Pause and Reflect : Guest Post on Mental Health ( Blogchatter E Books)

When was the last time you did something which made you naturally happy?

I use the word "naturally" here because our life has been seeking all the artificial modes for supplying happiness to us. We put on a happy mask for the outer world, but deep down inside, we are struggling, hiding our real self, pretending and being obnoxious.

May is the month for Mental Health Awareness, a topic which many people shy away from, ignore to learn and understand. A little bit of sensitivity and empathy could help someone, a little knowledge can save someone or even self.


In this high-tech era, we are so consumed with the artificial discoveries that we tend to ignore our inner voice, we neglect what our dear ones are trying to communicate with their broken sentences. We fail to read between the lines and continue to live our superficial life created for our convenience.

Mental illness is not a matter of shame or embarrassment and people need to understand it to save lives. 

Recently I did my bit in contributing some Mental Health Awareness among the people around me by writing a short eBook on Mental Health Awareness, " 26 Days 26 Ways for a Happier You" an A to Z guide to self-awareness.

We all go through criticism, judgmental paradox, hypocrisy, color shaming, body shaming, comparison, self-doubt and what makes it even worse is that we remain unaware of the consequences which we might face in the long run if do not get a proper closure to all the encounters we had in our life, neither the suppliers of such traumatic incidents care to make it even and easy for one.


We can certainly not control the external factors, what people think of us, what people say but we can definitely take care of ourselves. We can protect our inner self from getting demolished and debunked, for that we just need awareness, we need to present and be aware.


In order to get a deeper insight, I was exploring the library of Blogchatter eBooks and I discovered two amazing books in the same genre reflecting a lot of useful information over the subject matter, which only helped me to understand this underlying matter of concern more deeply.


POOJA PRIYAMVADA’S MENTAL HEALTH, A PRIMER

https://www.theblogchatter.com/download/pooja-priyamvadas-mental-health-a-primer/

In her book, she has mentioned 26 such problem areas which are still unknown to many due to lack of awareness. It is said that it is difficult to understand the pain of others unless you wear their shoes, and the author herself has been through the pain and that’s the reason now imbibed with her own experience and her deep research she is spreading the awareness around her to build a safe and non-judgmental space for all.


The book suggests all the risk factors, common symptoms, and some precautionary tips to avoid the situation and be there for the person in need. The author has very well compiled the list of symptoms, proper diagnosis and timely treatment for the illness like Bipolar disorder, Eating-Disorder, Self-harm, Anxiety which is very essential and on high alert which is only possible when one is aware of it.


DARSHANA SARMAH’S PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD


A handbook about you and your mind. This book discusses some very important aspects and ideas which can bring wonders to one's life if carry forward in a proper
way. The author has very rightly said that the right attitude and right mindset could take you to places and how practicing compassion and forgiveness can set you free.


The book denotes 26 such mindful elements, of which we remain unknown and unaware if worked upon could bring wonders in one's life.

Pause and reflect


Stop and introspect


Why so hurry


What is the rush


Be present


Be aware


Be there.






Much love and gratitude

Priyanka


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Priyanka Nair is a post-grad in Administration, Tech-savvy, loves to explore creative treasure. A Writer by passion and a speaker with compassion.She is a Mental Health Awareness Blogger and a YouTuber, Author of "26 Days 26 Ways for a Happier You" and Co-Author of " Women are Roses".



This post is part of BLOGCHATTER E_BOOK CARNIVAL.

Book Review: Put Your Best Foot Forward

TITLE: PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD: A HANDBOOK ABOUT YOU AND YOUR MIND

AUTHOR: DR. DARSHANA SARMAH

FORMAT: E-Book

PUBLISHER: BLOGCHATTER

PAGES:  67

This is an e-book released in the Blogchatter E-Book Carnival Edition 4 in the mental health category and focuses specifically on positive reinforcements.

The author Darshana Sarmah is a Ph.D. degree holder in Social Science. Mental health is her niche in blogging. She chooses to create awareness about different aspects of mental health and motivates to grow, develop and nurture a healthy mind set. This is her first e-book.

As the subtitle suggests the aim of this book seems to delve into the deep crevices of mind and find practices and solutions for leading a happier and more balanced life.

The author says in the preface:

“This book is a compilation of my experiences and learning, I gathered during my effort to transform myself into a happier being. This book discusses some very important aspects and ideas (which are either overlooked or considered insignificant) can actually bring wonders to our life if carry forward in a proper way.”

For a first time author this book comes across as extremely well researched and well-executed too. Her use of supporting quotes from well-established authors drives home the point in most chapters.

The topics chosen for each chapter are interesting and relevant to anyone seeking mental health answers.

The author brings in interesting first hand experiences to elucidate her points and that creates an instant contact with the reader, for instance:

“I remember been often accused by my Grandma of my "unmindful talking‟. Yes, I admit the fact that I was in the habit of getting lost and during any long conversation, which means I remained busy in my own uncountable thoughts rather than actually being in the conversation.”

Some of the pictures used in the book are also thought provoking and leave the reader in an introspective frame of mind, so crucial for any mental health practice.

