Macondo's vlog: Mental Health

Perhaps you break out into a cold sweat when you have to deliver a talk before a group of people. Or perhaps you become nervous when you have to take a test. There are certainly numerous causes for anxiety. Similarly, there are a number of treatment options for those afflicted with the illness. If you don’t like the idea of medication, you might try an alternative approach to battling your anxiety.

It is estimated that nearly seven percent of Americans suffer from anxiety and panic disorders. While prescription drugs are routinely offered as a remedy for such illnesses, they can be dangerous if administered over a long period of time. Some of the more popular anxiety drugs include Diazepam and Wellbutrin.

However, increasingly, Americans are turning to alternative medicines in an effort to soothe their anxious feelings. In just the last decade, the demand for alternative medicine has skyrocketed 300 percent. This is partially the result of the fact that many alternative medicines offer relief from symptoms without the side-effects linked to prescription drugs. It should be noted, however, that natural remedies are not meant to be long-term treatments, although they can offer relief in the short-term.

Before you buy a natural remedy, it is important that you do your homework as far as your knowledge of herbs and vitamins is concerned. It is also imperative that you consult your family physician in order to ensure that the alternative treatment is safe for you.

Valerian Root is an option you might want to try. It is especially helpful in combating insomnia because of its sedative quality. In other words, it helps to lull the central nervous system to sleep. Research indicates that Valerian Root is effective in improving sleep 90 percent of the time. This is important, since much of anxiety is linked to sleep disorders.

Vitamins can also provide an effective treatment for anxiety. They can be quite important in enabling neurotransmitter synthesis and maintenance. For instance, B-complex can help produce neurochemicals, which in turn assists in the synthesis of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.

Yet another aid to combating anxiety is Passion Flower. It helps to calm the central nervous system, leading to feelings of peace. Meanwhile, Ashwaghanda Root can make you feel stronger so that you are better able to handle the effects of anxiety.

We all have feelings of anxiety from time to time. But how can you tell if your anxiety is out of control? If you experience racing thoughts, rapid heartbeat, extreme difficulty resting or concentrating, you probably need to get help. If you do not like dealing with the side-effects of prescription drugs, an herbal remedy may be in order. You should know in advance, however, that some herbal remedies carry their own risks and lead to significant side-effects. The more you know about herbal remedies, the better consumer you’ll be. Don’t allow yourself to be a human guinea pig. Take herbal medication only after you have thoroughly studied its effects upon the human body.

When people say that “no man is an island,” they don’t only mean that no man or woman should live alone. That much-used phrase also refers to the fact that men and women are perpetually learning creatures: they need the help of someone to guide them through life, and to help them make wise decisions. Moreover, as these same men and women grow older, they also have the chance to be a guide for someone who is younger and less experienced than they. This need for people to feel connected, loved, and taught by someone better than they are has given rise to different concepts such as mentoring.

Mentoring, or the process of mentorship, is really a growing, strengthening bond that occurs between a mentor, who is more experienced, not necessarily older, but who is certainly wiser; and his or her protégé, a mentee or someone who is less experienced and wise, and who therefore needs to be guided by the mentor. The concept of mentorship has long been known and tracked in history. In fact, it was Homer’s Odyssey that first gave rise to the term “mentor” through its character called Mentor, who, despite the fact that he is presented as a somewhat debilitated old man, is actually used by Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, to guide Odysseus’ son Telemachus through a difficult time in the young man’s life.

The concept of mentorship also takes various forms in different cultures and periods of history. The Ancient Greeks had the concept of pederasty, in which teachers could hone young men to greatness. The Hindu and Buddhist religions have the concept of the guru, where a wise, religious man serves as the spiritual guide of someone who is misguided or who needs to know the Truth. In Judaism and Christianity, the concept of discipleship forms both history and current practice, as clergy or deeply spiritual people guide their respective flocks or followers. Lastly, in the medieval guilds, an economic system was built in order for apprentices to learn from guild masters and thus ensure the longevity of their respective crafts.

There are many famous mentor-protégé relationships in history. Take, for instance, the triplet of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, three great minds in philosophy who actually preceded each other. That is, Socrates was the mentor of Plato, and Plato was the mentor of Aristotle. Aristotle was even the mentor of Alexander the Great. The Christian faiths owe a good deal of their spread to the letters and preaching of St. Paul. In the music industry, the rapper Dr. Dre is mentor to younger rappers Eminem and Snoop Dogg. In the movie industry, the famous and late British actor Sir Laurence Olivier served as mentor for multi-awarded actor Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Even fiction has its own share of mentors and protégés. There are the Jedi knights of the famous Star Wars epics, where Qui-Gon Jinn mentors Obi-Wan Kenobi; when Qui-Gon Jinn dies, Obi-Wan Kenobi takes on Anakin Skywalker; Luke Skywalker, Anakin’s son, is mentored by Yoda. The master-padawan relationship in the Star Wars series is actually akin to that of a mentor and protégé, not so much fighting or sparring partners.

In the employment arena, there are also mentoring programs to help employees do better. For instance, in new-hire mentorship, new employees are taken on by experienced persons in the company in order for them to work better and be accustomed to the company culture and climate. In high-potential mentorship on the other hand, existing employees that show promise are taken on by experienced persons who may be interested in seeing them progress higher through the company hierarchy.

These are only a few facts that are associated with mentoring. There are many mentoring and mentorship programs available, and you can find out more about them through the Internet.