Mind Over Matter

”Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live. ~ Jim Rohn

Health in general and especially, mental health should always be given a priority. All this while, I’ve only read and learned about people, mostly celebrities, suffering from depression or mental health the likes of Robin Williams, Heath Ledger, Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade.

A month ago, while at the hair salon, my hairdresser was telling me a story about her 20-year-old niece’s close friend who committed suicide. Her niece was in terrible shock and so were the niece’s family because they all knew her to be a cheerful and bubbly girl.

My tipping point came last weekend at a family Ramadan Iftar gathering, when I found out that my own nephew-in-law was suffering from acute depression. He is married with two(2) wonderful kids and a very doting wife. He started showing serious signs of depression about two months ago, according to his dad. At one point in time he was even thinking about taking his own life. This was so not him because ever since he was little, he was one of the funniest, happiest and most entertaining persons I’ve known. His dad hopes the worst is over and that he would be getting better through love and unending support of close family members.

The point I’m making is this - mental health is real. And more often than not, those suffering from depression show no signs at all until it’s too late. So, having a support system, someone you can share your innermost feelings with is important. Never underestimate the power of meaningful conversations because it is human nature for us all to feel that we matter.

Just as important is to be mindful of our thoughts; always feed them with positive thoughts.

"Our thoughts are what our lives make them." ~ Marcus Aurelius