World Mental Health Day has been celebrated on October 10, since 1992. This year’s theme is to ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’…reports Asian Lite News
Schools belonging to LEAMS Education – a futuristic education group that manages four schools with 8200 students – is organizing a number of health, wellness and yoga sessions as part of the World Mental Health Day to improve mental health that is causing huge loss in productivity and draining personal wealth.
Every year October 10 is marked as World Mental Health Day – to help create global awareness on mental health that affects more than 2 billion people worldwide.
Mental disorders are on the rise in every country in the world and will cost the global economy $16 trillion by 2030, according to the latest Lancet Commission report on mental health. The economic cost is primarily due to early onset of mental illness and lost productivity, with an estimated 12 billion working days lost due to mental illness every year, it said.
“Mental health is often neglected and underfunded, even though nearly 2 billion people suffer from mental illness every year,” said Dr Janice Cooper, co-author of the Lancet Commission report who leads the Carter Center’s mental health work in Liberia.
The economic case for investment in mental health is strong: for every $1 invested in scaled-up treatment for depression and anxiety, there is a $4 return in better health and productivity. The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development, called for a partnership including academic institutions, UN agencies, development banks, the private sector, and civil society organisations to mobilise, disburse, and invest funds to transform mental health, stating that ‘When it comes to mental health, all countries can be thought of as developing countries’,” the report said.
Mr Nabil Lahir, CEO of LEAMS Education says, “The overall objective of celebrating World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the students and to mobilize efforts to support every fellow human being around to have an inner peace and lead a healthy and longer life. We believe, this should start from the classroom, so that the children are prepared for a healthy life – both physically and mentally sound health.
All our schools are tuned with various international days and we take these as part of our extra-curricular activities to develop social awareness among the children. Across all our four schools, children are highlighting mental health issues with seminars, lectures, awareness campaigns, etc.”
World Mental Health Day has been celebrated on October 10, since 1992. This year’s theme is to ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’.
Following the theme, LEAMS education organises a free yoga session at Apple International School to support in uplifting the mental health of the students. A Yoga Awareness and Orientation session was conducted by Ms. Hema D Souza who is a qualified and dedicated Yoga Teacher with more than 13 years of experience and a Masters’s Degree in Yoga Science. She provides Yoga for well-being, weight loss, general fitness, rehabilitation, and relaxation.
Ms Jaya Menezes, Principal of Apple International School said that, “Mental health is a fundamental part of our overall health and well-being. As Educators, we always give our best in supporting the mental well-being of our children and also helping them to develop the social and emotional skills needed to lead a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life.”
There is no shortage of calamities that can wreak havoc on persons mental health and well-being. A global pandemic in its third year, protracted conflicts and wars, destructive climate events, destabilizing economic conditions, violence, discrimination, injustice, inequality. No nation is immune. That’s why this year’s theme for World Mental Health Day is “Make mental health for all a global priority.”
The Director of Leams Education, Ms.Hajera Lahir said that Schools under Leams Education have a thorough focus on the well-being of our students through a structured, detailed programme. The programme is mainly student-led, emphasising how to promote mental health among our children’s well-being, community connection, and self-care. The significant steps of the programme are “Connect; Share; Act; Reflect and Reciprocate.” Our group schools have been following custom-made activities under these five themes. Gratitude Projects, Train your puppy mind, various Clubs, Worry Box, Feeling Corners, Podcasts etc., are a few to mention. We have well-being ambassadors in our schools, and with their guidance, we conduct many enriching and enhancing activities to establish the importance of our stakeholders’ mental and physical health.
Hema D’Souza, Qualified Yoga Teacher, said, “Kids were great in the school, and they were very good. Right guidance and focus given to the kids can improve concentration and discipline within them. I would love to teach them yoga again. I wish all the very best to the kids of Apple International school for their peaceful future”
After the free yoga session arranged by LEAMS Education, the students of Apple International School stated that the yoga session was very relaxing and peaceful.
From climate anxiety to cost-of-living stress through to personal matters, the brain strain is real and needs addressing. World Mental Health Day 2022 is here to set the record straight for the one in eight people worldwide living with a mental- health issue, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Focus on emotional, psychological and social well-being defines Mental Health ,and is very much essential since it affects how we think, feel and act.
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