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12 October 2020
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Story Dr Cindé Greyling
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Photo Supplied
Exercise and nutrition can work wonders for your mental health – you don’t even have to ‘feel like’ or ‘enjoy’ moving around and eating well for it to work – it does its thing anyway.
Nowadays, people talk about mental health like it is the common cold – which is good! But do you know what it really means? Being mentally healthy does not only refer to the absence of a mental illness but includes your emotional and social well-being. One would almost want to add physical well-being too, since a healthy body does indeed support a healthy mind. However, since so many people consider themselves ‘mental health experts’, some myths have been sold as truths.
Myth #1 – You are doomed.
Nope. Never. You are never doomed. There is always help. Mental-health therapies range from self-help, talk therapy, medication, to hospitalisation in some cases. Somewhere on this spectrum of treatments, there will be something that works for you. But you must be willing to get the help and do the work. For starters, exercise and nutrition can work wonders – you do not even have to ‘feel like’ or ‘enjoy’ moving around and eating well for it to work – it does its thing anyway.
Myth #2 – It won’t affect you.
It may. Research suggests that one in five people may suffer from a mental illness at some point in their lives. Being well now does not mean that it will stay that way. Biological and environmental factors both impact your mental health. Hopefully not, but at some point, you may experience an event that affects your mental health.
To remain integrated in a community is always beneficial
for anyone suffering from a mental or physical condition.
Myth #3 – Someone struggling with mental health must be left alone.
Hardly! To remain integrated in a community is always beneficial for anyone suffering from a mental or physical condition. You do not need to fix them, but to remain a friend. Continue to invite them, even if they decline. Do not judge, and do not try to understand. Just stay around.
Go and be kind to yourself, and to those around you.
Conference on chemistry presented at the UFS
2009-10-12
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INORG2009, the biennial conference of the South African Chemical Institute (SACI), was recently held on the Main Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein. The conference, co-sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry: Dalton Division in the UK was attended by some 165 delegates from more than 40 different institutions and 14 countries. The conference focused on pure and applied aspects of inorganic chemistry with industrial (e.g. homogeneous catalysis, separation technology, hydrogen storage, etc.), bio-inorganic and medical and environmental relevance. From the left are: Prof. Jannie Swarts, Department of Chemistry at the UFS and member of the organising committee and plenary lecturer at the conference; Prof. André Roodt, Chairperson of the Department of Chemistry at the UFS and Chairperson of the organising and scientific committees of INORG2009; Prof. Jan Boeyens, University of Pretoria and plenary lecturer; Dr Jaco Erasmus, Delta EMD and session chairperson; Prof. Roger Alberto, University of Zürich, Switzerland and plenary lecturer; Prof. Peter Tasker, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, co-Chairperson of the organising committee and plenary lecturer; and Prof. Peter Comba, University of Heidelberg, Germany and plenary lecturer.
Photo: Stephen Collett |