Anger is a natural, healthy emotion. Anger is an instinctive reaction to threats and it has its benefits. Some level of anger is required for our survival. 

Understanding that anger only becomes a problem when you can’t control it, causing you to say or do things you’ll later regret. Uncontrolled rage is harmful to both your physical and mental health. It can also quickly escalate into verbal or physical violence, causing harm to yourself and those around you.

Did you know there are 5 types of anger communication styles?

They include: 

Aggressive Anger. A person using this style of anger communication often feels the need to be in control of themselves, other people, and situations. To get what they want, people in this category frequently employ sarcasm, humiliation, menacing criticism, complaints, verbal or physical abuse, and threats.

Passive Anger. Passive anger is characterized by a desire to avoid conflict and confrontation. So, a person with a passive anger style works hard to avoid hurting others because it makes them feel guilty. They also avoid provoking others in order to avoid feeling uncomfortable.

Passive-Aggressive Anger. A person with passive-aggressive anger style is not as outwardly aggressive towards others as the aggressive style, and they also do not want to avoid conflict as the passive style does. Instead, when they are angry, they may employ the silent treatment, withhold their love, affection, and attention, gossip, or refuse to cooperate. In a way, passive-aggressive anger is a lot like gaslighting. When asked what is wrong, they frequently say “nothing,” despite the fact that their body language or behavior clearly indicates that something is wrong.

Projective-Aggressive Anger. People who use the passive-aggressive anger style may appear passive, but they are not. Since they are afraid to admit or express their anger, they tend to project it onto others. They may try to persuade others to act out their rage for them. They may tell you that you appear agitated when you are not.
Assertive Anger. People with an assertive anger style often express their needs in a straightforward, direct, and honest manner, rather than waiting for others to read their minds. Simultaneously, they consider the emotions and desires of others. They value themselves and expect others to treat them with dignity and respect.

How do you know if you are struggling with anger management issues?

Losing your cool every now and then does not indicate that you have anger management issues. However, if you do find yourself experiencing most, if not all of the following physical and emotional symptoms below, then you may be struggling with anger management issues.

Physical symptoms include:

• Increased blood pressure
• Increased heart rate
• Chest tightness
• Recurring headache or migraine
• Muscle tension

Emotional symptoms include:

• Irritability
• Frustration
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Guilt

A few tricks to help you tame your temper

The ideal aim of anger management is to control and regulate anger so that it does not cause further complications. Anger management does not mean you never get to express your frustration and hurt. It is imperative that you learn to express your anger in a healthy way. Without further ado, here are some tips and tricks to help you tame your temper

1. Get familiar with the things that trigger you.
2. Use the techniques below to control or release your rage; 
   • Deep breathing techniques. They are used to initiate the relaxation response, a state of physiological calm and release
   • Use distraction techniques like dancing, having a shower, journaling, physical exercise, etc.
   • Practicing meditation, or a form of meditation where you concentrate on shallow breathing, or breathing in and out, may help.
   • Repeat a mantra that works (example: “You’ll be okay”, “try to relax”)
   • Learning to be assertive by communicating your hurt and frustration.

Don’t wait for these emotions to take control of your life. If you need help maintaining control or you desire professional help, click here. There are people available to listen and offer assistance.

The post How To Deal With Anger Management Issues appeared first on Project Covid.

Our emotional, psychological, and social well-being all play a part in our mental health and a good mental health routine is vital to all this. 

Futhermore, a good mental health routine has an impact on how we think, feel, and act to achieve a better quality of life while respecting the personal, social, and cultural boundaries. Impairment in any of these is a risk factor for mental disorders

Mental health also influences how we deal with stress, interact with others, and make decisions. It is essential at all stages of life, from birth through adolescence to adulthood and ageing.

The Importance of Mental Health 

Just as physical fitness helps our bodies to stay strong, a good mental health routine helps us to achieve and sustain a state of good mental health. 

Positive mental health allows us to:

• Enjoy our life and environment, and the people in it
• We can be creative, learn, try new things, and take risks
• We are better able to cope with difficult times in our personal and professional lives.

How You Can Build The Right Routine

There are several ways to maintain a positive mental health. Some of which include:

• Getting physically active. Schedule long walks, exercise routines or visit the gym.

