Media Release

Mangaluru Oct 12: In association with Mental Health day, six students of St Agnes college, Mangaluru got the opportunity to spread awareness on the theme 'Mental Health in An Unequal World' in Hejamadi on Monday October 11.

The aim was to reach out to part of the population that was less aware of mental health and those who never understood the importance of it. The programme consisted of 25-30 people who were in their mid and late 40s.

The programme was introduced by Ram who spoke about what health means and about its importance. He spoke about different kinds of health and further explained what must be done when we are physically ill and what must be done when we experience mental illness, which included talking to counselors, talking to family and friends and people we trust.

The next session was on the different ways by which we can improve our mental health. Shaima spoke about horticulture therapy which the audience was able to relate to a lot as they all enjoyed growing and looking after indoor and outdoor plants. She explained the benefits of horticulture therapy which included reducing stress, pain, improving responsibility, socialization etc.

The next method to improve mental health was spoken by Aksa which was on eating well and the importance of not skipping meals, she explained the importance of having breakfast and how our brain requires nutrients which in turn affects our mental health. The next method was then taken by Siddanth who spoke about how our diet and exercise plays an important role in improving our mental health, the audience was already aware of the importance of physical health and many individual spoke about the different kinds of physical exercises they enjoy doing on a daily basis, some of them being walking, cycling, yoga etc.

The next method was explained by Devika who spoke about how music helps in improving people’s mental health, she explained the different ways in which they can use music as a form of therapy to relieve stress and thereby improve their mental health. The audience was full of music lovers and was very enthusiastic in responding when asked whether they enjoyed listening to music.

The next session was taken by Panchami who conducted an activity on stigmas on mental health. Wherein a taboo on mental health would be stated and the audience was to say whether they agree, disagree or was unsure about the statement. Majority of the audience actually believed in most of the taboos and accepted the fact that there were brought up to believe in the same and had difficulty in accepting the fact that these taboos and myths were untrue.

They were happy they were able to attend the program and understand the importance of mental health.