I just found out about Anthony Bourdain's passing. Perhaps you might know of him, perhaps not. I learned of him only when he did an episode of No Reservations about the Philippines several years ago.

I checked a few other episodes he did before and after that episode and then moved on to other shows. Followed him on Twitter and Facebook (FB) too. Haven't been seeing much of anything of him lately or in recent years but I do see something about him from time to time.

Today I was scrolling through my FB feed and someone posted his name with a crying or sad smiley. Well that said a lot. Checked on Twitter and boom saw he committed suicide. What a shocker indeed.

Avicii in April and now Anthony Bourdain? Didn't know about Kate Spade but ok, her too. Well, see, something is clearly going on with the world that we don't know about. Even Sarah Geronimo had an outburst in a concert abroad about feeling empty. Being famous and rich clearly is not the answer to everything.

Conspiracy theory anyone?

In the past month or so there was some kind of negative energy going on somewhere and I felt it too. It's probably got something to do with the planets or something? People were suddenly wanting to hang out and such out of the blue. I mean like, why then? Why not before then or now? People were also feeling depressed maybe for no apparent reason. I've confirmed that on a few occasions so what's the deal?

Is the planet telling us something? Is the universe saying we have to do something about our planet or we'll die? Okay, it may seem like there's no connection to you maybe but somehow that's what my brain concluded and told me. Aside from the fact that the planet probably needs help because of us, we ourselves need help too.

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This month though everything is finally turning up. Maybe the planets have rearranged themselves again or I dunno, it's just how life goes.

I'd like to think that living in the city is the main culprit to the suicide rates. Of course I don't have any proof but I've read of articles saying studies have shown that more plants in the city can lower crime rate. You know, people living away or far from nature is one sure way to be sad and blue and then angry and in pain. Aside from suicidal people being influenced by media and celebrity suicides, I think it's best to assess our mental health and ask for help if and when we need it.

Focusing more on the good things instead of the bad will make you happier in an instant. I've tested and proven it without me even really realizing it. A week or so ago I was in a family gathering. Afterwards I was thinking why is it that when it comes to family everything seems to be all wrong? I kept thinking I said the wrong thing/s and acted the wrong way and I cringed and regretted several things that I started to feel terrible about myself like I don't do anything right etc., etc. I was getting more and more depressed as I kept thinking about the mistakes I think I did that suddenly I found myself thinking, why can't I think of all the good or right things I did? I'm not always a screw up. When I thought of that, all sorts of things popped up in my head.

When I started counting off all the things I did right at the family gathering it instantly changed my mood. I felt proud and happy and all those wrong things I did disappeared behind the cloud and didn't matter anymore. Yes I learned from the "bad" experiences, I've dwelled on them enough, and I will improve on myself based off my wrongs but the good and better things I did are also something that should be looked at and remembered so I can keep doing it.

Somehow we have been conditioned to always look for what we did wrong and dwell or ruminate on it, but the past has already happened, we can never change it. We can't do anything about the past anymore but we can improve ourselves for better future interaction and encounters. We can learn from our past mistakes and then look at and focus on the good things we've done for everyone.

Anyway, my point is, if we're not clinically depressed and hopeless we can still do something to be happier and feel good being alive. Even if we are clinically depressed, there is still a way out of it I'm sure.

I've done a post about hate and pain which I posted on another site but you can read the gist of it here:

Why People Hurt/Hate Other People and What To Do About It

_{I'm not a psychologist but I've been reading self-help stuff for about 7 years now plus I like to do research.}

It's all interconnected somehow. Generally, I assume, if our mental health is not good, we will hate/hurt people. If we are happy, we will be nicer to others. Of course we can't always be happy all the time. Happiness passes, anger, sadness and pain pass the same way. Being human means accepting the never ending cycle of mood changes and mood swings we can love or hate.

We all experience depression at some point so when it's too much, acknowledge that you are sad and depressed and that it's ok if you have it, you're not alone. That feeling should pass soon enough like everything else. If it doesn't, there are ways to hack into our system.

Getting emotionally and mentally better requires effort and willingness to get better. No one can tell you to seek help if you don't want to. (Giving people "clues" is like being passive aggressive.) Worst case scenario, if you are already beyond help, only then will people be aware and concerned and will be the one to help you help yourself. Before that even happens, please make an effort to help yourself and others.

Let me repost what I wrote last month about mental health being the most important issue these days.

Biggest World Issue? Mental Health Issues!

Everything stems from the mind, if we don't have a sound mind then everything else follows. The problem is if we do not realize we have a problem, usually worst comes to worst, we end up in jail. If one gets lucky to be jailed in Netherlands or Norway then you're better off finally getting your mental health issues resolved that way. Correct me if I'm wrong, they rehabilitate jailed people by dealing with the root cause and they've been very successful with it for a decade or so.

