Embracing Mental Health for Success 🧠✨

Embracing Mental Health for Success 🧠✨

I’m thrilled to have participated in the recent webinar on "The Importance of Mental Health in Achieving Success," facilitated by the incredible Mary Tadros. This session deepened my understanding of how mental health is not just a personal issue but a critical pillar for achieving success in all aspects of life.

One key takeaway was the importance of FACT-CHECKING to protect our mental well-being. I once experienced a deeply distressing situation where I was misinformed by a relative that a dear friend of mine had passed away abroad. I mourned him for an entire year, only to find out later that he was alive! This experience taught me how “Dangerous Misinformation “ can be to our mental health, and that we must normalize verifying facts before reacting to emotionally charged information.

Additionally, if you're a sensitive person, avoid social media content that can trigger stress. We shouldn't overload our minds with things that don’t matter, and we must be mindful of consuming distressing content, such as true crime stories, which can impact our mental state without us realizing it.

One point Mary Tadros emphasized is that sometimes our stress is induced by *other people* it could be a relative, friend, employee, or employer. When dealing with people, it's OK to  say NO and be persistent about your boundaries. Healthy boundaries are essential for maintaining mental health, and we shouldn’t feel guilty about enforcing them.

During my time facilitating the Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy, I encountered misinformation that made it difficult to deliver aid. Many of the people I worked with were mentally challenged and had defaulted on their medication, making them aggressive and difficult to communicate with. This led to a personal mental breakdown. To cope, I reached out to my supervisor, who shared effective strategies. One of the key measures I implemented was leading a media literacy campaign that built resilience against disinformation surrounding food aid, improving community engagement by 40%.

Additionally, I ensured that before visiting any village, I would identify mentally challenged individuals and engage community health workers or relatives familiar with them to manage any aggression. I also leveraged my experience and connections from Parirenyatwa Psychiatric Unit to link these individuals to services that could help them. This strategy not only made my job easier but ensured these individuals received the care they needed.

Mental health matters, and it's time we all take proactive steps to safeguard it whether by checking our facts, curating what we consume online, setting clear boundaries, or ensuring the mental well-being of those we work with.

#MentalHealthMatters #FactCheckFirst #Boundaries #CommunityCare #WellBeing #Leadership #PublicHealth #SuccessMindset #Empowerment  Spunk Go Mary Tadros Dr. Nancy Kwangwa (Ph.D) Grace Msauki Zimbabwe Information and Technology Empowerment Trust (ZITET)