Mental Health | Happily Health

Benefits of Meditation

Happily Health — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 08:15:53 +0000

Meditation is a type of mind-body medicine which has been practiced for thousands of years. It helps you focus and channel your mind by minimising random thoughts. It can help restore calmness and inner peace by instilling a sense of relaxation and tranquillity. Meditation can improve both your emotional well-being and your overall physical health!

Various Types of Meditation

Meditation is a broad term used to describe various practices to achieve a relaxed state of being. With all the different variations, it would be fair to say that there’s something for everyone:

1.Concentration Meditation: teaches you how to focus your mind and is perceived to be the foundation for other forms of meditation.

2.Guided Meditation: As the name suggests, in this form of meditation, you follow a guide who leads you through the meditation – it generally involves the forming of mental images of relaxing places or situations.

3.Mantra Meditation: involves repeating a calming word, thought or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts.

4.Mindfulness Meditation: is based on being mindful or having an increased awareness and acceptance of living in the present moment by broadening your conscious awareness. It encourages you to be fully aware of your surroundings and to accept living in the present, to enable you to achieve a state of calm.

5.Yoga/ Tai chi/ Qigong: They are moving forms of meditation which combine physical exercise with breathing exercises and focus.

There is also Transcendental Meditation, Heart-centred meditation, and Walking meditation.

Meditation is simple, inexpensiveand you do not need any equipment for it! You can practice mediation anywhere, and all you need to practice it, is a few minutes of your day.

Emotional Benefits of Meditation

Practicing meditation is helpful in conditions that are triggered by stress. Meditation will aid you in relaxation, concentration, and overcoming fatigue. Meditation can also benefit you emotionally by allowing you to:

1.Gain new perspectives on stressful situations

2.Manage your stress

3.Increase self-awareness

4.Focus on the present

5.Reduce negative emotions

6.Increase imagination and creativity

7.Increase patience and tolerance

Benefits of Meditation for Medical Conditions

Meditation can also be useful in medical conditions, especially those worsened by stress. Research suggests that meditation may help you manage symptoms for various illnesses such as:

1.Cancer: Meditation may help relieve anxiety, stress, fatigue, sleep disturbances and uplift the general mood, thus improving the quality of life of people suffering from cancer symptoms and treatment side-effects.

2.High Blood Pressure: Scientific evidence suggests that Transcendental Meditation may be used as complementary therapy along with standard treatment to lower blood pressure.

3.Menopausal Symptoms: Yoga, Tai chi, and other meditation-based programs may help in lessening common menopausal symptoms such as stress, muscle and joint pain, sleep and mood disturbances and the frequency and intensity of hot flashes.

4.Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Regular meditation practice can help reduce the severity of symptoms of IBS patients.

5.Anxiety/Depression: Mindful meditation is known to help ease psychological stresses like anxiety, depression, and pain.

6.Heart Disease: Calming your mind by practicing meditation can improve heart healthand may help lower the risk of heart disease.

7.Asthma: Research provides some evidence that meditation is beneficial in improving quality of life in asthmatic patients.

8.Sleep Problems: Mindfulness meditation helps improve sleep.

Meditation has a long history of facilitating psychological balance and enhancing the overall health and well-being of a person. Don’t be discouraged if you have never practiced meditation before. Meditation is not a skill, it is a practice, and anybody can do it. Slowly but surely you will start to see its benefits. Get started today!

Reviewed by- Dr. N. Nayak, MBBS, MD

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Quick Ways to De-Stress During a Work Day

Happily Health — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 10:29:00 +0000

Does your work make you happy? Perhaps. But work is not always gratifying, is it? More often than not, work brings along with it an immense amount of pressure and stress. Pressure at the workplace is largely unavoidable in today’s day and age owing to the demands of the contemporary work environment. When this pressure becomes excessive or otherwise unmanageable, it leads to stress. Over a period of time, work related stress may result in a psychological syndrome known as a burnout. Certain work related stressors such as having too many work demands or pressures, too little independence, inadequate remuneration, mismatch between workplace and personal values etc. are closely linked with burnout.

