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Rutendo Gwatidzo-Changing Perspectives

Mental health, once a topic shrouded in secrecy and shame is finally stepping into light due to the increase in cases. 

According to the World Health Organisation, 2022 report, at least one in every five adults experience mental health condition. 

We need to shatter the stigma around mental health because it is real. 

The challenge is that; a significant number of people view mental health as an unmentionable subject.

A good number of people do not understand what mental health is. 

If we are to understand that mental health condition is an illness like any other, we will be able to handle it better. For instance, the same way some people suffer chronic diseases, others get to suffer mentally. 

Did you know? 

Stress and anxiety can affect someone’s mental health. 

Due to hardships and many economic or social challenges for instance, many people live under a great deal of stress and depression but, they fail to realise that they are suffering mentally. 

Too much pressure for whatever reason be it work, studies or the need to achieve any goal disturbs mental stability hence mental health condition.

If we all understand that we get to suffer mental condition more often than we realise, we will be able to accept it and deal with it in a better way.  Let us shatter the stigma, mental sickness is real. 

We are in a season where the need for open conversations and accessible resources about mental health are greatly needed. May we come together and put our efforts towards eradicating barriers to dealing with mental health. May we dissolve the stigma around it especially in this era following the effects of Covid-19.

It left a significant number of people mentally disturbed and the recovery process to those affected will depend on how we handle mental health issues as a community and as a society. 

Dealing with mental health issues is beyond medical doctors, we all need to collaborate from our different spheres of influence. 

It is not easy for someone to focus on work and to meet targets when they are mentally disturbed. Sadly, the topic of mental health attracts less attention in many organisations yet it is a major contributor towards poor performance.

I encourage management in the workplace to be intentional about how to handle mental health issues and to come up with programmes to address mental health. 

Do not suffer alone in silence for fear of judgement. There is nothing new under the sun.  Whatever you may go through in life, you are not the first and you will not be the last. 

Learn to speak out for at least two reasons. When you speak out you probably get help or get to help the next person.

 A lot of times many people get to suffer mental health because when they face challenges they do not share.  I know that there are many different reasons why people fail to share. 

My focus is not on the reason for not sharing but, on breaking silence. I have witnessed people who went mad because of issues that were left unattended.

I also witnessed people who died, some committed suicide, others got into serious depression and some ended up suffering high blood pressure which then became the killer. Dear reader, please know that challenges are a part of life, you do not have to die when you can get help through simply speaking out. 

Generally, many people love gossip. It is easy for many people to point fingers judging, condemning or laughing without assisting to make the situation better or taking time to understand what a person is going through. 

For the same reason many people then tend to suffer in silence.

Guess what, the same fingers that may negatively point at you today are probably the same fingers that will point at you again admiring the transformation that would have taken place.

In most cases, in the process of being laughed at by others, you come along destiny helpers who will help in turning around your situation for the better. Be encouraged to focus on what brings you help and ignore the rest. 

Mental health is no longer a taboo topic. Take action whenever you feel affected. Let us all create a world where everyone feels comfortable to talk. Remember, your mental health is just as important as your physical health. 

It is okay not to be okay. Understand that your struggles do not define you. Often times what makes us great is the ability to rise up after falling. 

Oprah Winfrey once said “mental health is real. And like everything else in life, it operates on a spectrum. Though there are common symptoms, everyone experiences it differently.” 

Rutendo Gwatidzo is the managing consultant at The HUB HR Consultancy – as a culture and change management specialist. She is a multi-award winning leader, consultant, speaker and coach. She is also an author of “Born to Fight” and Breaking the Silence books. Feedback: 0714575805/ [email protected] / Rutendo Gwatidzo_Official fb public page.