WORLD MENTAL
HEALTH DAY
World
Mental Health Day[1]
World Mental Health Day seeks to raise awareness of mental health illnesses while educating the population and mobilizing efforts to support mental health. Mental health, which includes a person's emotional, psychological and social well-being, has become increasingly important in recent decades as an estimated 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression. In 1992, the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) established World Mental Health Day in an effort to promote education and advocate for mental health sufferers. The Foundation aims to provide further awareness and assistance for those suffering from a wide range of mental disorders in the hopes of saving lives and increasing quality of life for these individuals. World Mental Health Day is celebrated annually on October 10th.
John, Chapter 14,
Verse 28-31
28 You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will
come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to
the Father; for the Father is greater than I 29 and now I have
told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. 30 I will no longer
speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, 31
but
the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the
Father has commanded me. Get up, let us go.
The
Father has commanded total love, and the world will soon know that this is what
the Son will give. “Get up, let us go.” Jesus states He will go (His death) but
he will return through the Holy Spirit. Just as the disciples see Jesus now so
they will soon know of his union with the Father, which union he will share
with them. The disciples who love will be loved by both the Father and the Son,
who through the Holy Spirit will reveal himself to them. This is the Christ who
gave Himself to the Father and now redeems all who ask through the water and
blood that flowed from His side to us via the priesthood coming down through
the ages. Be baptized, confess and take His flesh and eat. This is the love of
the Father that all be saved.
World Mental Health Day seeks to raise awareness of mental health illnesses while educating the population and mobilizing efforts to support mental health. Mental health, which includes a person's emotional, psychological and social well-being, has become increasingly important in recent decades as an estimated 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression. In 1992, the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) established World Mental Health Day in an effort to promote education and advocate for mental health sufferers. The Foundation aims to provide further awareness and assistance for those suffering from a wide range of mental disorders in the hopes of saving lives and increasing quality of life for these individuals. World Mental Health Day is celebrated annually on October 10th.
World Mental Health Day Facts &
Quotes
·
Depression
can lead to suicide. More than 800,000 people worldwide take their own lives
every year.
·
Suicide
is the third leading cause of death in the world for individuals 15 to 44.
Suicide rates have increased by 60% over the past 45 years.
·
10-20%
of children
in the world experience a mental disorder. It is the leading cause of disability
in youth.
·
I
used to think that the worst thing in like was to end up alone. It's not. The
worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone. - Robin
Williams, actor who committed suicide in 2014
World Mental Health Day Top Events
and Things to Do
·
Volunteer
your time at an organization that works with child mental health. Depression is
a growing concern among children and organizations such as Big Brothers and
Sisters of America, Teen Mental Health, NAMI and Children's Mental Health can
help you find a local area to help your youth.
·
Watch
a movie that touches on mental health issues or particular disorders. Some of
our favorites are
1) Bipolar: Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2) Schizophrenia: A Beautiful Mind (2001)
3) OCD: As Good As It Gets (1997)
4) Suicide: The Virgin Suicides (1999)
5) Alzheimer's: Still Alice (2014)
6) Borderline Personality: Girl, Interrupted (1999)
7) Depression: Inside Out (2015)
8) Post Traumatic Stress: Jacob's Ladder (1990)
1) Bipolar: Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
2) Schizophrenia: A Beautiful Mind (2001)
3) OCD: As Good As It Gets (1997)
4) Suicide: The Virgin Suicides (1999)
5) Alzheimer's: Still Alice (2014)
6) Borderline Personality: Girl, Interrupted (1999)
7) Depression: Inside Out (2015)
8) Post Traumatic Stress: Jacob's Ladder (1990)
·
Read
a book about mental disorders. Some of our picks: The Bell Jar, Thirteen
Reasons Why and All the Bright Places
·
Evaluate
your own mental well-being or that of someone you are close to.
- Are you always sad?
- Do you have suicidal thoughts?
- Do you feel that you have no reason to live?
- Are you always sad?
- Do you have suicidal thoughts?
- Do you feel that you have no reason to live?
·
Visit
a psychologist to discuss any problems that have overwhelmed you lately.
Epigenetics is a relatively new branch
of genetics that has been heralded as the most important biological
discovery since DNA. Until recently, it was believed you were stuck with the
genes you were born with. But now it’s known that your genes get turned on
and off and are expressed to greater or lesser degrees depending on lifestyle
factors. Let’s take a look at what epigenetics is, how it works, and what you
can do to improve your chances in the health lottery.
What
Is Epigenetics?
The “epi” in
epigenetics is derived from the Greek word meaning “above” or “over.” Epigenetics is defined as the study
of any process that alters gene activity without changing the DNA sequence.