• Positive affirmations. Schedule positive affirmation reminders on your phone
  • ‘Today is going to be a great day’,  
  • ‘I believe in who I am’, 
  • ‘All my feelings are valid’, 
  • ‘I am doing my best everyday’

• Getting enough sleep. 7-8 hours of sleep is important to recharge your brain and rejuvenate your mind. 

• Developing coping skills. Learn relaxation techniques. Practice meditation or breathing awareness every day. 

• Eating right. To optimize our brain function, we need to eat a balanced diet that includes; Fresh fruits and vegetables, protein and whole grains.

• Keep a journal (or even talk to the wall!) Expressing yourself after a stressful day can help you gain perspective, release tension

-VanitySauce

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A lawyer being responsible for another human being is a difficult task, and in a bid to carry out their legal duty, they tend to neglect taking care of their own mental wellness. Legal practitioners are cerebral thinkers and are seen by the society as unemotional in how they discharge their legal duties which requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication.

In their quest to provide the best service for their clients they must also strive to take good care of themselves and recognize certain triggers that will be detrimental to their mental health. There is a Maxim that says “you cannot give what you do not have” –nemo dat quod non habet. It is important to take care of oneself and look after one’s mental health, to be enabled to satisfactorily meet the needs of clients. 

As legal practitioners, providing services for clients’ needs us to take care of ourselves and not sacrifice our mental health; we need to take a break when we must, as a healthy mind contributes to healthy justice architecture as well as positive mental productivity.

The International Bar Association (IBA) is deeply concerned about the wellbeing within the legal profession and formed a taskforce to drive the work forward and incorporate not only institutions and individuals but also regulatory and representative bodies as well as other key stakeholders within this dialogue. 

It is generally accepted that the importance of mental health of the legal community needs greater recognition and action. A full report of the IBA Presidential Task Force was launched at the meeting with global experts on legal wellbeing issues on Tuesday, 26 October 2021 which sets out ten (10) principles for dealing with mental wellbeing crisis in the legal profession. The report confirmed that mental health has a disproportionate impact on women, young people, ethnic minority and people with disabilities.

The first step to beating the stigma is to stop treating mental illness as taboo. Whether it’s an article you read, a show you watched, or a personal experience you had, talking about it openly and without shame will help others realize they aren’t alone.

The Culture that prioritizes psychological well-being helps employees who are struggling to feel safe and encourages everyone to improve their mental health. It also prescribes the behaviours that are appropriate within the workplace. Corporate leaders should take this more seriously in order to improve the organizational culture and remove the stigma.

Mental health is fundamental to individual organizational and national well-being. Specifically, the work environment should be psychologically safe and equal attention should be given to promoting both the physical and mental well-being of all individuals in the workplace.   Law has been described as a profession characterized by high pressure and competitive environment, and a legal practitioner’s work value is often defined by excessive working hours, statutory time limits/deadlines, all of which exposes the legal practitioner to higher incidences of anxiety, stress, and mental illness.

This article explains the culture of mental wellness in the workplace in Nigeria, with emphasis on the mental well-being of legal practitioners. It expatiates on the causes and the negative effects of poor mental wellness of legal practitioners and how organizations can implore multilateralism to address issues on mental wellness. It also highlights existing policies and initiatives that cater to the mental well-being of legal practitioners not only in Nigeria but globally. 

Kindly click here to see the full article on the IBA website.

-By Isibor Aigbe Oaikhinan (Member International Bar Association (IBA), Taskforce on Mental Wellbeing for Africa.

Twitter: @isibams, Instagram: @isibams, LinkedIn

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Yes, you are right, but you would be wrong to believe she’s only that.
She’s as versatile as the fishes in the ocean.
As cunning as the tortoise in legends, leaving you to be happy, have fun, and seem wholesome in the presence of others; but slowly creeping back in when you’re alone.
She’s the one that lets you think you have done nothing with yourself, and then you count your blessings, but she says they don’t count.
She’s the anchor that doesn’t keep you steady but lets you sink further into the abyss until you cannot find yourself.

Should you fear her? No.
As cunning as she may be, you can control her.
Finding her weakness is quite easy if you know where to look.
She hates to be talked about, because then you know…
That with the right help you would be rid of her.
Shall I tell you an open secret?
MANI is here to help.

