Our mental health has an impact on our physical health, and vice versa. How we feel emotionally is influenced by our physical well-being. The interaction between our mind and body becomes evident through various expressions. When we are depressed or stressed, it may indicate that we have difficulty falling asleep.

When we are hurt or injured, the pain can occasionally be made worse by stress or frustration. We may also experience increased irritability or rage, sadness or worry if we are ill or injured. When hopeful, we are more inclined to experience joy, and more likely to feel that we are living a meaningful life.

The Major Issues of Mental Health

Mental health has a major impact on the way in which we interact with others in social settings, make decisions in different occasions, and deal with stress in our everyday life. People’s ability to live fulfilling lives are highly influenced by our mental health. Therefore, public health professionals should consider prioritizing the protection and restoration of mental health for the sake of their health and well-being. Letā€™s take a look at the major concerns of mental health at workplace.

Workplace issues, worry, anxiety or stress can contribute to mental health problems. Mental health issues frequently impair concentration, which can jeopardize a person’s job performance. Depression is associated with difficulty focusing, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Reduced productivity can limit one’s ability to perform well, earn promotions, and develop successful relationships with co-workers and higher management, all of which can have an impact on job satisfaction. Workplace absenteeism can also be influenced by mental health issues or unhappiness at work.

This may result in a person losing their job or having less opportunity to make a living. As a result, it’s crucial to maintain a work-life balance where one gives equal priority to both their career and their personal life.

3 Ways to take Care of your Mental Health and Well-being

Physical and mental health are equally important. It is possible to prevent mental health problems in the future by nurturing our mental health. For example, stress management can help reduce the potential of heart disease. When our mental health is in good shape, it extends to other aspects of our overall well-being too.

1) Learn to Manage Stress

Stress is a major factor that can negatively impact both physical and mental health. There are many different ways to manage stress, such as exercise, watching your favourite cartoon movie, going for a body massage or taking a walk in nature and listening to birds whispering or leaves rustling in the forest.

2) Follow a Healthy Diet

It is also possible to improve mood and reduce stress through a healthy diet. There are several nutrients that increase blood flow, including omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), vitamin E, and polyphenols found in red wine, blueberries, and dark chocolate. Thus, a healthy diet improves brain function by enhancing blood flow, which improves nutrient delivery to the brain.

3) Practice Mindfulness

The practice of mindfulness involves being in the moment without passing judgment. It may be beneficial for lowering stress, boosting mood, and raising self-awareness. Learning to meditate using singing bowls, deep breathing exercises, or relaxing yoga can all improve your long-term mental health.

We can enhance our overall health and well-being by making small changes one step at a time, to improve our overall wellbeing. However, if you are unlikely to improve over time, it would be best to seek professional guidance.

Your Guide to Seeking Professional Guidance

1) Help Someone in Need

If a friend confides in you about suicidal thoughts, you may be taken aback or react emotionally. Whatever your response, try to be non-judgmental and patient while expressing genuine concern.

2) Listen to Understand

Extend a listening ear and listen to understand their emotions. Understand their point of view and acknowledge their challenges. Be empathetic and show genuine concern in supporting them by extending a helping hand.

3) Encourage them to Seek Help

Assure them that it is alright to seek professional help if they may need to do so. You may offer to accompany them for a visit to the psychologist to make them feel secure.  Be with them to alleviate their loneliness and uncertainties.

4) Make a Referral

If you come across someone that may be at risk of suicide or is thinking of making an attempt to suicide. You may refer the person to to make an appointment to see a counsellor via CareMail service pat@sos.org.sg or call the 24-hour Hotline at 1-767 or 24-hour CareText: WhatsApp: 9151 1767‍. Together, we can offer support to those who require assistance, and also to those we hold dear.”

What are the Essential Skills for a Career in Psychology?

If you like to interact with people and are keen to help people manage their emotional, behavioural and psychological needs, learn more about the essential soft skills and mandatory qualifications required to be a psychologist to start your career. Letā€™s look at the essential psychological skills required.

Psychologists use a wide range of technical and people skills to be effective clinicians and counsellors. In order to relate to patients and determine the most effective course of treatment for them, a good counsellor balances their logical and empathic thinking. Research, active listening, communication, behavioural testing, teamwork, ethics, patience, problem-solving, and mediation are some of the essential skills for psychologists.

