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City life damages mental health in ways we’re just starting to understand
Bad Air Around Us
Lack of breathable air is also an enabler of depression, anxiety and certain psychotic experiences.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
Rising Noise Around Us
- Cities have a noise pollution problem, which is largely unaddressed.
- Noise complaints regarding the high decibel levels of traffic, airplanes, and even helicopters are getting more fre...
Effect Of Noise on Children
- According to the United Nations, about two-thirds of the world's population will be living in cities by the next 30 years.
- The World Health Organization recommends classrooms to be not louder than 35 decibels, which is never the case in big cities.
- Children are facing disruption in their learning, and research points out that those who study in a noisy place are 11 months behind the ones who are studying in quieter places in the same vicinity.
Living In Noise
Most of the city planning is done so that the affluent neighborhoods are in quieter areas.
However, this is also nullified when the ultra-rich who travel frequently stay close to the transit hubs (like Airports), being exposed to high decibels of noise.
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Key Ideas
Improve your diet and start moving
- Wholefoods such as leafy green vegetables, legumes, whole grains, lean red meat, and seafood, provide nutrients that are important for optimal brain function.
- Many types of fitne...
Reduce your vices
People with alcohol and drug problems have a greater likelihood than average of having a mental illness and have far poorer health outcomes.
Stopping smoking is an important step, as nicotine-addicted people are constantly at the mercy of a withdrawal-craving cycle, which profoundly affects mood.
Prioritize rest and sleep
Sleep hygiene techniques aim to improve sleep quality and help treat insomnia.
They include: adjusting caffeine use, limiting exposure to the bed (regulating your sleep time and having a limited time to sleep), limiting exposure to the blue light from smartphones, and making sure you get up at a similar time in the morning.
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Key Ideas
The changing nature of childhood
The most valued childhood experiences of people who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s are things that the current generation of kids are far less likely to know.
What stands out is that
Less independence and autonomy
American children have less independence and autonomy today.
- Parents have become more concerned with safety.
- Parents run the risk of being charged with neglect for letting children walk unsupervised.
- Some parents usher their children from one structured activity to the next, leaving little time to play, experiment, and make mistakes.
Kids who have autonomy and independence are less likely to be anxious. They are more likely to grow into self-sufficient adults.
Time with family
A childhood privilege was spending regular time with parents and access to meaningful interactions with other family members, especially grandparents.
Close grandparent-child relationships have significant mental health benefits for both children and grandparents.