Quit smoking for better mental health

Holy Week is the best time for us to pause and remember the sacrifices and love of Jesus Christ.

For HealthJustice Philippines, a non-profit organization, it is also the best time for people to step back and mind their health.

“Let Lent be a time for contemplation to forget or quit our vices especially smoking,” said former Health Secretary Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, trustee of HealthJustice Philippines.

Dr. Galvez Tan said that by kicking the bad habit, it will lead to good mental health of a person especially in this stressful environment that we have now.

After quitting, he added that it is important to “try to have a positive outlook, exercise, have a strong relationship with your family and the people around you, get enough sleep, take time to relax and slow things down if you feel pressured.”

The best thing to do for your mental health is really to quit smoking,” Dr. Galvez Tan said stressing that smoking has behavioral risk factors that lead to major non-communicable diseases which are cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes mellitus.

State of well-being

According to him, the World Health Organization (WHO) conceptualizes mental health as a “state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his community.”

Likewise, the WHO in Europe also stated that “smoking makes people more vulnerable to mental illness and mental illness makes people more likely to smoke.”

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Published by: Businessmirror CLAUDETH MOCON-CIRIACO