Photo was gotten from my photo gallery.
Last week I learned a lot from so many educative posts from the contest write-up
Each country has different laws for women, some are very advanced but others have a difficult structure to obtain justice in cases of gender violence. In any case, all women should know the system in their country. In the hypothetical or real case that you are a victim or should help a victim of gender-based violence, do you know what to do? Where to go in that specific city to seek help or file a complaint? Do you know what the procedure is? The idea is to help any woman who needs that knowledge. It is a delicate subject but if you have any experience that you want to share with other women you are free to do so.
I can safely say I've got some tips to help victims of gender-based violence. In this light, I want to thank the writers in this community. Thanks for giving us content to learn from. Thanks to me as well.
I will like to invite @unomi, @cescajove to participate in this content. It will be nice to hear your different ideas on this topic.
Hello beautiful ladies of hive, this is my entry for contest #100. I will start by answering the first question.
Do you know how to be an effective advocate for your beloved one or friends when they are dealing with mental health issues?
In course of my training to become a registered nurse, I was taught the importance of empathy. As it is said, “putting myself in the shoes of another”. I'm not only a registered nurse but also an advocate. Advocacy is one of the core qualities of my profession. Often, I see myself as my patient's voice.
According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), Nursing is defined as the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and population.
So my answer is yes!, I was trained for this!
Advocacy is fundamental to nursing.
Photo Credit goes to Wugado Studios for taking this beautiful picture of me.
Do you know how to respond?
I don't know if there is an “expected” way to respond to a situation with a mental issue especially when it's a loved one or friend but this is what works for me. EMPATHY
What is empathy?
Empathy is the ability to understand someone's feelings or expressions by seeing things from their own point of view, and putting yourself in their position.
Empathy is different from sympathy.
Putting yourself in their position doesn't mean to go through the same situation. Here, it is an imagination.
Before I can respond to a situation, first, I try to understand how the individual feels, imagining myself in that situation and thinking of possible actions I would have taken if I was in the situation.
These are some tips I use to respond to situations especially as related to a mental health issue.
- I listen more than I speak.
- I listen to understand and not to judge.
- I probe to get clarifications instead of persuading.
- I share my perspective on the situation after listening.
- I share my own experience or a similar one to aid relaxation.
- I avoid making assumptions.
Whom to contact for help.
Before I answer this, let me share some of my psychiatry experience with you. Early last year, I went on my psychiatry posting, it was a 6 weeks posting at a psychiatry hospital Rumuigbo in Rivers State, Nigeria.
It was a very traumatizing experience for me since it was my first time being in close contacts with those dealing with mental illness.
You know, it's a different thing to hear about schizophrenia and to be in close contact with a person dealing with it.
The posting was a 6 weeks of psychological and emotional stress but I figured out something; the best way to relate with the patients was to put myself in their shoe.
To be empathetic.
I remember dancing with some of the patients just so they believe I could understand them.
In course of my posting, I learnt that mental illness is a no respecter of personality. It can happen to anyone. So with the thought of this, I was interested in making friends with the specialist of the hospital. I got contacts of the psychiatry nurses, doctors and counselors.
PS: I don't intend to specialize in psychiatry but for the sake of rendering help if ever I'm faced with such situation, those contacts will be of help to me.
Have you ever been faced with such a challenge?
I recently had to help a friend that was going through post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to the story, while going back home from work at around 10 pm, she stopped a cab just as she usually does. It was just 1 passenger in the cab with the driver making them two. After they drove just few metres from her place of work, The passenger held her hair with a gun and asked her to keep shut. They increased the speed of the car and made her stay down. They took her bag where her phone was and transferred all the money in her account and drove her to an unknown destination where they made her pull her clothes and with nakedness (her clothes on her hands), they pushed her out of the car. Her phone and all the money in her account was taken.
Thank God she had some money in her trouser pockets which she used to pay back home.
When I heard her story, I was so emotional. I listened to her patiently and first, thanked God for saving her life. Thank God she wasn't raped.
Even though 10pm is an ungodly hour in Nigeria, I didn't question her at all as regards the time because situations like this are unforeseen and can happen to anybody.
I reminded her that it wasn't the end of the world and I believe God saved her because he had a purpose for her.
I also gave her some money and introduced her to some job opportunities to help her regain what was lost. It wasn't so easy but I'm happy my friend is doing better now.
Photo was taken with my phone iPhone 6s.
In summary, mental health issues are unplanned. A lot of factors can lead to it which means we are susceptible to it. It is therefore important to be empathetic when faced with such situations. Also, to take home, the risk of developing mental health can be reduced by practicing healthy behaviors such as;
- healthy relationship.
- healthy diet.
- uphold your faith.
- regular health checkup.
- avoid smoking and alcohol.
- maintain a normal weight.
Thank you for your time. I hope this was beneficial to you.
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Thank you so much❤️
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Thank youu😊
I congratulate you for being a nurse, it is a very noble profession and I am glad that you are prepared to help someone who is going through a bad time or who is mentally ill
!LADY
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Thank you so much @ladytoken i love this profession actually. Advocacy is what we were trained to do.
Thank you for your warm comments❤️ @irenenavarroart
You sound like you have a wonderful handle on what you are doing and are trained to be! In today's world, there is so much that happens anymore that isn't the ordinary as we once knew it. Stress is at an all time high; people are angry and often an unsuspecting person is the receiver of the angry person's mood. You are compassionate and have a good understanding of how people tick. Thank you for sharing and have a lovely day! !LADY
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Thank you so much!🥳
Thank you so much @elizabethbit A lot of people are angry actually😩 and the sad thing is they project it to the innocents most times. Thank for stopping by. Thank you❤️
You are very welcome! It is very true! Take care!🤗💜
Thank you dear❤️
🤗💜
Thank you so much😌
Wow, this is such a beautiful piece of information.
I have learnt quite a bit about mental health. Thank you so much for sharing @silviafx
You're welcome @marybello Thank you too for bringing me here.
Taking the time to understand the individual situation, it is possible to build a compassionate, effective relationship, and empathetic connection with patients. I agree that it's important to show empathy to those suffering from mental illness, as it can help them feel supported and understood. Your nursing skills are excellent and you are an effective advocate for your patients and others around you.
Thanks for the entry, we really appreciated it !LUV
@trangbaby(1/1) gave you LUV.
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Wow,Thank youuuu @trangbaby @luvshares
I'm grateful❤️
Thank you so much for your warm comment. I really appreciate. I'm happy you understood the importance of empathy. @trangbaby Thanks for the compliments❤️