Safe Spaces: Mental Health, A Fundamental Human Right

In recent years, mental health has emerged as a crucial topic of discussion that resonates with everyone. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn effectively, and contribute positively to their communities.” This underscores its integral role in our overall health and well-being, influencing our capacity to make decisions, forge relationships, and shape our world.

Recognising mental health as a basic human right is essential for fostering personal, community, and socio-economic development.

It’s encouraging to witness the growing focus on mental health in 2024. Just as a seed relies on fertile soil to grow, our mental well-being is essential for making a positive impact in the world. Being fully aware of our mental health allows us to rebound from life’s challenges.

Creating a safe space—a supportive friend, sibling, or mentor—acts as an invaluable resource, offering love and understanding. In these environments, we can embrace vulnerability while striving to become our best selves.

Having a safe space starts with the intentionality of prioritizing your health, mental health and general wellbeing but it goes ahead to also permit others to be themselves. These are the ways we can prioritize mental health and create safe spaces for ourselves and others.

Practicing Positive Self-talks: Sometimes our biggest critic is the person staring at us in the mirror. An African proverb says: “Charity begins at home” but it doesn’t end there. The measure of grace we extend to ourselves also equates to the measure we show others. If practising honest positive self-talk comes easy to you, you not only feel good when you do, but you also make others feel good around you.

Meditation/Self-care: Having an hour dedicated to intrinsic evaluation, prayer and quietness hones the day. Verywell Health defines self-care as the practice of taking care of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of your life to promote health and wellness. Hygiene, nutrition, and beauty are ways of improving our mental health and creating a safe space.

Healthy Social Connections: The benefits of a healthy social connection help us with the feelings of belonging, being loved, cared for, and valued. Lower rates of anxiety and depression. Higher self-esteem. Greater empathy. More trusting and cooperative relationships. Strengthened immune system.
Physical Activity: We were born to move. Yet, we so often find ourselves in front of screens day and night.

The drain of the screen does little to inspire movement, so it’s important to pre-plan opportunities to walk, dance, stretch, or exercise. All of which can boost your mood and reduce stress. The reason why being on the move and exercising helps in alleviating stress and also helps us create safe spaces to stay mentally sane.