Thursday, March 28, 2024

HEALTH IS THE NEW HAPPY! Am I going crazy or nah?

April 7, 2021 by  
Filed under Highlights

Am I going crazy or nah?

BY TIFFANY McNEELY

Tiffany McNeely

How many times have you felt like you were going “crazy” or someone used that word to describe you?

The term has such a stigma — but with mental illness diagnoses on the rise, more people are becoming sensitive to the people around them. We could all use a heightened awareness of what others may be going through: 19% of adults are experiencing a mental illness — the equivalent of over 47 million Americans, with 4.55% experiencing a severe mental illness.

I realized that anxiety could be triggered by several factors throughout my day. When anxiety would hit, I would start to feel like I was going crazy and out of place. It can come out of nowhere, with physical symptoms that could include feeling hot, lightheadedness, racing heart, and trembling. Often it can feel impossible to control. For relief, I have to focus on my breathing: taking deep breaths in and out while thinking of something calming. I like to visualize the beach or waves peacefully hitting the shore.

I don’t believe that crazy is an appropriate word for people who suffer from mental health issues. I would say we are not crazy at all — just processing life’s curveballs the best we can. A lot of times you may not be born with something like an anxiety disorder, but it can develop over time in response to trauma.

I recently purchased this amazing device called Breathonics. You download the app and pair the device with your smartphone. You put the device over your eyes and head and sit or lay in a quiet place. Once you turn on the app the sound comes on and you are provided with a 15-20 minute guided meditation on breathing techniques. There are different options depending on whether you want to calm down or be energized.

One cool feature is the power nap. How many times have you felt like, “If I can just take a quick nap I would feel better.” This helps you do that and wake up well rested. This has been such an amazing tool, because I can use it anywhere I go. It has a carrying case and charger to use on the go.

John Hopkins reported on a study in which “Researchers looked at data from 2,974 people in China ages 65 and older. Nearly 60 percent of participants reported napping after lunch for about an hour. Scientists found that people who napped for 30 to 90 minutes had better word recall — a sign of good memory — than people who did not nap or who napped for longer than 90 minutes. People who napped for that golden 30 to 90 minutes were also better at figure drawing, another sign of good cognition.” So quick short naps are very useful to our cognitive health during the day. Happy napping!

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