Anyway, if we do something about this problem, we can reduce the other world problems. We can all do something about our own mental health. If you're looking for some solutions I suggest the following:

How to Have better Mental Health

There are many things we can do to help improve our mental condition:


1 If you would like to seek the help of doctors, you can definitely contact a local one and you might get prescription drugs to help you out. Prescribed medicine can help you if worst comes to worst.

In case you have no one to talk to, there are suicide hotlines or just simple counseling hotlines that you can call when you think you can't take your life problems anymore. If you feel the need to talk and are afraid to be judged by people you care about or who loves you, there are local contact numbers for free suicide prevention or counseling readily available to you via search engines. I'm sure there is at least one in your area, all you have to do is search and look for it.

2 Alternatively, you can do other ways to achieve better mental health like doing meditation¹ or other physical activities like yoga or dancing to develop and maintain good psychiatric conditions.

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Doing physical activity like exercise or sports also helps make us happy. There's a science behind it if you do a quick search online.

Physical activity releases endorphins that make us happy. Sleeping enough and eating a well balanced diet also contribute to optimal mental health. Sometimes doing health detoxes and socializing can help too even if you're an introvert. It all depends on what you need and what works for you.

3 Other people use Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) to help with mental health issues like anxiety, negative thinking, depression etc.²
This method can help us understand the feelings and thoughts that influence our behaviors³ so we can do something better than destructive or negative behavior/reactions that make life more difficult.

4 Aside from those mentioned above, there are those that resort to Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). This is where you combine tapping on body points with saying positive words or sentences or beliefs.

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Focusing on positive words or thoughts and actions alone can also help improve our mental health as scientific studies have discovered.⁴ Being grateful for the things we have or acknowledging the wonderful things that happened instead of complaining about all the bad things we experienced within the day will definitely help improve our outlook in life.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't call out somebody who wronged or hurt us. It also doesn't mean we can't express our anger at injustices or unfairness of the world. But when we're feeling down, it's better to acknowledge and accept it can happen then let it pass and think of the good thoughts or of win win situations when we can.

5 Sometimes alternative medicine can help people too in lieu of prescribed medicine. Recommended herbal plants are St. John's Wort, Ginko Biloba,⁵ Kava, food supplements like Magnesium, B vitamins or Omega 3, etc to name a few aside from also having acupuncture or full body massages done or even Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Hypnosis etc.⁶

6 Creative arts therapy⁷ like painting, writing and listening to or making music can also improve our mood and mind.⁸

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Listening to music and writing is probably the cheapest alternative of them all. When you're sad, lonely or whatever, just listen to positive uplifting music like gospel songs or inspirational songs, or listen to classical music. You can even listen to nature inspired sounds on YouTube to relax or ease your mind.

If you're raging inside, well now, go hardcore screamo and sing your heart out why not? Hahaha. Sing out all that anger and tell me if you don't feel better afterwards. No point suppressing your anger, it will just eat you up inside if you bottle it all up so maybe sing it out and help ease it out of your system.

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You can also write a letter then burn it so all those things that are bothering your mind will figuratively go away and let you move on. Or put it all in your diary. You can even write a blog or story out of your problems (like I'm doing now, hahaha) or make a movie out of it or something to get it out of your system .

_{I know of someone who was able to cope with her miscarriage by dabbling in painting. When she was better suddenly she couldn't paint anymore however much she tried so she just didn't use them art materials. One day, she saw me post a pic on Instagram that I bought some art brushes. Hey she then decided to give all her watercolor paint stuff to me! Haha! That made me very happy indeed. :D She kept asking why she couldn't paint anymore so I told her she didn't need it anymore that's why.}

7 The best and sometimes healthiest alternative though is to go outside or what others call nature or ecotherapy. ⁹ Go to the park, rest under a tree, swim in the ocean, sunbathe on the sand, walk in the forest barefoot, hike up a mountain etc. Nature has it's own way of healing us. Even Stanford researchers say so.¹⁰ There's just something about nature that makes us feel better and happier.

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You don't need an expert to tell you you will feel better when you are in nature because it just happens. When you immerse yourself in the great outdoors, you feel better and alive and one with the world. :)

So the next time we're feeling sad or depressed, we can go ahead and just hug a tree maybe and smell the flowers or the fresh spring air in someone's garden somewhere. _{This is why people like going on vacations and holidays. We city folk tend to experience a bit more happiness and relaxation when in nature.¹¹}

Oh, or maybe go visit zoos, farms or get a pet too. Animals can improve our mental state as well. :) It also makes our hearts feel warm and fuzzy when we cuddle a dog or cat or even bunnies! ♥

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So that's it. I hope it helps. If you have more to add or just want to discuss anything about this, feel free to comment. :)

XOXO,
@artgirl

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Written by @artgirl for Steemit.
© Art x Stephanie Rue

@artgirl is a freelance artist and also a sales person. If you need some art done or any research/writing requirements, feel free to contact me.

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