More simply, it is the study of gene expression — how external factors turn
genes on and off, and up and down. The Human Genome Project has identified 25,000 genes in human DNA. DNA is widely
regarded as the code the body uses to build and rebuild itself. But genes
themselves need instructions for what to do, and where and when to do it. Epigenetic modifications, also called
“tags,” provide the instructions. Several of these tags have been
discovered, but the two main ones involve methyl groups (made of carbon and
hydrogen) and histones (a type of protein). To imagine how tags work, think of
a gene as a lamp. Methyl groups act as an on-off switch that turn a gene
on or off. Histones, on the other hand, act like a dimmer switch, regulating
gene activity up or down. It’s thought that we have four million of these switches that are
triggered by lifestyle and environmental factors.
Lifestyle
Factors Affect Your Genes
Dr. Rudolph Tanzi is
a professor of neurology at Harvard University Medical School and he states “You are not simply
the sum total of the genes you were born with. You are the user and
controller of your genes, the author of your biological story. No prospect in
self-care is more exciting.” It means that you’re not at the mercy of
your genetic makeup at birth. You actually have a great deal of control over
your health and your future no matter what genetic hand you have been
dealt. The field of epigenetics is in its infancy and there is
still much to learn, but so far, the evidence shows that there are many
fundamental lifestyle factors that can alter gene expression. Not
surprisingly, diet can affect the health of your DNA. A diet high in refined
carbohydrates that promotes high blood glucose attacks your DNA. On the other hand, compounds
like sulforaphane (found in broccoli), curcumin
(turmeric), epigallocatechin gallate (green tea), and resveratrol (wine)
can slow or potentially reverse DNA damage. Inadequate sleep also
disrupts genetic activity. A team of researchers that included sleep science
and genetics experts examined the influence of sleep on gene function and
discovered that just a single week of insufficient sleep altered the activity of over 700 genes. It’s
well accepted that physical exercise is one of the best things you can do
for your overall health and mental well-being. Now there’s evidence that
physical exercise can positively affect gene expression. A recent study of the brains
of elderly mice found 117 genes that were expressed differently in the brains
of animals that ran regularly, compared to those that were sedentary.
Stress, Relationships,
And Thoughts
Not only do
tangible factors like diet, sleep, and exercise affect your genes, so do
intangibles like stress, your relationships with others, and your thoughts. One
of the most powerful stress reduction techniques, mindfulness meditation, turns down
the expression of pro-inflammatory genes thus reducing
inflammation. Chronic inflammation is an underlying
cause of seven of the top ten leading causes of death including
cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. You might
expect that you’d have to meditate for years to change gene expression sufficiently,
but measurable changes have been observed in as little as eight hours of
meditation. However, these effects were stronger in experienced meditators than
in those new to the practice. Dr. Dawson Church is an award-winning author
whose bestselling book, Genie in Your
Genes: Epigenetic Medicine and the New Biology of Intention, has
been hailed as a breakthrough in the field of epigenetics. In his book, Church
cites over 400 scientific studies that show how intangibles like the
expression of gratitude, acts of kindness, optimism, and mind-body healing
techniques like the Emotional Freedom Technique positively affect the expression of genes. And
just as in the meditation study, these epigenetic benefits were often
experienced immediately. It’s not only positive habits that affect your
genes though. So do the bad ones. Substance abuse, addictions, inactivity,
malnutrition, and exposure to toxins negatively affect the way your genes express themselves. Researchers
have found that emotional factors such as trauma and stress can activate
harmful epigenetic changes.
There are
numerous diseases thought to have an epigenetic component including asthma,
Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes, immune disorders, kidney disease,
glaucoma, muscular dystrophy, and pediatric syndromes as well as many psychiatric disorders including autism,
schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. In 2008, the U.S. National Institutes
of Health committed to investing $190 million into epigenetics research to
hopefully find new and better ways to treat these diseases.
Emotional
intelligence (EI) is defined as the ability to monitor one’s own emotions, as
well as those of other people, to discriminate between different emotions, and
to label them appropriately. while applying EI, we are guiding our thinking and
behavior with an educated focus on healthier mind development.
Emotional
quotient (EQ) is a testing measurement of our ability to understand and apply
our own minds emotionally. Although a comprehensive ambition, EQ testing is
meant to reveal how well we have learned to manage the harmful and helpful
effects of emotions for the purpose of facilitating healthful thoughts,
communication, and behavior. Researchers now realize that emotional
literacy helps to prevent and solve myriad problems that we experience in our
personal and professional lives. The more we understand about our mind’s
emotional component, the more valuable assets we possess as individuals-namely
emotional stability, security, overall intelligence, and physical health, as
well as our ability to treat other people and other things in healthier, more
meaningful. Emotional intelligence is the secret to building healthier
minds, getting the best out of life, and developing a behaviorally safer world.
With the emotional state of the world today, emotional intelligence is our
strongest hope for an optimistic future.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
99. 'He spent the whole night
in prayer to God.' So, Saint Luke tells of our Lord. And you? How often have
you persevered like that? Well, then...
Daily Devotions
·
Total
Consecration
Day 30
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