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Family Mental Health: the importance of surrounding ourselves with loved ones
by María José Buttazzoni
Mental health has always been a difficult topic, which embarrasses many, since it has stigmas and a great deal of misinformation. We are afraid of the remedies that are prescribed for personality disorders, however, we are not afraid of the amount of remedies we ingest to combat other diseases.
Furthermore, our health system does not recognize mental health like the rest of the health areas, they do not cover its expenses as they do with other areas, making access to treatments and therapies very difficult. We are waiting for this to change at the state level, and there are already world powers that have taken important steps in this matter. Such is the case of France, a country that declared mental health as a State priority, offering to cover almost 90% of therapies for people over three years of age.
Today, we find ourselves facing the blows, which we will certainly only begin to see, that the pandemic we have experienced leaves us as a legacy. And the ones that I believe are the strongest are all those mental health disorders, which affect us so much and do not allow us to function. Psychologists and psychiatrists are out of hours, and they will work for the next 100 years, trying to fix us.
Many people have begun to present strong symptoms of anxiety and anguish, panic attacks are the order of the day, and depression will increase. What we have experienced as humanity is unclassifiable, I can't think of what adjectives to put to it.
"We must give our children as many hours of play with peers, hours of fresh air and nature, and opportunities to play sports as possible"
Those of us who are fathers and mothers should not only worry about our mental health, but also that of our children. And with children, we must be very attentive, since many times their great adaptation skills can work against us, and not let us see a problem until it has worsened. Ideally, we should give our children back as many hours of play with peers, hours of fresh air and nature, and opportunities to play sports.
The most urgent for my taste is conscious and dedicated hours of outdoor play and if it is with more children, the better. Picnics in squares, visits to nature sanctuaries, climbing hills and walks on the beach have to become a priority in the family activity calendar. But also if we see behaviors that worry us, we must go to child mental health professionals, and not let ourselves be.
And as for adults, the only thing I can think of as alternative medicine for the much-needed mental health professionals is to turn to family and friends. Surround ourselves with the people we love, eat as a family, accompany each other, snuggle, hug each other and hopefully laugh as much as possible.
And if we see in ourselves or those close to us emotional symptoms that require medical attention, we must be diligent and ask for professional help. Mental health comes first of all. Without it, we cannot care for others.
About María José Buttazzoni:
Founder and director of the Play and Grow garden, a children's garden with a focus on sensory, comprehensive and play-based.
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