Some would suggest that you have to suffer to be happy. Happiness is something that can be bought or grown is the opinion of others. You can learn to be happy or receive medical intervention. The holistic approaches can be a soothing inexpensive way to improve your happiness levels as well as therapy or counseling. The correlation between mental wellness and physical wellbeing is closely linked. Many studies show just how much our mental health affects our physical. Is it better to have suffered a trauma to truly experience happiness? Or, is it better to have been blissfully unaware of anything bad until later in life when processing traumas can be more easily managed? Being happy affects your health, mental wellness, and your daily life so much that, if you are unhappy you can have health problems, physical pain, and spend money trying to fix the problems manifesting.
Holistic approaches to being happy and healing pain are closely related. Many doctors will recommend yoga for both anxiety and depression as well as back pain. Some holistic healers will suggest: adding elements to your home to remind you to fight off your depression and seek happiness. Certain healing crystals and plants can be added into your home to improve your growth and wellbeing. Comparing real crystals and fakes, Lea Surugue in Eruo News reported that the team “found out that both groups were as likely to report feeling the sensations that had been previously described to them.” Placebo healing can be as valuable as medications is used correctly and medical needs are not ignored. Plants can aid in healing, “Symptoms of depression were most significantly reduced in the arboretum group, who also experienced 20% to 30% higher rates of complete remission when compared to a typically medicated group,” as stated in Susan McQuillian’s article in Psychology Today titled 11 Ways Plants Enhance Your Mental and Emotional Health. A different approach for healing is using certain teas for calming and focus. One example is the research from the National University of Singapore’s article Drinking tea improves brain health, study suggests written in the ScienceDaily about their longitudinal study “showed that daily consumption of tea can reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older persons by 50 percent.” Tea can prevent decline of cognition which can affect mental health. There are many instances where natural herbs can supplement medications, but be sure to consult your doctor first. St. John’s wort works almost as well as typical medications like antidepressants and was proven more effective than a placebo in comparison for treatment of mild to moderate depression, according to Nicole Galan of Medical News Today.
Therapy, counseling, and medical intervention are ways people can deal with their traumas and personal issues causing them pain. Pain can be mental or physical. Often the two are related. In the Laura Watkins article Treating PTSD: A Review of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Interventions published in Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, “a substantial minority of individuals drop out of PTSD treatment.” Many people do not fully receive the treatment they need. It can be due to many reasons including cost and coverage of medical insurance. The article by Laura Watkins goes on to suggest most successful treatments are “to increase engagement and reduce dropout is through use of intensive treatment programs, in which patients attend massed multiple sessions within a short period of time (e.g., one or 2 weeks) instead of weekly sessions spaced over several months.” Medications used to treat mental disorders – “One study found relapse of PTSD symptoms at 6 months follow-up in the paroxetine group,” The study which is reported by, A Rosaura Polak Comparison of the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and paroxetine treatment in PTSD patients: design of a randomized controlled trial conducted at BMC psychiatry goes on to say “treatment continuation for more than 24 weeks does not further reduce the PTSD symptoms but yields lower relapse rates than placebo.” Each person reacts differently to medication and it is important to continue with the treatment plan for either counseling or medications.
Suffering vs blissful ignorance is a commonly debated topic. Some people suggest that you need to have suffered in order to truly appreciate the important things in life. Others argue that any suffering can cause unhappiness and it is best to avoid it if possible. Addiction is a huge factor. According to the research done by the American Addiction Centers Treatment Facillity, people who are diagnosed with a mood disorder are two times as likely to abuse harmful substances than someone who has not been diagnosed with a mood disorder. Experiencing trauma as a child can have devastating affects that can lead to addition or depression. “Early childhood trauma has been associated with reduced size of the brain cortex. This area is responsible for many complex functions including memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thinking, language, and consciousness.” This is based on information release by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. They continue to suggest that damage to anyone of these can cause major issues later in life. Their research shows “resilience in children demonstrates that an essential protective factor is the reliable presence of a positive, caring, and protective parent or caregiver, who can help shield children against adverse experiences.”
Does being happy help you live longer? In some terminal cases you can prolong your life and be physically healthier when you are mentally healthy. There is no right or wrong way to seek treatment for you mood disorder or general unhappiness. Each person is different and many factors play roles in that. Happiness is something that can in fact be learned and medically treated if you are experiencing depression or anxiety. Everyone can achieve happiness in their own way and it is not up to us to judge how someone finds it. We are all just trying to pursue a life of happiness.
Sources:
- Editorial Staff. Recovery First. American Addiction Centers Treatment Facillity, 11 February 2019, https://www.recoveryfirst.org/co-occuring-disorders/depression-and-substance-abuse/
- Galan, Nicole. Medical News Today. 26 February 2019, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314421.
- McQuillian, Susan, Psychology Today, 14 September 2019, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cravings/201909/11-ways-plants-enhance-your-mental-and-emotional-health .
- The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/early-childhood-trauma/effects
- National University of Singapore. “Drinking tea improves brain health, study suggests.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 September 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190912100945.htm>.
- Polak, A Rosaura et al. “Comparison of the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and paroxetine treatment in PTSD patients: design of a randomized controlled trial.” BMC psychiatry vol. 12 166. 9 Oct. 2012, doi:10.1186/1471-244X-12-166
- Surugue, Lea, Eruo News. 18 September 2018, https://www.euronews.com/living/2018/09/18/crystal-therapy-the-power-of-placebo
- Watkins, Laura E et al. “Treating PTSD: A Review of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Interventions.” Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience vol. 12 258. 2 Nov. 2018, doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00258
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