Tags: by Phillis Benson | Apr 11, 2014 |
Spring is in the air and cherry blossoms and magnolias are in full bloom in my neighborhood. As the days get longer, so do my To-Do lists. The sunny skies and warmer weather entice me to stay up as late as I can. And, it takes tremendous will power to turn off the lights and go to sleep while daylight lingers a bit longer each day. Yet, I have learned over the years, that I need to get eight hours of sleep to be healthy and productive. I would like to share an article from Dr. Oz about how to get a good night’s sleep. And, invite you to savor the many benefits of sleep. How to sleep better by Dr. Mehmet Oz Once upon a time, you could sleep like a baby. Now you’d be lucky to get a full eight hours of peaceful, uninterrupted slumber. As a father of four, a surgeon, and a talk show host, I know all about sleepless nights. More than 25 years ago, when I was a surgical resident, I conditioned myself to get by on just two or three hours of sleep a night. I can recall walking down an empty hospital corridor after a long shift and seeing the sun rising silently over the city. I often had trouble drifting off when I got home and continued to have insomnia even after my residency ended. Read More… Wishing you wellness, Gayathri Ramprasad, MBA, CPS Founder & President, ASHA International...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Nov 11, 2013 |
Gratitude is an immensely powerful force that we can use to expand our happiness, create loving relationships, and even improve our health. Many scientific studies, including research by renowned psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, have found that people who consciously focus on gratitude experience greater emotional well-being and physical health than those who don’t. Read More… SHADOWS IN THE SUN HEALING FROM DEPRESSION AND FINDING THE LIGHT WITHIN by Gayathri Ramprasad I am thrilled to share that my memoir, Shadows in the Sun will be published in March 2014 by Hazelden. And, is already available for pre-sale at Hazelden and Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the books will benefit ASHA International’s programs and services. Wishing you wellness, Gayathri Ramprasad, MBA, CPS Founder & President, ASHA International...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Aug 20, 2013 |
Over the last few weeks, within a five-mile radius from where I live and work, there were three families in crisis. A 48-year-old mother of two struggling with schizophrenia went missing. Once a highly social, engaging woman with two Master’s degrees in English literature who wrote beautiful poetry in Tamil, today, she can barely function. A 41-year old mother of two struggling with schizoaffective disorder was hospitalized due to her deteriorating health – she had lost 65 pounds in a few months and was haunted by hallucinations – once a vibrant woman who had plenty of friends, an MBA, and a career, today she spends her time talking to the imaginary demons in her head. And, a 24-year-old young man, struggling with depression, shot and killed himself. As debilitating as the diseases affecting each of these people are, it is the stigma surrounding mental illness that had sentenced them into lives of shame, secrecy, and needless suffering. Unfortunately, the resultant social isolation had prevented them from seeking life-saving treatment and support. Fortunately, our community volunteers are doing an incredible job of reaching out to these families and helping them on their road to recovery and wellness. As a mother and mental health advocate, the struggles of these families break my heart and strengthen my resolve to empower them to overcome barriers to recovery and achieve wellness. And, I salute their courage in teaching us yet again, that while medications, therapy, and hospitalizations can help, a community heals. Like all of us, what people struggling with mental health issues need most to recover is love, and a deep sense of connection at home,...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Aug 11, 2013 |
During the early days of mental health treatment in America, asylums often restrained people who had mental illnesses with iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With better understanding and treatments, this cruel practice eventually stopped. In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. On April 13, 1956, at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Md., Mental Health America melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a sign of hope: the Mental Health Bell. Now the symbol of Mental Health America, the 300-pound Bell serves as a powerful reminder that the invisible chains of misunderstanding and discrimination continue to bind people with mental illnesses. Today, the Mental Health Bell rings out hope for improving mental health and achieving victory over mental illnesses. While I celebrate the strides both science and society have taken to understand and treat mental illnesses, I am deeply saddened by the persistent stigma, discrimination and lack of affordable, accessible care that prevents millions of people struggling with mental health issues around the world from seeking life-saving treatment and support. Yet, as a mother and mental health advocate, I have faith in our collective ingenuity and resilience to create a world of equity, dignity, hope, and humanity where every man, woman, and child struggling with mental health issues are provided the love and support they need to thrive in life. In this blog post, I am delighted to share a wonderful work of mental health advocate and advocacy that is tearing down the insidious chains of stigma and discrimination, one day,...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Jul 12, 2013 |
Nick Vujicic personifying the healing power of resilience. His ability to overcome obstacles and transform them into opportunities is truly a miracle. I often wonder why some people thrive despite the adversities they face, and others struggle. Resilience, I have learned, is the key. While some people have an innate ability to be resilient, it is a skill that can be learned. In this post, I am delighted to share Nick’s story and video, articles on the health benefits of resilience, and tips on how you can become resilient. As Steve Marboli once said, “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” Nick Vujicic was born in Australia to a Serbian immigrant family, with a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. Most of his childhood he struggled with depression, and after a suicide attempt, he decided to concentrate on what he did have instead of what he didn’t. He realized that his life story inspires many people. You can learn more about Nick’s inspiring work at Life without Limbs Resilience: Build skills to endure hardship by Mayo Clinic Staff When something goes wrong, do you tend to bounce back or fall apart? When you have resilience, you harness inner strength that helps you rebound from a setback or challenge, such as a job loss, an illness, a disaster or the death of a loved one. If you lack resilience, you might dwell on problems, feel victimized, become overwhelmed or turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as substance abuse. Resilience won’t make your problems go away – but resilience...
