Is it true that 50% of the population will suffer with some form of mental health by the age of 75?

In a world marked by ever-increasing stresses and challenges, the importance of mental health has come into sharp focus. Mental health issues, once relegated perhaps to the shadows, have now emerged as a global concern that demands our immediate attention. It's projected that over half of the world's population will experience some form of mental health issue by the age of 75, underscoring the urgency of addressing these challenges in the here and now.

Fortunately, a holistic approach offers a promising path forward, one that encompasses the mind, body, and spirit in the quest for lasting well-being. Holistic well-being recognizes that human health isn't a single-dimensional entity but an intricate tapestry woven from various threads. It acknowledges the undeniable connection between the mind, the body, and the spirit or energy that advocates for a comprehensive approach to encompass all aspects of our being.

This approach is particularly relevant in the realm of mental health, where an imbalance in one area can reverberate throughout the entirety of our lives. The prediction that more than half of the global population will encounter mental health issues by the age of 75 serves as a stark reminder of the pressing need for action. Factors such as fast-paced lifestyles, digital overload, societal pressures, and environmental changes contribute to the surge in these mental health issues.

To combat this alarming trajectory, we must embrace a holistic strategy that empowers individuals to fortify their mental well-being. But what holistic strategies can we use for the prevention of mental health issues or for even overcoming them?

First and foremost, we need to practice mindful awareness. This involves tuning into our thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment. Mindfulness practices such as meditation and deep breathing can help us become attuned to our mental landscape and provide powerful insights into potential triggers.

Second, we need to nourish ourselves properly. We may not be aware of it, but there is a very profound connection between diet and mental health. A well-balanced diet rich in nutrients supports brain functions and creates emotional stability. More whole foods, omega-three fatty acids, and gut-friendly probiotics can positively influence our mood and cognition.

Third, we need to get moving. It sounds like a cliché, but exercise isn't solely about sculpting our body; it also nurtures the mind. Engaging in regular physical activity can boost the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and endorphins, which are essential for maintaining a positive mood.

Fourth, we can adopt holistic therapies. Turning to things like acupuncture, aromatherapy, and sound therapy, these traditional treatments can promote relaxation and stress reduction, restore energetic balance, and enhance our general well-being.

Fifth, we need to develop emotional intelligence, which equips us with the tools we need to navigate the complex landscapes of feelings. Practising self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication fosters healthier relationships and emotional resilience with others as much as with ourselves.

Sixth, we need to cultivate resilience. Life will always have its highs and lows, triumphs and challenges. Resilience is what allows us to bounce back from setbacks, view adversity as an opportunity for growth, and embrace change with an open heart.

Seventh, using mind-body practices can help us connect movement with breath and mindfulness, freeing the energy flow within us. This promotes relaxation and harmony, leading to improved relationships with others.

By achieving this, we can create a ripple effect of well-being that will reverberate through society, directly or indirectly, helping others. Just because somebody predicted that half of the world's population will have mental health issues by the age of 75 does not make it destiny. We all have the power to change our destiny every morning when we wake up. It's all a matter of choice.

Mental Health, Depression and Anti-depressants.

In a world where choices shape our paths and emotions carve our destinies, there’s a truth we must confront, even if it’s not the easiest pill to swallow. But we need to get real. Today we’re talking about depression. It’s a very tough topic, but I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It’s not a comfortable truth, but it’s one that we need to face head-on.

The reality is the state of our mental health is a daily choice. One that we have to consciously make every single day. One we have to put effort into, one that we have to work on. Every morning we wake up with a decision to make. We can choose to start the day with a positive outlook, a neutral mindset, or let ourselves slide into negativity. That choice, when consistently tilted towards negativity, sets a pattern. Over time, that pattern becomes a habit. And eventually, that habit leads to depression.

I know because I’ve been there. I know the allure of falling into a routine of daily unhappiness, losing interest in everything, neglecting self-care, and seeking escape from reality. I felt the lack of enthusiasm, the urge to withdraw from society, and the desire to avoid all interactions. There were days when I barely spoke a word, even to my pet, not to mention having suicidal thoughts. In 2017.

