Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
If we will ask a person stepping into the ‘Senior Citizenry’ what his primary goal is? Quick response will be ‘I want to remain mentally fit’ with ‘sound health’. Our psychological, emotional and social well-being impacts every area of our life. Especially in old age, maintaining our mental fitness is vital to living a happy, healthy life. But unfortunately, millions of oldies lacking mental fitness leave them feeling hopeless, helpless and alone. Mental health is an area where oldies are embarrassed. They don’t want to talk about it because somehow they feel they’re a failure or they’re embarrassed for their child, but mental health, I feel, is something that we have to talk about. Let us start with determination that I am bent, but not broken. I am scarred, but not disfigured. I am sad, but not hopeless. I am tired, but not powerless. I am angry, but not bitter. I am depressed, but not giving up. It’s so important that we all speak up on mental health. Here we find those ‘Senior Citizenry’ with strong family or social connections are generally healthier than those who lack a support network. If we have to understand in a simple way what is ‘mental fitness’ and ‘sound health’, mentally fit means the ability of an individual to perceptible understand and communicate specific information pertaining to his or her health, safety, and medication, having the skills and practices to improve and sustain state of wellbeing and perform at our best and cultivating awareness of how we think, behave and feel. Mental health is not a destination but a process. Physical fitness relates to the body’s ability to function and it counts for body composition, flexibility, muscular system, muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance.
If we have to understand in a simple way, what it means to be ”Sound Health’ means it is not just ‘Physical Fitness’ but it is also the ‘Mental Health Fitness’ and balance of these both aspects of health leads to ‘Sound Health System’. An individual mentally fit is an individual mentally alert. Mental alertness enhances cognitive functions as we age.
Mental alertness is a state of high sensory awareness where we can focus and concentrate on a task at hand, as well as perceive and act fast in any situation. It relates to reasoning, capability, awareness, perception, and imagination, and therefore staying mentally alert is vital for productivity levels. We need, ultimately, to be able to view mental health with the same clear-headedness we show when talking about physical health. Taking care of our mental health is as important as maintaining our physical health, staying mentally fit means living in the moment and enjoying life with our near and dear ones. “Alert presence is the garden of personal growth”- Joseph Rain.
If we live with alertness, we live rightly. Mental alertness enhances our survival instincts. A person’s mental fitness indicates their ability to think clearly and to make decisions effectively and efficiently.
Those having ‘Mental Health Fitness’ are emotionally strong individuals and have better strength to fight depression, anxiety, stress and negative thinking. A mentally alert individual interacts with the world in a different way. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study says that about one in seven persons in India suffered from mental disorders of varying severity in 2017.
These include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, idiopathic developmental intellectual disability, conduct disorders, and autism. Research found that depression is highest in older adults that contributed 33.8 per cent of all mental disorders. According to research, there are many factors that might affect mental alertness. These factors include general fatigue, age, body weakness, or other deficiencies. We need to boost mental alertness to remain rejuvenated and refreshed. Fitness exercises, meditation, yoga and counseling, are great ways to maintain good mental health.
When we crisscross our eating habits, both good and bad, it triggers unhealthy eating that guides us to switch over to healthier habits. It is a proven fact that good nutrition plays a major role in helping us to lead a healthy lifestyle combined with physical activity. Getting enough rest when our body needs it and making sure we get at least seven hours of sleep each night is an important key to improving mental alertness and cognitive abilities.
Mental health is a catalyst in every aspect of our life. It’s not just a little issue that we can put into a box. Our present circumstances don’t determine where we can go; they merely determine where we start. Our mental health goes through cycles with changing times, like our physical health. Sometimes, things are great and other times, not so much. This realization makes it easier for many to talk about their mental health difficulties. Mental health needs a great deal of attention. It’s the final taboo and it needs to be faced and dealt with.
I will end up with a message from ‘Demi Lovato’ for those feeling lacking in mental health “You don’t have to live that way. You don’t have to struggle in silence. You can be un-silent.
You can live well with a mental health condition, as long as you open up to somebody about it, because it’s really important you share your experience with people so that you can get the help that you need.”
(The author is President Senior Citizens’ Club (Regd) Udhampur).