to do this for the Autograph Group for 2021. I won’t allow our leaders to rule my life.
It always seems impossible until it’s done.
I am also a lover of wearing purple. It is amazing for my mental health.
Christian God
God is my sanity and my mental health. I read and speak biblical quotes all the time. It is, for this reason, I am coping. And my mental health has never been so strong and positive. I am mindful of my own positive emotions the best therapy is living around green spaces.
I am ever in a state of mindset change, adapting, and living a life of uncertainty is the anointing from God himself. Watch what you are thinking and control those thoughts before you take them out on family and friends.
Live each day as it comes. Tomorrow may never come?
You must be logged in to post a comment.