Ministry of Marketing Asia has invited Wiki Impact to be part of their weekly talks as resource partner in advocating Womentum. Wiki Impact will be providing relevant resources, data and evidence based statistics during the virtual chat.
The first installation covers the issue of mental health and the following is the summary of the chat:
How do we correctly identify thoughts of negativity?
“Before we speak to anybody else, we speak to ourselves. It can be something as simple as spilling some coffee and thinking ‘I’m so stupid’. These are not good words, they do not foster a good feeling, thus creating points of negativity in ourselves..” –
Melissa Indot
Although this is where it starts off, eventually it will lead to the way others are allowed to talk to us. Aishah Sinclair agreed that being mindful of one’s own thoughts is a priority, but it is also important to remember that you are not your own thoughts.
“Negative thoughts do not make a negative person unless you allow your thought to become who you are. I am not my thoughts! I could just be someone that is tired, thinking negative thoughts. That does not make me a negative person.” –
Melissa Indot
Deborah (co-founder of Wiki Impact) stated that the reason behind why picking up and recognizing why these thought patterns are so important is because mental health affects all areas of life; our relationships, jobs, physical health and ability to create wealth. Mental health refers to cognitive, behavioural, and emotional well-being, and a poor mental state can affect the best of us, but there are those that are more heavily affected than others.
People in poverty are at greater risk of mental illness compared to peers who are more economically stable. They are at higher risk of losing their jobs, reducing their capability to work, disturbed sleep, loss of appetite, maintaining relationships, making good decisions and having self-harm ideas [1].
The panel was also shocked to find that in 2019 alone, about half a million Malaysians have been diagnosed with depression, among other mental disorders. Of that number, women in rural areas and those from low-income groups are at higher risk of mental illness[1]
It is true that in Malaysia, women were known to have suffered worse with mental health. Despite the number of committed suicides were more frequent in men than women, however, suicidal attempts and instances of self-harm are higher among women[2]. It is simply the fact the numbers do not show that many women failed their suicidal attempts.
The panel also discussed the taboo to openly voice out concerns regarding mental health and how difficult it was to raise awareness that it actually was ok to not be ok. For those that couldn’t seek out professional help, Aishah suggests to ask the following three questions if you feel overwhelmed:
“What do you need?”
“Why are you like this?”
“How can we solve this?”
Aishah Sinclair
The panel agreed on the importance of having a positive environment and a good support system, to help one get through a difficult time is necessary. However, awareness on the severity of the issue at hand still needs to be raised.
Watch the full virtual talk on Womentum’s Facebook Page.
