World Earth Day

Theme: Invest in Our Planet

In this period where developing and improving technology has become the norm of the day, and scientists are doing the impossible by trying to reach other planets, we tend to lose focus on this planet of ours that harbours life – our planet Earth.

On World Earth Day, we are all reminded to take responsibility for our actions and the effect it has on the environment and the Earth in general. One of our main responsibilities on this earth is to take care of it as we would take care of our own property. The state of our surroundings has a major effect on our health. Not just the physical but our mental health and our social well-being. The state of the physical environment has a direct impact on our psychological health. Therefore, a healthy environment ensures a healthy mind. You will agree with us that, the COVID 19 pandemic and the war between Ukraine and Russia, which are current major environmental crises, show how impactful the happenings in our surroundings, affect our general well-being. Especially, our psychological well-being.

On the onset of COVID, the world came to a halt. The whole world was in a mode of panic. Health facilities were overwhelmed, lives were lost, jobs were lost, stress and anxiety levels were heightened. We needed to adjust to a new normal way of living. COVID triggered mental health conditions and worsened already existing ones. The fear of getting infected and the stigma that came along with being a recovered patient, took a toll on people’s mental health and their social relations. With the war between Russia and Ukraine, people are experiencing high stress and anxiety levels. Wars are traumatizing. They cause an imbalance in one’s mental health. These current events have got everyone on their screens, trying to get some information. In this period, our screen time is what is competing for attention. We cannot address mental health without stressing on the link it has with sexual health. Some studies have shown that there is less sexual activity going on now than in earlier generations. It is suspected that the decline is linked to rising rates of anxiety and depression which is due to the fact that our screen time is competing for attention. Anxiety and depression, for example, are the leading causes of erectile dysfunction and impotence in men, and sexual pain and loss of sexual desire in women.

We need to keep in mind that, environmental crises are mainly caused by our actions. Whatever we do to our surroundings, affects the earth as a planet, and our general well-being. Let’s be good stewards of our planet because there is no ‘us’ without this planet. Let’s Invest in Our Planet! Investing in our planet includes the following:

• Investing in conserving our natural resources.
• Investing in maintaining the boundary between wildlife and man to prevent zoonotic diseases like COVID-19.
• Investing in keeping our surroundings clean.
• Investing in peace.
• Investing in our general well-being.

These investments will help create conditions for healthy environments, which will maintain good overall well-being.

If you are experiencing any mental health-linked sexual dysfunctions, don’t hesitate to reach out to Dialogue Genitalia and our Psychological Team.