- July 22nd is World Brain Day, and at EDUCA EDTECH Foundation we wanted to commemorate this important day to raise awareness of mental health problems.
The origin of this World Brain Day is in 2014, when the World Federation of Neurology raised the goal of raising awareness of the importance of promoting neurological health.
A vital approach, since more than 43% of the world’s population suffers from some type of neurological disease . And not only that, more than 3.4 billion people around the world suffer some kind of disability due to neurological disease and more than 11 million people die each year from one of these pathologies.
Normalization, empathy and support. Mental health challenges
Last month, the podcast program of EDUCA EDTECH Foundation , EDTECH Generationdedicated one of its slots to the Grenadian association SAPAME.
SAPAME is an organization formally constituted in 2005 by people with some type of serious mental disorder, promoted and managed by the group itself. With a marked objective: the promotion, integration and promotion of Mental Health from the perspective of recovery, empowerment and mutual support, Asunción Liñán, president of SAPAME, and José Domingo Morales, one of the founding partners of the organization, talk about the importance of educating in mental health and the stigmas that exist in society.
“When you are diagnosed with a mental illness, the first thing you think about is how you tell it. That’s something we work on at SAPAME, accepting your illness, normalizing it so that people accept it,” says the president.
How can we take care of our mental health?
In Spain, more than 23 million people suffer from a neurological disease, a much higher percentage (18%) than the world average.
We must be aware, according to mental health experts, almost half of dementia cases could be avoided by following healthy habits for our brain.
Among these healthy habits we could highlight:
- Taking care of your physical health
As we already know, physical and mental health are closely related. Therefore, practicing physical activity can reduce feelings of stress or depression and improve mood.
Get enough sleep, since not sleeping properly increases irritability and, in the long term, increases the possibility of suffering from depression.
Likewise, nutrition is vital to feel good physically. Good nutrition can improve mood and decrease anxiety and stress.
- Develop coping skills
These are methods for dealing with stressful situations, which help us to face problems, take and develop actions, be flexible and not give up easily to solve problems.
- Meditation and relaxation techniques
These practices consist of focusing attention and producing a natural relaxation response in the body.
This requires a quiet place, maintaining a specific and comfortable posture, practicing breathing and keeping an open attitude.
It is also important to recognize when you need help and seek therapy to help improve your mental health.
“In our workshops, the professionals talk a lot about nutrition, healthy eating, sports, and going to workshops, because they help with social skills and inject self-esteem. We acquire basic tools for day-to-day life, generate endorphins and release tension,” says José Francisco about SAPAME’s workshops.