-Ebahi

The post The Untold Story of Depression appeared first on Project Covid.

Having self-doubt is not bad in itself because it exists to make us realise that we cannot always be right. By questioning ourselves, we can better examine our actions. Nevertheless, it is quite easy for us to constantly doubt ourselves in our quest to fit into a world of perfectionism.

The irony of this is that the more we doubt ourselves and our abilities, the less likely we are to feel motivated to achieve the things we want to achieve. Our quest for perfection thereby hinders us from achieving things, howbeit imperfectly.

Negative Self-Doubt

Self-doubt is negative when it begins to affect the following.

How you judge your capabilities: When you doubt the things you can do, your ability to learn and adapt, your ability to be successful in a new task, etc., you limit yourself negatively. I am not saying that you should think you know everything; far from it! You should in fact know that you don’t know everything, but you can learn anything that you wish to know.

Your self-esteem: Your self-esteem can be badly damaged when you consistently engage in self-doubt. Although some will say self-doubt comes when there is already low self-esteem, it can be the other way around. Take for example, a person who failed a school course begins to doubt that he/she is as smart as he/she formerly thought. The doubt lingers and because of this, the person gets disinterested in studying. Of course, the person will probably fail again and this time around, the failure will reinforce the idea that he/she is just not good enough. Soon, the self-esteem of this person is badly damaged.

Your relationship with others: When you live with constant self-doubt, you will likely begin to judge yourself in comparison with others. And soon enough, you will start to avoid them, even their presence will bring feelings of displeasure to you. Also, you because of how harshly you judge yourself, you are likely to think that others judge you in the same way. This would make you avoid them.

Your relationship with yourself: Self-doubt affects your relationship with yourself. It makes you subconsciously sabotage yourself because you don’t believe in yourself. When you convince yourself that you can’t do something, you will make less of an effort. This eventually makes you not get what you wanted.

How to Fix This

You can work on this by remembering to give yourself credit when due. Reassure yourself that you did the work for the things you have achieved and there is more that you can achieve. You can write a letter to yourself, give yourself a mental round of applause when you do something good, or celebrate your little wins with yourself and others who appreciate them. This does not mean you’re arrogantly bragging. You are only building yourself up for even more challenges and achievement- let this be your motive.

-Ebahi

Read about self-compassion

The post Self-Doubt and Your Mental Health appeared first on Project Covid.

Using myself as an example, I often comfort my friends when they fall short of their expectations from themselves. I tell them things like:

“You tried your best.”

 “You can’t make the mistake again because you have learned.”

“You are doing the most you can, things will be better soon.”

“You are as awesome as they come, you didn’t miss the opportunity, they missed you.”

“It’s just bad timing, you deserve better”, and so on.

Yet to myself, I use negative words. I insult myself, degrade myself, shame myself, sometimes give myself mental and even physical slaps. Funny enough, I’m not alone in this; so many are in the habit of negative self-talk, refusing to let themselves relax, guilt-tripping themselves etc.

Signs You Are Not Practicing Self-Compassion

It is easy to confuse self-compassion with self-care. Self-care is very distinct from self-compassion. Hence, we may be practising self-care e.g., having a spa day yet we do not regard ourselves with compassion. The signs you are not practising self-compassion include.

• You practise negative self-talk
• You stifle your emotions.
• Food, exercise & taking care of yourself have little to no importance in your life.
• You live in the past or the future, but not in the present.
• You give up on your hobbies.
• You are always comparing yourself to others on social media.
• You prioritize the wrong things in your life.
• You always feel tense.
• You are always comparing yourself to others in real life as well as on social media.
• You replay situations or conversations in your head and wish there had been a different outcome or wonder if you said/did the ‘right’ thing.
• You are your harshest critic.

How to Better Practise Compassion to self

For me, I now start with a simple question; ‘How would I treat a friend’? The answer to this question is what I try to apply to myself. It’s hardly easy to shun the negative thoughts but with practice, I aim to be able to. You also can do this.

Furthermore, you can try to write a constructive letter to yourself from a place of self-compassion about the things you do not like about yourself. Learning to forgive yourself for your errors and learning to spend time doing the things you love, are habits that bring you closer to self-compassion.