Where Can I Learn More About Psychology?

In 51±¬ĮĻ, the School of Psychology offers multiple programmes for you to choose from. We provide a path for education that starts with an International Foundation Diploma and ends with a Master’s degree in Psychological Science. We provide a holistic learning experience that covers the fundamentals of the five fields of psychology – cognitive, clinical, social, developmental, and biological ā€“ all under one roof.

View some of the psychology courses that 51±¬ĮĻ has to offer.

Diploma programme | /-international-foundation-diploma-in-stema-psychology

Degree programme | /bachelor-of-science-hons-in-psychological-and-behavioural-science

For programme enquiries, please contact our friendly consultants:

Mr Douglas Koh | Mobile/WhatsApp: +65 9430 1901 | Email: douglas_kohfb@mdis.edu.sg

Mr Wilson Neo | Mobile/WhatsApp: +65 9673 3392 | Email: wilson_neows@mdis.edu.sg

There are multitude of Colleges and Universities that offer psychology at the diploma, degree and postgraduate levels. In deciding education provider, students must check the curriculum and facilities of the school, professional accreditation and the stability of the institution. However, the trickiest question I have encountered in my long years of service in the academy is not about the institution, rather on the academic success of psychology students. Many times students have asked me about the profile of students who are ā€œdestinedā€ to succeed in the study of psychology.

There are available career or aptitude tests in the market that can assess studentā€™s competency on specific fields of study. However, these tests will never be 100% accurate. As with any field of studies, students seeking a degree in psychology should possess certain innate qualities that help them excel within the field. Here are 6 basic personality traits that a psychology student should possess or aim to develop.

1. Tolerance

This trait is closely related to the values regarding diversity. Acceptance of others with respect despite cultural differences is the most humane attribute of a psychology student. Tolerance is often mistaken as passive acceptance. This is rather a false belief as acknowledging others normally requires conscious and active effort to be in commune with others without passing judgment or criticising.

2. Patience

This is an outward display of inner self-control. One aspect of self-control is management of emotions. Control of emotions does not mean denial.It should be the directing and managing emotional experience in a way that it will not result in a negative outcome. In directing emotions, one must answer these questions ā€“ (A) am I going to hurt other people when I express the emotions? (B) Am I hurting myself? If the answer to these questions is ā€˜Noā€™, it is likely that in this instance, the expression of emotion is healthy and productive.

3. Ethics

This involves professional rules developed from oneā€™s basic morals. Ethical practice for psychology is far more than merely knowing and following a professional code of conduct. In dealing with ethical dilemmas, students will rarely find clear-cut answers. Most of the problems are complex. Making decisions ethically involves a tolerance for dealing with grey areas and for coping with ambiguity.

4. Critical Thinking

Students studying psychology must not be contented and just accept presented information. They should challenge common knowledge with the use of critical thinking skills. Critical thinking involves searching of some rule, plan or strategy to reach a certain goal that is currently out of reach. Students can increase the chances of solving a problem by learning to change their mindset, i.e., looking at the problem from many different viewpoints, perspective and even unusual angles.

5. Compassion

Empathy is a gateway to compassion, which includes sensing what other people are feeling, being able to take their perspective and cultivating rapport and attunement with a broad diversity of people. Emphatic understanding and listening skills are intimately intertwined. Here are some of the questions that you can use to test the level of your empathy – Are you interested in others? Can you be emphatic with their concerns? Can you pick up small signs of the many emotions others may have? Do you have an understanding of people different from yourself and can you see from their perspective?

6. Organisational Skills

The ability to schedule and use time efficiently during and between classroom discussions (or coursework) is vital to success in studying psychology. A personal recommendation is to form subgoals. Divide the assignment or general problem into a number of small achievable sub-goals leading to your main goal. This can be a useful strategy for any academic exercises including revisions, writing papers or preparing for exams.

I hope this would help you assess your own self and eventually assist you in deciding to study psychology. There is no need for concern if you are keen to do psychology but do not possess any of these attributes yet. Tolerance, patience, ethics, critical thinking, compassion and organisational skills are something that are not automatic to most of us. However, they can be learned and developed as you step-up and make a decision to study psychology.