Zuhairah : Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Zuhairah.

Aisyah : Hello, good afternoon. I am Aisyah.

Rajendra : Good afternoon to all. I’m Rajendra Kumar.

Zuhairah : Alright, today we are having this session to discuss more about mental health
which includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think,
feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make
choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence
through adulthood. However, mental health problems are common but help is available.
People with mental health problems can get better and many recover completely. I would
like to hear from you guys as well about this.

Aisyah : I agree with you. Mental health illness is very common nowadays. Then, mental
health illness usually be associated with mentally retarded person. It is not true and many
people around us do not realise the gravity of the situation. Ignorance is a major obstacle in
spreading awareness about metal health issues. There are many factors that contributed to
this illness. One of them is one’s surrounding. For example, they have been in toxic
relationship with colleagues or maybe their bosses. They felt burn out but did not know how
to express it and it makes them depressed or anxiety. What do you think, Rajendra?

Rajendra: I strongly believe that relationship we build with people let it be friends, family,
acquaintances really affect our state of mental health. Positive bonding with others gives us
more positive feelings like being happy and enthusiastic. Whereas negative bonding with
people around causes us to feel mentally drained and exhausted. Forming strong, healthy
relationships with others means opening up, actively listening, and being open to sharing
what you’re going through. Trying to establish a bond with someone new can feel scary, but
it’s important to put yourself out there and attempt to make new friends. These relationships
can change the course of your life.

Aisyah : I trust that we all need to identify our support system. It can be a partner, friend or even a
family member. They are a place for you to channel the stress experienced. Apart from expressing
problems, we can share opinions and learn from other people's experiences.

Zuhairah : Well said, peeps. I would like to enlighten you guys on the early signs of mental
illness. Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviours can be an early
warning sign of a problem such as eating or sleeping too much or too little, pulling away from
people and usual activities, having low or no energy, feeling numb or like nothing matters,
having unexplained aches and pains, feeling helpless or hopeless, smoking, drinking, or
using drugs more than usual, feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset,
worried, or scared, yelling or fighting with family and friends, experiencing severe mood
swings that cause problems in relationships, having persistent thoughts and memories you
can't get out of your head, hearing voices or believing things that are not true ,thinking of
harming yourself or others and also inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your
kids or getting to work or school. What do you say, Aisyah?

Aisyah : That is good input for our knowledge, Zuhairah, I would like to relate this with our
routine as teachers. The education system in Malaysia is amended from time to time to fulfil
the requirements of modern world. The changes have made the education field more
challenging and the teachers need to be more proactive. Therefore, to achieve ultimate goal
of the education, teachers will have to adopt and adapt various factors including
enhancement of knowledge and skills. To meet high demand in education, teachers began
to feel stress in facing the variety of transformation in education. Consequently, teachers are
susceptible to face depression, mental illness, anxiety and stress which are serious health
problems caused by psychological distress and increasingly affect organizational growth,
including decreased work performance, absenteeism, as well as intention to quit. From your
point of view, what are the solutions that can be suggested to poor teachers who go through
such situations, Rajendra ?

Rajendra : I would say sleep is the best medicine of all to humankind. This is because quality
sleep enhances your mental health and emotions throughout the day. During sleep, the brain
works to evaluate and remember thoughts and memories. Lack of sleep may trigger your
negative emotions which will lead to deteriorating mental health. We feel triggered when
responding to an incident and we tend to get easily grumpy for even petty reasons. We
should plan to get 7-9hours per day. We also have to make sure our room is comfortable
and cosy with the right choice of mattress, pillow. The right companion will boost your sleep
quality.

Zuhairah : Yes, we all need enough sleep to start over routine energetically on next day. As
far from what I have experienced while being a teacher and a mom is I’m getting stressed in
my everyday life with my burden of work to complete and also at the same time I have to
take care of my family. So I went to the doctor. The doctor told me that if I didn’t manage my
stress levels, I could suffer some serious health consequences. The health consequences
will lead to such as depression, anxiety, heart disease. Because of the problem, the doctor
suggest me some ways how to overcome these problem, I’ve to made some lifestyle
changes such as to overcome my stress such as exercising. I work out about 2 hours and 30
minutes of moderately intense exercise like brisk walks or 75 minutes of a more vigorous
exercise like swimming laps, jogging or other sports. Do you think managing stress is very
important during these days ?
Rajendra : Absolutely, I guess managing stress is a skill an individual need to practise daily.
For an example, many of us struggle financially at many points of life. When we struggle
financially, we tend to go under lots of pressure. We pressurise ourselves beyond all our
means. This will lead to worsen mental health. Our daily life structure and business are also
giving a great impact on our mental health. To regain the mental strength, we can do more
physical activity, counselling session, side incomes, budgets, daily schedule. What is your
word about this, Aisyah ?

Aisyah : I would like start from my own experience here. My first school was a small school,
located in a rural area in Pahang . Because I was a new teacher, I was given a lot of tasks.
Senior said, it has become a tradition that new teachers or “new sweepers/broom” are given
a lot of work because the they were already tired and old. At first I just followed orders
because I felt like I was still a new teacher. But the workload were too much, I was burn out.
I tried to get enough sleep. In the evening I went for a walk around my neighbourhood, I
want to make my body feel tired and get enough sleep every night. After 10 P.M.,I turned off
all of my gadgets. School matters are only in my working hours or before 8.00 P.M. After that
is my personal life matters. I tried to finish all of my works before I went home. I’ll stayed at
school and finished it as fast as I can. I will never bring my works to home again. I also
create new hobbies such as gardening and playing badminton. It can divert my attention
from problems at school.

