There are so many layers to depression and it can be an incredibly destabilising period in a person’s life. The common recommendation is to see a mental health professional, but with therapy costing hundreds of dirhams just for one session, that is just not an option for most of the population here in the UAE. Despite the fact that globally, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression, according to the World...
In the Livehealthy series, “My work,” we delve into how people deal with job stress. We do this anonymously so people can be totally honest about their experiences without fear of reprisal. For this piece, and to celebrate International Nurses’ Day, a psychiatric nurse at a government hospital in Bahrain recounts her experience to Georgie Bradley. The work day for a nurse is never a straight eight hours. Something always come up, especially when you think...
Two young doctors want to make mental-health education available to those that they believe need it most – young kids and teens. Kayan Mental Health offers mental health education sessions for students.
The mind is a powerful tool in boosting immunity and our capacity to heal but research shows that negative emotions can harm our immune response and unprocessed trauma seeps into our DNA to be passed down the generations.
A year of Covid has left us feeling exhausted and irritable and has brought more conflict into the lives of some couples and families. Vaccines are a ray of hope but we should not fall into the trap of believing that being vaccinated makes us invincible.
Every night during Britain’s first lockdown, chef Joudie Kalla’s phone would ring at exactly 7pm. The friend on the other end would not need to say a word. Instead, she would sit watching on FaceTime as Kalla forced down mouthful after mouthful, or they would eat together in companionable silence, or she would tell Kalla anecdotes about her day, before ringing off and repeating the whole process the following evening. The kind gesture helped Palestinian...
Aakanksha Tangri was already a successful journalist when she decided to launch Re:Set, an online platform hosting dialogues with experts in mental health, education, entrepreneurship and ender issues.
Stress and emotional eating have become a theme of the pandemic, with many worrying that their food choices are unhealthy, incurring a mood that negatively affects their overall sense of wellbeing and self-esteem. A recent YouGov survey commissioned by the British Nutrition Foundation looked at how Covid-19 has affected diet and fitness and found: 27 percent of people admitted they were eating less healthily 48 percent did not feel “motivated” enough to eat well. 63...
TRIGGER WARNING: If you are having suicidal thoughts, click here for expert advice and for links to support groups, medical help and hotlines. “I slowly opened my eyes, the place was filled with police officers and one was gently talking to me as I gained consciousness.” Chris Haill, 54, is retelling the story of his suicide attempt earlier this year. After living with depression for almost four decades, he made his second attempt at ending...
Does the voice in your head say things like ‘I’m not good enough or ‘People won’t like me’ or ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I’m not worthy?’ Wouldn’t you rather hear: ‘I am qualified and valuable’; ‘I believe in myself’; ‘I can achieve this’; and ‘I am deserving?’ Imagine taking back control of your mind and silencing those negative thoughts of self-doubt and judgement and reconnecting with your creative, positive inner-self, becoming more confident and reassured....
Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself and define you as either optimistic or pessimistic. Indeed, some studies show that personality traits such as optimism and pessimism can affect many areas of your health and well-being, too. The positive thinking that usually comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management. And effective stress management...
