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" ITS OKAY
NOT TO BE OKAY"
But there's no health without good mental health.
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Many people go through hard times in their lifetime, and feel temporarily blue about it - And it is okay!
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Emotions, thoughts, and feelings account for an integral part of us. If we feel them adequately, they help handle stress, make clear decisions, and interact with others. They make us more resilient.
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However, some can be overwhelmed by their feelings in the aftermath of stressful events, and develop poor mental health - i.e prolonged sadness, extreme anger, anxiety, hypervigilance, fear, numbness, sleep disturbances, social withdrawal, distress...
If left unaddressed, poor mental health can lead to many other health diseases such as hypertension, worsens its symptoms and interfere with treatment.
TRAUMATIC EVENTS
Trauma does not only occurs in war zones, as frequently misconceived. In fact, trauma is highly subjective and englobes any recent or past experiences that triggers long-lasting devastating emotional response changing one's feeling of safety and ability to form relationships.
LANDSLIDES & NATURAL DISASTERS
The Bududa District is located in an high-risk area for landslide. In 2010, the region faced the most severe landslide ever recorded, with approximately 5000 survivors evacuated and over 400 peoples killed of which up to 60 were children. Such experience have been shown to increase the risk of hypertension.
TAKE YOURÂ HEALTH IN HAND
MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) IN GROUP
This is a psychological approach aimed at helping people to cope with severe medical conditions and their psychological impact. It helps engaging in healthy lifestyles, avoiding behavioral determinants of hypertension, including obesity, high salt intake, sedentary activities, and excessive alcohol consumption.
MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
An overwhelming number of studies have demonstrated how hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases can mutually set poor mental health conditions as depression and anxiety in patients. While poor mental health status interferes with antihypertensive therapy in many patients, seeking medicines - antidepressant, anxiolytics, etc. - is known to help adhering to treatment.
YOGA
A recent study reviewing as many as 49 controlled yoga trials has revealed the significant therapeutic impact of yoga sessions on cardiovascular parameters in hypertensive patients. When combined to breathing with or without meditation activities, 60 minutes of yoga multiples times a week during 13 weeks showed to have marked anti-hypertensive effect on blood pressure.
MINDFUL MEDITATION
Practicing meditation has been shown to significantly improve symptoms of poor mental health status in hypertensive patients with anxiety, depression or high levels of stress. Improvements pertaining cardiovascular parameters were observed in these patients up to 20 weeks and onwards, also positively impacting their therapeutic adherence.