How Does Work Related Stress Affect the Body?

Long term exposure to work-related stressors such as the ones highlighted above may affect both physical and mental health^.Research has shown burnout to be linked with symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Another study shows younger people who frequently face heavy workloads and extreme time pressure at the workplace are more likely to experience major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. On the other hand, physical ramifications of stress include susceptibility to disease or lowered immunity, the likelihood of developing cardio vascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, amongst others.

Looking for a quick fix for stress at work? Well, look no more! Listed below are the different ways by which you can promptly and efficaciously de-stress while at work-

1. Deep Breathing: Stress often causes our body to use more oxygen and we tend to breathe shallowly. Set a timer for two or three minutes and focus on your breathing. Inhale deeply through your nose as you count till five, hold for five counts, exhale for five counts, and repeat for the remaining time to feel stress-reducing and calming effects

2. Take a Brisk 10 Minute Walk: This increases oxygen supply to the brain and body. Research even shows that walking boosts creative inspiration.

3. Personalise your Desk: Place non-work-related objects and pictures which make you happy around your work desk. Plants and soothing colours such as yellow and blue have a calming and comforting effect on the mind.

4. Focus on the Project at Hand: When you are overwhelmed with work, it is helpful to keep all other tasks besides the one you are working on at the moment. This allows you to focus on one task at a time.

5. Appreciate your Accomplishments: Leave all your completed work within sight. This enables you to take a few seconds or minutes to appreciate what you have already accomplished.

In addition to the above, there are also certain long-term practices and habits which may be incorporated in everyday life to effectively cope with workplace stress-

1.Tackle your stress triggers by looking for ways to resolve it or changing the circumstances that are causing it.

2. Improve your time management skills by setting realistic goals, making priority lists, and protecting your time.

3. Maintain perspective by obtaining insights or suggestions from trusted colleagues or friends.

4. Set aside time for activities you enjoy.

5. Include physical activity in your daily routine.

6. Get plenty of sleep.

7. Eat a healthy diet.

8. Know when to seek professional help.

At the end of the day, it is important to remember that successfully coping with work stress not only enhances your productivity but also leaves you in a better frame of mind to go through the rest of your day. Don’t let stress weigh you down and take control over your stress today!

Reviewed By- Dr. N. Nayak, MBBS, MD

The post Quick Ways to De-Stress During a Work Day first appeared on Happily Health.

When the mechanics of the mind go wrong

Happily Health — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 09:18:00 +0000

Although misunderstood and often misjudged, mental health is even more important than physical health. In a simple and lucid way, this article offers the layperson an understanding of the causes, conditions, and treatments of all forms of psychiatric ailments like dementias, neurodevelopmental disorders, substance abuse, psychoses, personality disorders, anxiety, depression, and stress-related conditions.

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Source: Healthcare in India

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Different Types of Mental Disorders

Happily Health — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 09:07:57 +0000

Most of us experience fluctuations in moods or emotional challenges. It is when these disruptions in mood, behavior or thought process start affecting social interactions adversely,that we can call them mental health disorders.

Anxiety Disorders:

When a person reacts to certain things irrationally with heightened fear or anxiety, it is called an Anxiety Disorder. Various phobias and panic attacks form part of this. The person finds it difficult to control the inappropriate reaction and the reaction is also typically accompanied by physical symptoms like sweating or increased heart rates.

According to WHO, these disorders can also have symptoms like trembling, inability to concentrate, headaches, dizziness and a dry mouth.

The obsessive compulsion to clean one’s hands because of a fear of germs is a classic widespread anxiety disorder. The person becomes obsessed with something out of fear and will compulsively repeat the same behavior over and over. The fears are called obsessions and the habits the person forms to deal with the fear are called compulsions.

Eating Disorders:

These involve conflicted relationships with the body and eating. Bulimia (overeating) or anorexia (fear of eating to the point of starvation to lose weight) are common eating disorders.

