By Earl Alright
Apart from being a lawyer, I am also a sex and relationship counsellor. The biggest tool I use for counselling is my mind, consequently, I do everything to ensure I am always aware of what is happening around and inside me mentally and emotionally. Mental health is the foundation for thriving in this pandemic.
In March, I noticed I was greatly emotionally stressed and decided to self diagnose the situation. I realized that I was getting too much data into my brain and this was jamming up my intellectual, social, spiritual and emotional activities.
There is so much information overload happening right now and this is causing major stress to many people subconsciously. This time, however, the “data” overcrowding our mind is not from the news media or NCDC, so it’s not about COVID-19.
The information overload which we are experiencing right now is from almost everyone trying to do one thing or the other online, making us exposed to too many things right now through the internet, especially via social media.
Everyone seems to have something to say, show, sell, market, teach and do on the internet. That’s not the bad thing. The trouble is that everyone is trying to see, read, view, watch and learn almost everything offered out there all at once.
Now, we are “sick and depressed.” And it’s not because of our jobs, food supply or health but because:
1. We feel we are not learning, reading and taking advantage of the supposed free time enough,
2. We don’t have sufficient data and money to subscribe and pay for some of these services and goods online which appear to be highly discounted,
3.We feel we must be up to date with everything happening all at once.
Guard your mental sanity please. You are fine. Be a human and not a machine. You brain need some exercises, plenty of sleep and organized activities.
Check your life right now? Aren’t you feeling more stressed than you were when the world was normal? Kindly enjoy this season rather than trying to be everything and do everything and experience everything all at the same time.
Take care of your mental health. Reduce the fasting, drink plenty of water, go for fruits rather than vitamin C, dance and sing along, sleep at least 6 hours every night. And if need be, consult a counsellor.
