Mental Health & Wellbeing has been such a hot topic in recent years. Does it mean that the society has moved forward? In the past, the medical research worked on treatment of diseases. When people became wiser, we tried to prevent diseases. And probably, we are all thinking too much now, resulting our mind not being too right... All in all, the big focus on mental health promotion has been growing rapidly, partly because WHO has predicted depression as the biggest burden of disease in near future.
Why are we living in such a crazy society? Many people blame affluence. With the world getting wealthier, people become detached from the presence. The advance of technology has led people living in the virtual world. Basic needs like simple love & emotions are being disregarded. The invention of wii game was such a sarcasm - it made people lost their mind in front of a black box. No wonder it is a mental health problem. However, it is absolutely understandable. We are living in this stressful society, if we don't give ourselves a break from being slave of the dollar sign for 24/7, we will go depressed & soon crazy.
A few days ago, I attended a training on Mindfulness. The training was organised to up-skill us, the clinicians, in client management - keeping up with the mental health focus. But at the same time, it was to equip us with self-care skill, to not become yet another victim of depression. I found the training interesting. Mindfulness is connecting self to presence. It is to learn to appreciate the basic of life & relate with it. It made me recognise how much i have missed when living in such a fast-paced society - merely skimming through everything in life.
Sometimes when you stop & turn your head, you would realise the path you just walked past was actually decorated with bright colourful flowers... Where you heading to is important, but it is as essential to experience the journey, and more crucial to live the life with emotions, thoughts & feelings.