• Ebahi

The post Self-Compassion- Why Is It So Hard? appeared first on Project Covid.

What does the word ‘NO’ signal to you?

You could choose to see the word in a positive light. Motivational speakers will tell us that receiving a ‘No’ gives you even more reasons to strive for a ‘Yes’; they are not wrong. When you are told no concerning a new idea, plan, etc., you can either choose to see it as the test for your level of conviction about that plan or you can choose to see it as the end of that plan.

How Does It Affect Your Mental Health?

So many of us have often crossed lines we did not wish to cross, trampled on our mental health, strained ourselves physically because we don’t t know how to say ‘no’. It’s a word we must learn to make use of appropriately. Taking care of your mental health involves self-care, setting boundaries and doing the things that are best for your mental health. This includes saying ‘no’ when you need to.

– Ebahi

The post ‘NO’- The word we often misunderstand appeared first on Project Covid.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the need for better mental health care services. This is because social distancing increased feelings of isolation and loneliness. Although scientists are not particularly certain about how these feelings affect mental health, they increase mental health distress. Hence, it is no surprise that countries are tightening their belt regarding mental health care because of the exposure Covid-19 pandemic has created.

Why Are We not doing enough in terms of Nigeria’s Mental Health legislation and care?

Nigeria’s mental health legislation is probably one of the world’s oldest. The country from which we inherited these laws (the United Kingdom) when they colonized us, has moved on to create better legislation. However, we are hugging tight this scrap of a legislation to our chest and refusing to let go. It is clear that as often experienced in our socio-political environment, those is power do not care about the citizens.

The Lunacy Act (Nigeria’s mental health legislation) is an insult to Nigerians just going by the name. A further dive into the legislation teaches you that some books should be judged by their covers. This law stigmatises and oppresses those with mental health conditions. The law creates room for violating human rights simply because a person has one mental health issue or another.

How can the citizens demand better legislation?

This write-up is not to teach the principles of democracy because arguments abound about the kind of democracy Nigeria practices; many have lost faith in our democracy. Nonetheless, for the fact that we have the power to vote in our leaders, we should take advantage of the power we have to make them accountable.

We can exercise this power by letting them know our demands right from the local level; even before giving them power. Furthermore, let us promote the use of instruments such as protests, recalls, to call their attention to aspects in which they are failing. We can vote them out when they do not take heed.  Most importantly we can have citizen-sponsored bills to get the legislation we need.

In truth, majority of citizens are unaware of the power they wield. Hence, it is possible that the most productive immediate thing we can do as individuals is to educate those around us. Would you be doing that today?

Read more on mental health in Nigeria

-Ebahi

The post Nigeria’s Mental Health Legislation- not progressive, but why? appeared first on Project Covid.

Expose yourself to too much chronic stress and you’re putting yourself at significant risk of a range of health challenges. In fact, experts say that stress is directly connected to many of the main causes of premature death.

The good news is that there are various ways you can begin to cut down on stress, from exercising to changing your routine.

However, before you get started, it’s important to be able to recognize the symptoms of stress.

Be aware of these red flags:

TOOTH OR JAW PAIN

Yes, stress does affect your teeth, more than you might think.  If you’ve noticed soreness in your jaw or pain in your gums, then it might be because you’re dealing with feelings of stress.

Grinding your teeth is often something that you may not even realize you’ve been doing until you get to the dentist, and they berate you for signs of bruxism.

If you do notice signs of discomfort in your jaw, check with your dentist to ensure that you’re doing everything you can to protect your teeth.

MEMORY IS GETTING WORSE FROM STRESS

As your schedule becomes more overwhelming, and you end up with more things to think about each day, it’s easy to brush off issues with forgetfulness. However, if your memory is really letting you down lately, it could be because of stress.

When you’re putting your brain under too much pressure, you also expose the muscle to a lot of extra work. This means that you end up getting frazzled or burning out a lot faster.

Paying attention to where you lose track of your train of thought could show you where you have too much on your plate. It might be time to slow down.

YOUR DIGESTION ISN’T RIGHT

Digestive health and stress are closely connected. You might have noticed during stressful periods in the past that you tend to have challenges with heartburn, diarrhea, and constipation. These are all common gastrointestinal symptoms of stress.