There were days when I didn’t want to get out of bed and others when I only got the bare essentials done and then I’d go back to bed. My energy levels were consistently low. I felt numb. Nothing could affect me. Nobody could reach me. I wouldn’t listen to anybody. If anybody paid me a compliment, I would not assimilate it. In fact, I wouldn’t assimilate half of what anybody was saying to me. I wouldn’t believe them. I felt unworthy, and embarrassed.

My mind would be thinking, yeah, in an incredulous way, resistant to anything coming from the external world that could remotely be positive. Just like many people, I found temporary escapism and instant gratifications that would alleviate my condition, my symptoms, if you like, for a short while. But they weren’t the solution to the problem. In fact, none of us can run from our problems forever. Running can offer a momentary distraction or a false sense of security. But eventually, we have to confront our challenges.

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Unfortunately, after each fleeting high though, the subsequent low can feel even more devastating, leaving us to seek more escapism. During lockdown, mental health issues soared. And it’s no surprise we’ve become a society reliant on escapism. We all carry varying degrees of unhappiness and we all experience different forms of suffering. To cope, we turn to distractions. Some people use substance abuse as alcohol, food, drugs. Some people may obsessively seek solace in spirituality. We immerse ourselves in the endless offerings of the modern world, becoming disconnected from our true selves. And many of us struggle to fully embrace and accept who we are.

The pandemic and subsequent lockdown forced us to confront ourselves. We were all stripped of these usual distractions. We were left alone, essentially, with our thoughts and our feelings. We were confronted with the aspects of our lives that we’ve been avoiding or that we mask on a daily basis without proper guidance and tools. It’s natural that panic, fear, and pain intensified, leading to a surge in mental health issues.

I probably experienced Lockdown very differently. To most people, I was actually quite happy to be at home, although I wasn’t very happy that I lost everything — my business, my income, several friends, family members. But Lockdown gave me the opportunity to really look inwardly at everything in my life. And no matter how painful the things were that came to the surface, I found a way to deal with them, to let them go.

Without resorting to antidepressants, most people wouldn’t have been able to go through what I’ve been through in life and still be here to tell the story. Just to give you a clue, by the age of 15, I was actually taking 60 drops of thallium a day to deal with anxiousness anxiety. But since becoming a holistic health practitioner and a Reiki master, I’ve learned to depend less on pharmaceuticals and more on holistic ways of healing.

I’ve come to learn the relationship there is between the mind, our thoughts, the energy those thoughts produce, and our physical state of being. And it pains me nowadays that so many people are taking antidepressants, especially as there are so many side effects associated with these drugs.

Did you know that antidepressants, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, interact with our neurotransmitter systems? This interaction can lead to gastrointestinal disturbances, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. They can upset the delicate balance within our gut. They can cause our metabolic functions to malfunction. This, in turn, can cause things like dizziness, headaches. It can trigger neurological side effects. There’s also a rare condition known as serotonin syndrome, which can even occur when one is taking antidepressants.

Certain antidepressants can even impact heart rate and blood pressure. Although antidepressants can certainly shut out some of our negative experiences, they also shut out some of our positive ones. They can alter our memory, our attention, our decision-making abilities. They can impact our daily functioning and our cognitive well-being. In addition to all of this, there can be societal and psychological repercussions.

The idea of having to rely on medication for emotional well-being might actually trigger feelings of inadequacy weakness. Some people may feel that way, so they’re taking antidepressants, but it’s actually counterproductive to the intended outcome or the desired outcome from taking the antidepressants.

What got me through my depression and my mental health issues were mindfulness and meditation. I became aware of every thought I had and what emotion was associated with that thought. And recognizing each emotion that was triggered by the thoughts, I was able to catch myself and transform those thoughts from negative to more positive.

I won’t say that I became happy overnight because that would be a lie. But I learned to distinguish how my thoughts and my emotions affected my mood on a regular basis and how that affected my lifestyle in general. I also started to take responsibility for my part in some of the bad things that have happened throughout my life, taking my power back, which in turn made me more confident, and resilient.

And that’s why I felt compelled to write my book, Unlock the Power Within and share with you here on YouTube my experience and hopefully find a way to help you to overcome your challenges without reliance on pharmaceuticals. I’m not telling anyone to go and throw their antidepressants away. I mean, if I had a choice, I would. But I realize that for some people they have merits, but I’d like you also to consider their drawbacks.