The book also contains relevant and useful extracts and references to other works that have a significant reputation in this field, for instance the author quotes:

” Michele Killough, in his doctorate research under Purdue University (1992), formulated the existence of three types of forgiveness. The first type, Detached Forgiveness, involved a reduction in negative affect toward the offender, but no restoration of the relationship. Limited Forgiveness, the second type, consisted of a reduction in negative affect towards the offender and partial restoration of and decreased emotional investment in the relationship. The third type, Full Forgiveness, was similar to the traditional concept of forgiveness and included total cessation of negative affect towards the offender and full restoration and growth of the relationship.”

The various techniques of these practices are elucidated clearly in bullet point format and hence are easy to comprehend and remember for any reader.

Overall it is a well-researched book written in a format and language for the lay-person and can be a great tool in self-help, highly recommended.

The book can be downloaded from:

https://www.theblogchatter.com/download/darshana-sarmahs-put-your-best-foot-forward/

The author can be contacted at @darshanasbh on Twitter

This review is a part of Blogchatter Book Review Program.

BOOK REVIEW: CREATIVE KIDS

TITLE: CREATIVE KIDS

AUTHOR: Dr. Surbhi Prapanna

FORMAT: E-Book

PUBLISHER: BLOGCHATTER

PAGES:  81

This is an e-book released in the Blogchatter E-Book Carnival Edition 4 in the parenting category and focuses specifically on arts and crafts for young children.

Dr. Surbhi Prapanna is a homeopathic therapist by profession and a writer and blogger by passion. She has more than 4 years of professional writing experience and her work had been published on various prestigious online platforms. This is her first book.

In her own words:

“This book is a collection of 26 easy art, craft, DIY and fun activities for kids. I had kept A2Z theme for this book and shared easy activities with each alphabet. All these activities are simple, entertaining and made up with inexpensive, available at home supplies.”

The author herself says that these activities are suitable for children between the age of 4 and 9 years. Most of the activities hence are sensory, filled with fun and intriguing. In addition the author adds her personal experience of doing the activities with her own children and also offers alternatives for the same activity.

In addition to fun the activities are a lot of learning too, for instance in the activity of Bubble Making the author adds:

“The science behind bubble formation is so simple yet interesting. With water the small bubbles are formed because water has higher surface tension. When we add dishwashing liquid into it, the surface tension of water gets lowered and bubble gets formed.

Also, when we add glycerine the holding capacity of bubble increase and it stay for longer.”

Most of the activities suggested in the book are inexpensive and use material that is easily available around the house that makes most of these activities doable and hugely practical.

In Chapter 6 the author herself highlights the importance of crafting for kids by saying that crafts:

 Develop higher thinking ability- childhood is fundamental phase of life. Crafting is a wonderful and easy process to develop thinking ability at higher level.

 Fine motor skills- crafting accelerate the development of muscles in hands and fingers (in colouring, paint brushing) and thus improve fine motor skills esp. in pre-schooler. They can learn colour, number and shape recognition also.

 Boredom buster- crafting is a great boredom buster. It is an amazing tool to keep them engage and entertain when they get bored.

 Stress reliever- nowadays anxiety disorder, depression and other psychosomatic disorders are common in kids. Crafting works as a great stress reliever for kids. Some scientific study suggested that sick peoples who engage themselves in creative activities require less medication for pain.

 Foundation for future- a child who enjoys clay moulding may become a successful potter or a girl who loves make costume for her doll may become a renowned fashion designer in future.

FOR WHOM IS THIS BOOK USEFUL

• ·         Kids
• ·         Parents
• ·         Kindergarten and Primary Teachers
• ·         Educators and Facilitators
• ·         Anybody creative

WHY IS THIS BOOK A MUST READ

• ·         Easy to do activities
• ·         Explanation is easy to comprehend
• ·         All activities are unique and fun
• ·         Kids can easily do these on their own with little assistance and supervision
• ·         A good practical guide for long weekends and vacations

Overall I highly recommend this creative book.

The book can be downloaded from https://www.theblogchatter.com/download/surbhi-prapannas-creative-kids/

The author can be contacted via http://surbhiprapanna.com

This review is a part of Blogchatter Book Review Program.

Reflection Post #AtoZ #MentalHealth

Honestly this time being my fifth consecutive time at the A to Z challenge there was so much that came easily to me, the planning for the challenge and other peripherals and yet there were two challenges within the challenge:

1. The difficult topic

I have myself been a Fibromyalgia and Mental Health Survivor choosing the Mental health Awareness theme was both cathartic and triggering in many ways.

Yet I have been wanting to speak about this for a long time now in this manner aprt from my colums and articles at other portals, and when I began to write I felt just 26 days or 26 topics weren't enough to cover the vast subject of Mental Health. 

So I picked the most relevant topics according to me and have tried to create a mini database of sorts for anybody looking for basic Mental Health Awareness content.

2. The Tech Curses

April they rightly say is the cruelest month, by mid- month I had at an average about 2-3 posts done in advance and it seemed I was doing fine when all my gadgets seem to act up. So on a borrowed machine I wrote about 12 posts in 3 days and had to keep them scheduled. 

Never before in my 4 previous years I had done something like that, so I was challenged with completing the task at hand and maintaining the quality of content I was producing. 

To top it all my topic was such that I could not afford to give out wrong facts and figures. This year's challenge has really tested me skills and perseverance and as of now I feel this is my last #AtoZ.

But as they say Never Say Never.

Wishing all the best and thank you to both Blogging from A to Z international family and Blogchatter in India for keeping the spirit high.

Good luck for the future!

Keep Blogging!