Mental Health and Isolation

A guest blog by Xena Morilla-Lowe, who recently took part in the July Get Started with Content Creation course.

Hello everyone, my name is Xena Morilla-Lowe. I decided to dedicate my video on mental health and isolation because it is something I am passionate to talk about and is a delicate topic that needs to be heard and spread. Isolation is also important due to the recent circumstances of Covid-19. To note the statistics were taken from the internet.

What is Mental Health?

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being, it affects how we think,  feel and act it also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make choices. Mental health is important to every stage of life from childhood and throughout adulthood. Mental illness also called mental health disorders affects your mood, thinking and behaviour. Example’s of mental illnesses include depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviours. I find quotes the most relatable and somewhat therapeutic thing to read, there are certain quotes that speaks out such as ‘Loneliness is dangerous, its addicting, once you see how peaceful it is, you don’t want to deal with people’.

Isolation is somewhat scary and dangerous because you are left to your own thoughts and feelings, locked away from any social interaction, so people look to social media to pass time, this can have either a negative or positive impact on the mind. You could be seen as the happiest person in the world who has it all, but that could not be the case, quote ‘Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact, everything we see is a perspective, not the truth’.

Statistics

Around 1 in 5 people globally (15 to 20 percent) have one or more mental health disorders, this means over 1 billion people in 2016 experience one. The largest number of people had an anxiety disorder estimated at around 4% of the population, the statistics show that people seeking help is 1 in 8 adults 12.1% received mental health treatment, with 10.4% receiving medication and 3% receiving psychological therapy 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24.

Statistics show that mental health has a bigger impact on young people which is the time we learn, grow the most, this could be from bullying at school or social media, traumatic experiences, etc, however anyone can get a mental health illness/disorder, no matter the age, quote ‘I think it’s really important to de-stigmatise mental illness in any form, I think there’s a lot of people that are carrying around guilt and shame that doesn’t matter, everybody is going through something, everybody has had something that they’ve had to overcome’.

These statistics are from the World Economic Forum and the Mental Health Foundation.

My Experience

Sometimes I would have bad mood swings, one day I’d be really happy, the next I would isolate from everyone. I also find myself unfollowing people on social media, not to the point that they have done something wrong or offending me, but as to how I feel when I see other people have what I don’t have, such as happiness or the ideal body type that is considered perfect in this generation which is why I am so insecure.

Although we don’t know what other people are going through, they could be putting on a smile to cover their sadness as a mask to hide from, we don’t know anything about how other people feel, its the people you surround yourself with, you have control over who you follow. Social media has a negative impact on mental health, however it can also be positive in a way to promote being healthy in the mind, body and soul. Follow people that make you happy, that have the positive impact on your life, be grateful for what you have, such as family and friends.

If you are passionate about something, share it, make a social media dedicated to what you love, see the good things in life, not the negative. I sometimes neglect the fact I have mental illness, because I think other people have it worse, but that’s not how it should be, there is no competition of who has it worse or to put yourself even more down because someone else self harms or has worse experiences, you need to truly reflect on what you need, speak to someone you trust and is supportive and wont judge, if not, speak to a doctor, a professional, they are there to help, use all the help that is offered.

It took me a few years to decide to get help, you need to make that choice or it will get to the point where there wont be a choice, it could be taken from you, quote ‘everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice’. I hope this impacts people to realise that there is always help and you are important and loved.

 ‘Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and loved more than you know’

‘”In a world where you can be anything, be kind”

Follow my Instagram for more quotes – xena.twp

If You Need Help or Support

Don’t forget, if you are in need of seeking help and support, contact your local doctors or call:

• Breathing space – 0800 83 85 87
• Samaritans – 116 123
• NHS – 111

Xena’s Video

Xena recently completed the 2-week Get Started with Content Creation digital boot camp and she created her own piece of video content.

Her video focuses on loneliness, mental health and having the courage to ask for help when you need it.