One Conversation at a Time: Who’s Listening?

Each year, on 10 October, World Mental Health Day is celebrated to raise awareness of the issue.

While this day draws attention to mental health, Namibians, and more so the youth, still have a long way to go in understanding the nature of mental health: How our actions affect not only our mental health but the mental health of those around us.

One reflection of the emotional and mental turbulence Namibians face is the heartbreaking reality that our country has one of the highest suicide rates in Africa.

Just recently, The Namibian reported that six people took their lives over the course of one weekend.

It is also important to note that suicide isn’t the only aspect of poor mental health.

THE MISSING DEFINITION

The World Health Organisation defines mental health as the state whereby a person understands their abilities and can cope with the normal stresses and strains of life.

However, this definition places the burden on the individual and often overlooks the role the community of people around the individual plays in facing, dealing and coping with mental health.

In doing so, we isolate the individual in their daily struggles with mental health and disengage the community around the individual.

We neglect the essence of what we as Namibians and Africans stand for, Ubuntu – the mantra that “I am because of we all are”.

Mental health is a shared responsibility that demands the horizontal compassion of the community around us.

Conversations around the causes of suicide and poor mental health in Namibia, and why it is so prevalent, result in any number of reasons.

Among others, it is attributed to the taboo of not talking about mental health, substance abuse, or to a lack of access to public mental health services.

While all these opinions are warranted, we can’t shy away from another cause of poor mental health in Namibia, and that is poverty.

Poverty can manifest itself in various forms. It is not just a lack of financial security. It is the unrelenting pressure, anxiety, and emotional strain of not having enough.

TEMPORARY ACTIONS, PERMANENT SCARS

Other aspects of poor mental health can be catalysed by the actions of the community especially at this time of the year when stress is particularly high.

’End of year fatigue’ extends to mental fatigue; social media, schools and workplaces become pressure cookers where temporary actions can leave permanent scars.

We often underestimate the impact our actions and words may have on others.

The struggle to meet financial and other targets at work, interactions with stressful managers and supervisors, the stress of qualifying and preparing for exams and the humiliation of seeing your photo turned into a meme and being a laughing stock on social media.

We have yet to fully understand how our actions and words can cut deep, and that our actions and words, often small and insignificant to us, can permanently affect another person’s mental state.

We all need to be a little kinder to ourselves and to be compassionate towards those around us.

Every word, every action and every moment of kindness matters.

• Rivaldo Kanongo Kavanga is a law student at the University of Namibia, a #BeFree ambassador and co-founder of the Active Youth Organisation Namibia; rivaldokavanga22@gmail.com