Living in South Africa no one can argue with the stress levels each of us face almost everyday in our daily life from lack of access to opportunities for employment or higher-wage earnings to load-shedding and poor service delivery. October has been declared officially as Mental Health Awareness Month by the South African Government.
Due to the demanding nature of the world we live in this makes our surroundings a high pressured environment that subjects us to harsh realities and it exposes us to new challenges and unfavorable conditions that all of us have to deal with in one way or another therefore it becomes imperative that we pay attention to our well-being , especially our mental health.
This aspect of our self is generally overlooked and neglected henceforth we need to redirect our focus towards our personal health & development. Too many of us tend to depend on unhealthy coping mechanisms to survive the struggles that confront us from our situations and/or environments , we would rather distract ourselves to numb the pain or ignore & pacify our emotions with short-term pleasures which generally work to keep us calm and less volatile for the time being but they don't necessarily help improve the circumstance or solve the problem fully.
As youth and young adults we are required to handle situations of all shapes and sizes because so much of society is depending on us to make a difference. A lot of communities are relying on the energy and might of their young to improve the livelihood of the area in which they live in because they have the potential to do more than the elderly and children. Young people make up the majority of South Africa but they face more challenges than ever before and there's just too many gaps in our society that make it hard for them to participate and engage in the decisions being made that affect the future of the country. There are a lot expectations that are put on their shoulders and this adds on even more pressure to their mental well-being more especially in underserved communities and marginalized groups from humble backgrounds.
South Africa is one of the richest countries in the continent with more millionaires than its counterparts according to the Africa Wealth Report 2022 but it is also the most unequal country in the world with classical examples such as Alex and Sandton, Cape town and Khayelitsha. This contrast is almost unreal with both areas being neighboring communities but the distinction between the two is too drastic to ignore and it would leave anyone observing triggered to some degree.
The power of perspective is a huge component that affects the reality that one lives, we can all be triggered by experiences but how we react or respond to the trigger could either empower us or break us. That is why it is important to stay positive and show gratitude otherwise we become bitter and arrogant or depressed and distant.
What is Mental Health?
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