Rajendra : I went through almost the same stressful situation as you did. I realised that when
an employee can't stand facing the stress he is facing, the employee will receive the effects directly. It
will reduce the quality of mental and physical health. If it continues, it will lead to psychological
health problems such as mental restlessness, chronic depression and other mental problems. In
addition, stress will also affect the physical condition of the body such as cardiovascular disease,
respiratory problems and many more. Therefore, the signs may vary according to the health condition
of an individual.

Zuhairah : Glad that you both really handled it well and has set an example for the rest ,
Aisyah. Apart from all enough sleep, physical activity what else would help an individual who
struggle to manage their mental health on daily basis, guys?

Rajendra : On the other hand, our daily food intake affects our mental state as well. Eating
healthy food promotes the growth of “good” bacteria, which in turn positively affects
neurotransmitter production. A steady diet of junk food, on the other hand, can cause
inflammation that hampers production. When neurotransmitter production is in good shape,
your brain receives these positive messages loud and clear, and your emotions reflect it. But
when production goes awry, so might your mood. So, we should practice balance healthy
eating lifestyle on daily basis. We have to add more greens and lessen junk foods and
whichever food that might produce bad bacteria. We will always have to refer and stick to
food triangle and plan our food intake accordingly.

Zuhairah: Yes, I totally admit with that point. Because eating healthier can reduce our stress,
eating a regular, well-balanced diet will help us feel better in general. It may also help control
our moods. Our meals should be full of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and lean protein for
energy. And don’t skip any. It’s not good for us and can put us in a bad mood, which can
actually increase our stress. Also, we can practice deep breathing technique. You start
stopping and taking a few deep breaths can take the pressure off you right away. You’ll be
surprised how much better you feel once you get good at it.

Aisyah : That’s a good one , Zuhairah. At the same time, the school administrators need to
put more caution if there is a teacher who show stress or depression symptoms by providing
earlier counselling session. Teachers also need to give recognition that can motivate them to
perform their duty better and feel appreciated. Hence, the teachers will carry out their
responsibilities with passion and least stressful.

Zuhairah : Exactly, I can’t agree more with that. Also, we have to be ready to talk about our
problems. If things are bothering you, talking about them can help lower your stress. You
can talk to family members, friends, a trusted clergyman, your doctor, or a therapist. And you
can also talk to yourself. It’s called self-talk and we all do it. But in order for self-talk to help
reduce stress, you need to make sure it’s positive and not negative. So listen closely to what
you’re thinking or saying when you’re stressed out. If you’re giving yourself a negative
message, change it to a positive one. For example, don’t tell yourself “I can’t do this.” Tell
yourself instead: “I can do this,” or “I’m doing the best I can.”

Rajendra: Yes, positive mindset goes a long way. We have to be gentler with ourselves. Fix
what is fixable and let go of non-fixable situations. Anything that is out of our control should
be out of our mind too. So that we do not end up overthinking about things that are hard to
control. Because by nature humans tend to feel negative in different ways. It may be temporary like a
bad feeling when you fail an assignment. Then it starts to build into self-doubt and you start
questioning your abilities. Small problems that occur can cause you to feel very disappointed about
yourself. Loss of self-confidence can lead to depression and mental instability. You get angry at
everyone. The joke you used to laugh with your friends has become an insult that you feel the need to
fight them back. Ordinary actions by colleagues are already an insult to you. You fail to control your
anger. You are quick to lash out at work. Also, you quickly forget about something. So, we will have
to make positive mindset as a daily habit.
Aisyah : Very true, Rajendra kumar. We have to identify things that bother us the most.
Then, also rather than expecting others to check on you, you need to do that for yourself
also. Be open to humour. Practice gratitude and if can have gratitude journal for self-
journalling.

Rajendra : Yes, you are absolutely right. We have to identify and change if there is an inflexible
policy that causes stress. Try to identify your own ability level and learn to be more assertive. Often
those who can do work are bullied with a heavy workload, while those who are lazy are not given
appropriate assignments. This will lead to dissatisfaction later on. We also have to work as a team and
divide tasks according to skills and abilities. We shall practice work-life balance or balance between
work and life. Set your life goals, your interests and separate work from home. Leave what is related
to work at work.
Zuhairah : Moreover,we need to change your perception of stress. Instead of expressing it as a
burden, it is better if we consider it as a challenge for ourselves. Learn to accept criticism well. And
yeah as Aisyah said S]smile and laugh a lot. Jokes make you more positive and cheerful. Make time
for yourself. For example, a five-minute break after 90 minutes of work. Going to the spa or hair salon
is also a time for you to pamper yourself in your spare time.

Rajendra : That was a very fruitful session with you guys. And I hope we are there for each
other to help to overcome their illness. Mental health illness is not a sin. Let’s do our part to
spread awareness and reduce the stigma around mental health illness. People should not be
shy to speak out about their mental struggles because everyone goes through the phase
without doubt.

Zuhairah : Yes, we should take effort to sort out things in right away rather than hiding it
within ourselves. As we tend to hide it, it gets worse day by day. By talking about it we would
know whether we are in need of medical help or not.

Aisyah : You are right. If we are struggling with our mental health, there are some helplines
where you can seek help and support. Malaysian Mental Health Association provides
support via their phone line on any mental health issues. MMHA also has qualified
mental health professionals, clinical psychologist, and counsellors providing
psychological support services. Financial subsidies are readily available to ensure that
necessary therapy and support is given to anyone who needs it.

Rajendra : That would help us all to find for better solution for mental related issues.
Thank you, Aisyah and also Zuhairah for sharing your thoughts on this.
Zuhairah : Thank you too.

Aisyah : Thank you both. Have good day.