Alice’s Book Club – SPRING session of 2024

 The complete briefing will be available soon. Thank you!

MENTAL well-being

Mental health is extremely important for everyone and it needs to be carefully taken care of in order to have a good quality life. But what is this “mental health” since so many people are talking about in our society nowadays?

Well, before I progress with my thoughts on it, here I begin (as I often do) with the scholastic definition, most accredited academics of the world agreed upon: "Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behaviour".

According to several organizations from the health field, mental health is "the state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community". In other words, "it determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making, including subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others".

Pretty complex, isn’t it?! Of course it is, and that’s why governments allocate tremendous resources (accessible and comprehensive) in order to empower individuals with knowledge, but it is up to each person to be willing to stay informed and up to date on this matter. 

For your reference, here I’m sharing a fragment from the Government of Canada's website (the Division of Public Health Services), which lists few valuable points, concerning mental health:

Fragment: "How can you take care of your mental health?"

Take care of your mental health in the same way you would take care of your physical health. It takes practise, patience and support.

You can maintain or improve your mental health by following the advice below:

- Know and accept that life can be challenging.

- Know and accept your strengths and weaknesses.

- Set realistic goals for yourself.

- Accept yourself and others. This is the basis of self-esteem.

- Learn to recognize and understand that you and others have both positive and negative feelings.

- Create a sense of meaning in your life by learning and trying new activities, like starting a hobby.

- Create healthy, trusting relationships with people who accept and support you.

- Building a supportive community is an important way to improve mental health.

- Making meaningful connections with your family, friends, peers, colleagues and other members of your community can help you feel: like you belong, safe and secure, free to express your thoughts and feelings on issues that are important to you.

- You can help create a healthy and safe environment where you live, learn, work and play by:

* knowing and accepting that everyone has difficulties in their lives

* taking part in local events and getting to know your neighbours

* finding ways to get involved and giving back to your community

* supporting and including people of different ages and backgrounds in your community

Also, for my Romanian readers, below I’m publishing a text written by professor, doctor Leon Dănăilă, for whom I have a tremendous respect.

(As a courtesy, here I’m publishing the text in original, asking the non-Romanian speaking readers to use the automated translator installed at the bottom of the page. Thank you!)

NOTE: Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to life experiences.

"Dragii mei, dragile mele,

Astăzi vreau să împărtășesc cu voi câteva modalități simple de a stimula neuroplasticitatea:

- Utilizați mâna nedominantă: Faceți activități zilnice, cum ar fi spălatul pe dinți sau folosirea furculiței cu mâna mai puțin folosită. Acest exercițiu, cunoscut sub numele de neurobice, consolidează conexiunile dintre celulele creierului.

- Călătoriți: Explorați locuri noi și expuneți-vă creierul la stimuli inediți și medii înconjurătoare noi pentru a deschide noi căi neuronale.

- Antrenați-vă memoria: Utilizați mnemotehnici pentru a vă exersa memoria, stimulând conectivitatea rețelelor neuronale.

- Citiți ficțiune: Cititul unui roman și implicarea în acțiunea acestuia îmbunătățesc conectivitatea creierului și activitatea în regiunile responsabile pentru senzații și mișcare.

- Dansați: Practicarea dansului reduce riscul de dezvoltare a bolii Alzheimer și îmbunătățește conectivitatea neuronală, datorită implicării multiplelor funcții ale creierului.

- Asigurați-vă un somn adecvat: Somnul ajută la consolidarea învățării prin creșterea spinilor dendritici și transferul informațiilor între neuroni. Recomandat este un somn de minim 7 ore pe noapte.

- Faceți exerciții fizice și meditați: 30 de minute de exerciții fizice zilnic sau meditația contribuie la formarea de noi sinapse, iar consumul de flavonoide (cacao, afine) și antioxidanți (ceai verde) susține plasticitatea creierului.

Încercați aceste metode pentru a vă menține creierul în formă și a spori agilitatea mintală, indiferent de vârstă!"

So, dear friends, reading only the brief thoughts shared above, I guess we could safely imply that more often than we think, our mental health is in our hands and taking it seriously is an essential part of our overall well-being.

Your mental health is crucial; make time for it like your life depends on it, because it does!

POEM: “Mother o’ Mine”

“Piano Concerto No. 1” – by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (classical music)

Here is a short poem, written by Rudyard Kipling, highlighting the unconditional love of a mother for her child. Depicting different situations, the author assures that his mother’s love would sustain him throughout any hardships he might encounter in life.
Extrapolating a bit, this poem is focusing on a personal and universal theme, which “reflects the Victorian era's emphasis on domesticity and family values, while exploring the enduring power of maternal love. Through its concise language and evocative imagery, the poem encapsulates the timeless bond between a mother and her child”.

🌿 🌿 🌿 🌿 🌿

~ short video clip (this poem in audio version) ~