Mental Health

Statistics

• In 2020, 40% of americans were struggling with some mental issue in June. COVID aggravated this - to 66% by October. [1]
• About 1/4 of the world's children live in war or conflict zones [2]? This will have profound implications on mental health.
• 10% of people will have serious mental health problems, and another 10% will not function effectively - as a result of war trauma. This includes those consuming media! Note that in 9/11, observers were as just as likely to develop trauma symptoms as those who lived in NYC at the time. [3]

Keeping Good Mental Health

• This source lists lack of exercise as the first cause of bad mental health. [4]
• In general for your mental health - this source says perfectionism is the biggest threat to your mental health - [5]
• This source lists exercise and journaling as 2 best steps to mental health [6].
• Be careful about social media and war coverage - it's dangerous to your mental health - [7]
• 1 of 6 americans started therapy with COVID situation in 2020 - [8]
• Be careful of vicarious trauma - people who view secondhand can have the same symptoms as those individuals directly involved in the terror.
• We are hard wired to zoom in on terror because it can help us survive. So it's important to zoom out - conscious effort to focus on the positive.