Diary Of A Naija Teen: Mental Health And Why It Is Important For You To Know

Diary Of A Naija Teen: Mental Health And Why It Is Important
A lot of things have been happening lately, do I even say lately or since the year began. If we will go by that then, I will have to say a lot of things have been happening since you have been growing, especially since you clocked 3 and became so much aware of the things that happen in your environment.
Ranging from parents decisions and ways of handling things that affect teenagers, rejection from friends and bullying, pressure of having crushes and wanting to date/dating, to the series of lockdown preventing many to go to school write their exams happily, and then the recent killings and upturn of the society, it is just a whole lot and trust me, there re more to come because with every new phase, age, position and time comes responsibilities and things to witness. This brings up to this very important topic of the day – Mental Health.
I really never knew what this is until I grew and luckily for me, I experienced say quarter of what an average Nigerian teenager experienced growing up – name it parents ish, friends and crush, abuses and harassment and many more – but didn’t realise how all of these affect me until tertiary institution when I found my bearing, Up until now, I am still figuring it all out, though back then, I got my stuffs together, at least to points and situations I could be proud of when I look back today.
Well, you won’t be like me, lol, because right here and now, we will be discussing what Mental Health is and why it is important. In the following week by His Grace, we will look at How To guard and take care of your Mental Health and living your best life as a teenager.
Have you ever felt so frustrated and like your head is big and going to fall off? Have you ever been angry unnecessarily simply because of something on your mind? Have you ever had so many things on your mind and you cannot even figure out how to go about them all? Or have you been eating or sleeping too much or too little unlike usual, pulling away from people and usual activities or having low or no energy (like no interest in anything at all, you don’t just care)? If yes, then congratulations, you will have a better understanding of what we are talking about.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. Let’s bring this down further, Mental Health is simply how you as a naija teen are fairing when it comes to think, behave and live well! An all encompassing description says MH (you know what MH is right?) includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, affecting how we think, feel, act, handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
Read also: Dear Teens, Staying Safe Off Police And Their Brutality Is PARAMOUNT!
So why is it important you want to ask?
Well from all of the above – it is so very important for us to think, act, behave and live life, periodttt!!! Let’s see these analyses – before Mom cooks, she thinks oh, what do I serve the family and then acts . Before Dad gives out money, he thinks what is more important, school fees or clothes, and then gives out (acts)based on his decision. You as a teenager, before you agree to follow your friend to a party, you think of your friendship and decide. All of these thinking and acting are the little little things that we do on a daily basis that helps us move and grow and live, day by day. So, it is important and pertinent to be in the right state of mind in doing them. A insane person is considered not mentally okay and at such, do what you as a teenager feel is horrible to do, and many others.
From WHO’s definition, let’s simply say a positive mental health allows us as humans to realize our full potential, live our best lives, cope with the stresses of life, work productively and make meaningful contributions wherever we find ourselves. Next week, we continue, stay safe dear Teens.
Mental health symbol conceptual design isolated on white background
Photos Credit: Getty

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