Your stomach will often churn and feel uncomfortable when you’re stressed because feelings of anxiety cause the body to produce additional digestive acid.

These feelings can also mean that you don’t empty food from your stomach as quickly as you should, which leads to cramping, gas, and bloating.

YOU’RE ALWAYS THIRSTY 

If you’re constantly suffering from a major thirst, it’s worth speaking to a doctor. Excessive thirst can be a sign of things like diabetes. However, you could also be dehydrated because of excess stress.

That’s because stress causes your body to pump out extra hormones from your adrenal glands. Those glands are also responsible for the hormones that regulate the fluid levels in your body, as well as electrolytes.

If your adrenal glands are worn out, then the body might feel like it needs more hydration when it really doesn’t. Although upping your H2O intake shouldn’t cause any problems, it’s still a sign of a long-term problem. You should try to rectify this.

YOUR MUSCLES ARE SORE BECAUSE OF STRESS

Sore muscles often happen as a result of tension. If you’re under a ton of stress, your body responds by involuntarily tensing up. This can gradually lead to more body pain over time, because your muscles aren’t used to being under that much strain.

When your body is in fight or flight mode, this produces excess cortisol too, causing more tensing.

The same way you suffer from soreness from grinding your teeth, you could experience soreness elsewhere in your body. This is because you’re placing more pressure on your muscles. A good massage or a hot bath might help in the shorter term, but eventually you’ll need to tackle stress.

YOUR SLEEP IS MESSED UP

If you’re having trouble with falling asleep at night, you may be stressed. This makes it harder for you to relax.

It’s likely that you spend a lot of time thinking about the things that worry you when you’re in bed. After all, there’s nothing else to take your mind off those worries.

You might also notice that you’re having more odd dreams because of your stress.

On the other hand, some people experience a desire to sleep more often when they’re stressed.

This is an indication that you’re not just suffering from stress, but also having issues with anxiety and depression too. Consider speaking to your doctor about these issues. They should be able to offer some personalized guidance. 

As you can see, it’s critical to your physical/mental health and wellbeing that you learn to relieve stress. Find self-care and relaxation activities that work for you and partake in these activities regularly. Make it a priority to take care of yourself by reducing your stress.

-Redox.

The post 6 SYMPTOMS OF CHRONIC STRESS TO BE AWARE OF appeared first on Project Covid.

Regardless of this, these advantages come with various devastating effects. Social media platforms can be detrimental to one’s mental health, despite the fact that they have become an integral part of our lives. Some of the effects of social media on mental health are discussed below.

Social Media and Depression

Depression arises due to various reasons such as biological, environmental, and/or psychological factors. Social media might however have the power to cause you to constantly compare your life to those of people you see online; hence, leading to depression. Although many people actually only show the “sweet” parts of their lives, a social media addict is likely to see these things as the whole picture. 

Social Media And Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying, otherwise known as Cyber harassment, is the use of electronic means to bully or harass people. It’s not a strange occurrence on online platforms. Being harassed online can negatively affect your mental health, just like physical bullying. Once you notice that you tend to be bullied by people’s words online, just know it’s time to take a break in order to save your mental health.

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

The pressure exerted by people online can make you start feeling left out of the group. An instance is when you see the wedding pictures of a newly wedded couple and they remind you of your relationship struggles. You begin to blame yourself for not being able to perfect yours too. You feel left out of the “married people” league. At this point, an online break is necessary. This life is not a race. You have to keep working and hoping for the best. Your clock is different!

Social Media Vs Low Self-Esteem

Another effect of social media is its tendency to lower your self-esteem. Every day, discussions about people’s physiques and achievements are held on these platforms. Constantly seeing posts like this can make you feel inadequate. The verbal abuses that people online give to other people’s physical sizes, height, and skin colour can have devastating effects on your mental health.

To bring this write-up to an end, it’s important to state that while social media is a good invention, the way we choose to use it may or may not be good. We should therefore normalise taking breaks from the online space. You need to carefully regulate the kind of information you consume online. Prioritise your mental health, the same way you value your physical well-being.

– Ridwanullah

The post Ways Social Media Can Affect Mental Health appeared first on Project Covid.