Psychotic Disorders:

People with these disorders tend to hallucinate or delude themselves into believing something fantastic or absurd. Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder.

As per WHO, Schizophrenia is also characterized by delusions of control, catatonic behavior like posturing or excitement, loud broadcasting of thoughts, or even paucity of speech, social withdrawal and apathy.

Mood Disorders:

When a person swings between extreme sadness or extreme happiness, this is a mood disorder, called Bipolar disorder. The person may also experience long, persistent feelings of sadness or despair like in depression.

In a Depression, the person loses interest in day to day activities, withdraws from relationships and feels low most of the time. The person may also feel suicidal some times. There is also a loss of appetite and sleep. It also comes with huge loss of self-esteem.

Impulse Control or Addiction Disorders:

The people afflicted with this find it difficult to control their impulses for things that could be harmful. Kleptomania or compulsive need to steal is an example of this disorder. Addiction to alcohol and drugs are also rampant and some of the more frequent mental health issues all over the world.

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Why meditation is worth your attention

Happily Health — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 06:12:38 +0000

As per a recent study, scientists have identified the role of the central part of the brain in controlling attention. The role of the outer covering of the brain tissue, cerebral cortex, is well known in determining the cognitive ability and broad attention. The scientists are now trying to understand the role of the middle part of the brain in meditation. As meditation helps to focus and process relevant information, a detailed understanding of how it controls the mind will help to treat attention disorders.

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Source: Vigyanprasar

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Anti-oxidants in the brain and Alzheimer’s

Happily Health — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 09:40:33 +0000

Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes cognitive decline and memory loss. By peeping into the brains of various Alzheimer patients, the scientists zeroed in on the exact role of an anti-oxidant brain chemical called glutathione, which is known to protect the brain from stress. They studied the forms of glutathione and how its presence in different parts of the brain can help detect the early signs of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s.

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Source: Vigyanprasar

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Triphala – From Ayurveda to Modern Medicine

Happily Health — Fri, 22 May 2020 10:33:21 +0000

Triphala for ages is known for its various medicinal properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-stress. In a recent detailed chemical study of Triphala, it was found to be packed with polyphenols. Scientists tested its action on molecules that aid the development of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson. In test-tube studies, Triphala helped to stop fibril formation of alpha-syn in the brain. However, experts feel that more clinical trials are required to prove its role in the brain at the intracellular level as it is also not clear how these polyphenols will reach the brain.

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Source: Vigyanprasar

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Regular meditation may help alertness and focus

Happily Health — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Researchers in the US have measured long-term effects of meditation on maintaining alertness, focus and cognitive abilities. Participants attended a three-month-long meditation retreat, and were assessed six months, eighteen months and seven years later. Participants who meditated regularly retained some of the benefits gained from the retreat even seven years later. However, the advocacy of meditation to maintain and improve function of the brain in older people needs more research.

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Source: InnoHealth Magazine

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The many ways to Insomnia

Happily Health — Tue, 15 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Stress is omnipresent in urban life and is a significant indicator for insomnia. The field of sleep disorder medicines has made much progress with various alternatives. But medication may not be the only recourse, the others being counselling, yoga and meditation. Insomnia has many indications including difficluty to initiate and maintain sleep, persistent sleep difficluty for more than 3 days a week and not being able to function optimally because of sleep disturbances. It is also associated with other psychological complaints like fatigue, boredom, decreased energy and mood disturbances.

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Source: InnoHealth Magazine

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‘Vitamin Sun maybe best for your baby’, say doctors

Happily Health — Tue, 08 May 2018 05:29:18 +0000

It’s available all year round, it’s free of cost and it maybe the best thing for your baby. Sunbathing for as little as 30 minutes a week can prevent Vitamin D deficiency in infants and ensure calcium absorption for normal growth and development of bones. In the winter months, when your infant is bundled up well with only hands and face exposed, sunlight for 2 hours a week is adequate.

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Source: InnoHealth Magazine.

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