What I’m suggesting is an alternative. An alternative that includes mindfulness exercise, therapy, and a lot of inner work to organically transform thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that are detrimental to our well-being, physical, mental, and emotional.

I believe that with a little bit of willpower, determination, and strength, each and every one of us can transform organically. With that in mind, and based on my own experience, I am in the process of designing a new transformational course aimed at taking people from Victimhood to Victory; empowering them to take back control of their minds, their well-being and their physical well-being.

Depression and Ego

Don't stop fighting

Today, I got a message from a person I consider to be very beautiful, smart, funny and one of life’s great survivors; telling me they wanted to end their life. Whether it was a genuine threat, or a cry for help, I don’t know... but I’m very hardcore when it comes to issues like this. I don’t mean to sound unsympathetic or cold, because I’m not. I know the person in question will read this.

I understand depression. I understand wanting to end it all and take an exit card. I’ve been there. I’ve been to the darkest corners of me and the bottom of the pit more times than I care to remember.

The latest being, and those who know the story, will know that I wanted to give my life to save that of a person who was the world to me; a sister and a friend. I would pray every day, to whoever was listening, that she recovered and that I should get sick in her place, but it doesn’t work like that.

When she died, at the age of 33, a part of me died too. I lost interest in every aspect of living. I was a walking dead person. I quit my life, stopped singing, stopped practicing natural medicine, moved country and started over again from nothing. Yet, nothing helped. Five years on, it is still the hardest thing I’m having to deal with. It was especially painful for me because I did die after I fell 200 meters off a mountain. To this day, nobody knows how I came back to life. There is no rhyme or reason of why I survived.

Life seemed very unfair that a mother of two beautiful girls should be taken from this world, when me, a single young woman should still be alive. I even blamed myself for her passing, because for all that I’m a trained healer and for all the successful healing I’ve administered to other people, I couldn’t save the one person I desperately wanted to. She turned to me and I let her down. I failed her.

After she died, I went through all the phases of sadness, numbness, anger, resentment, self hatred, self pity, tiredness and so much more. Yet, the truth, as horrible as it is to accept, is that I couldn’t save her. We are all given a certain amount of time on this planet and, as much as I’d like to be, I am no kind of God. I can’t cure everyone.

Amid the inner turmoil and ugliness that came to the surface, after my friend’s death, I even had to ask myself honestly: “At what point does the grieving become about me and not truly about the lost loved one?”

Yet, despite everything life has thrown at me, and trust me, there’s been plenty of it, I understand one thing very clearly. I am still here for a purpose and that purpose goes way beyond any desires I may have for my life. It goes beyond my very existence as I “think” it should be. That goes for everyone else too. We are all here for a purpose far greater than just ourselves. We all need one another. We influence one another in ways we don’t even know. We’re all links in a chain. We hold each other together.

Personally, I don’t feel that life is difficult nor do I feel that it’s easy, but, one thing is certain, it is exactly what we make of it. We choose how to deal with life’s events. We decide how to react. Our thoughts mould our actions and our actions create our life. We choose how much importance, or not, to give to situations and people.

After travelling so much around the world and volunteering in so many countries under some of the saddest circumstances, I strongly believe that to be alive is such a privilege. To be a human being and to be alive is an enormous privilege because we have every opportunity in the world before us. The possibilities are infinite. The only limiting factor is our own imagination. I also feel that in the western world we are privileged beyond belief compared to our brothers and sisters in the orient.

I also know that if I had taken my life when I was tired of fighting, I would never have been able to make a tiny difference in the lives of so many people around the world. If I do nothing else with my life, at least I know what my purpose here is, and honestly speaking, the only thing that still makes me get out of bed in the mornings, and be grateful to still be alive, is knowing that I can make that difference in the life of someone and that I can gift them with a little moment of happiness.

You’re tired of fighting? - Many people would still love to be alive to fight. Every day people are dyeing of something and I bet they wished they could still have another day to fight. Many other people are tired too but they don’t give up. They don’t quit and you are not a quitter. You just need to find your purpose. You need to find that one reason for getting up in the morning and to continue fighting every day.

Life is short enough and no, it might not be easy but you just need to take baby steps - one at a time. Bravely and boldly, and if you fall, so what? The important thing is to keep trying.

Where is justice?

1.2 million Tibetans dead. 125,000 counted in exile by the 1996 census. 2,500 seek asylum every year. Thousands suffer malnutrition, depression, anxiety and persecution syndrome. Thousands never see their home or their families ever again. Thousands die in exile because they never recover. Thousands die because the living conditions in exile aren’t adequate enough.

How many more have to die? How many more need to suffer before something is done? Where is human justice?

I’m not a political person. I never have been. Yet, I will stand up and be a voice when I think something needs to be heard.

The invasion and illegal annexation of Tibet began in 1949. You can read the full story here: http://www.tibet.com/whitepaper/white2.html

Since then, Tibetans have fled mainly to Nepal, India and Bhutan in search of asylum. Although, there are circa 9,000 refugees living in the United States, 8,000 living in Switzerland and a few thousand scattered throughout other parts of Europe and Canada. However, recent census figures are unavailable at this time. (Macalester College)

This year, I visited Nepal and was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with several hundreds of Tibetan refugees. I even visited one of the Tibetan refugee camps just outside Pokhara. Believe me when I say, the Tibetan people are beautiful, kind, loving and peaceful people. They open their doors, their hearts and their homes to strangers. They have little or nothing to give and yet they give everything.

Despite their ordeal, they are not driven by vendetta, resentment or hatred. They are not motivated by capitalism or materialism. They pray for their enemy. In fact, despite the invasion of Tibet and the Chinese occupation, they don’t even consider China their enemy. During one of the retreats I took part in, I was told to pray for China. It was I, as a Westerner, who had to confront that part of me, which unlike them, was reluctant to forgive and forget. Tibetan people resolve matters with loving words, with prayers and with hope in their heart.

Although the Tibetan refugee camps are well organised with small handicraft factories, a prayer hall and basic living quarters for everyone; they are not really a place to call home.

The particular refugee camp I visited was founded in 1962 and yet the people who live there are still not officially recognised by the Nepalese government. To this day, most of the Tibetan people, living there, have no citizenship. They are no longer Tibetans because Tibet is now Chinese. They are not recognised by Nepal because they are asylum seekers. So, they belong to no country.

Citizenship would mean the possibility of a legal job. It would mean being able to travel backwards and forwards to Tibet and visit their family. Yet, it costs Tibetan refugees a tremendous amount of money to get a citizenship of Nepal. A monk friend of mine recently told me it was around 800 Sterling Pounds - if they're lucky enough to get one. Considering the monthly income is around 50 British Pounds – for some not even that - it’s an unthinkable amount of money to spend. So, they're forced to decide between living essentials or citizenship.

They mainly rely on the sales of handcraft items to survive. Monks and nuns don’t earn anything at all. They rely on the kindness and support of donations and sponsorship to survive; and the willingness of monasteries and nunneries to look after them.

During the low tourist season or during times of recession in Europe (like now) - people aren't spending much money - so many Tibetan families barely manage to make ends meet. This is something that I feel wouldn't necessarily happen if the Tibetan people were in their own country in "real" jobs - (whatever they may be defined as.)

While I was there, a Tibetan woman put all her pride aside and asked me for my clothes. She also asked if I had any sheets or other items I didn’t need. She wasn't a beggar. She was a beautiful, polite lady selling jewellery on the streets who was just trying to provide for her family in the best way any mother or grandmother would.

If a family member becomes ill, the medical bills put an enormous strain on the whole family’s total monthly expenditure.

We can say that poverty is everywhere in the world. I know this, but this is a poverty that could be avoided if the people of Tibet were allowed to have a place to belong to - a citizenship - an employment.

Worst of all, where is their voice? It seems that every time someone speaks of the Tibetan situation it’s pushed under the carpet. In fact, one day in Nepal, four of us went down to join a protest march for free Tibet. By the time we got there, everyone had been arrested and thrown in prison.

Now, President Obama is going to visit China and the Tibetan situation isn’t even on his agenda; despite his closeness to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

What kind of human rights is that? Where's the freedom of expression? I believe everyone should be allowed to have a voice.

Like I said before, I am on the side of the people - not governments and politics. I believe in human beings and their rights to the basic human necessities of life.
So, I ask: “Where is justice?”