Category: Interesting Facts & Events

This article is nearly half of someone’s story about how perceived social isolation affects mental and physical health, or how his mental health was impacted. The word isolation conveys seclusion and loneliness. For most of us, isolation or lack of social interaction and cognitive function leads to negative mental health. Isolation is not really an issue of social psychology, but it causes some critical mental health problems like depression and abusive relationships. Why do you feel isolated? How does isolation do this? How does it destroy social relationships? And how does it affect the mental health of older adults? Yes, indeed, social isolation and loneliness may be a public health priority.

Mental Health And Isolation

Have you ever been in social isolation and loneliness? If you did, did it affect your well-being? Did you experience having depressive symptoms? How was your own isolation experience? Here’s mine.

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When covid 19 pandemic hit the world, most people seemed to be in panic mode, scared for their mental and physical health. buying everything in bulk. But that was not the case for me. Though aware of the mental health consequences, I shopped for a few days’ worth of supplies on purpose so that I had an excuse.

Of course, COVID-19 existed ( mental health professionals confirmed it). It is a more serious person’s risk than any other illness according to the Centers For Disease Control or CDC, which could lead to early death. People were isolated and required physical distancing, and many businesses closed because most people were not allowed to go out. It apparently impacts physical and mental health, as it results in low self-esteem, poor sleep quality, negative interpersonal relationships, and isolation and loneliness.

Well-Being during Isolation: My Routine Got Messed Up

Let me take you to when my well-being went awry during seclusion.

I planned to continue going to the supermarket three or four times a week while avoiding total seclusion. I wished I could maintain my social groups but I couldn’t – my friends were scared of the health risks. The park opened briefly, but the local government closed it again so more time away from people. It was reported that the health risks – including mental health risks – were getting higher.

Unfortunately, I realized that any plan that seemed perfect was too good to be true when the supermarket closed one day. It read: “Sorry for the inconvenience. An employee tested positive for COVID-19, so if you’ve shopped with us in the last few days, please inform the health authorities. You have a higher risk of being infected.”

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could not decide what was worse between getting a swab test and remaining in isolation. I knew then that there would be negative effects on my well-being. I, for one, have not experienced having no social ties and social support with friends and family.

Social Isolation On Mental Health

Social seclusion occurs when someone has been secluded from the people around him. The effects of social isolation apparently affect well-being tremendously. If social justice could speak, it would tell us to amplify mental health care efforts.

I never thought of the possibility of being healthy and asymptomatic, which I turned out to be (and I realized being positive could also affect my well-being). Now, it was my time to self isolate. My head was spinning. I hated isolation. It did not reduce feelings of loneliness. Eventually, the low self-esteem would sink in, along with other psychological aspects. I would then be reaping the effects of social isolation soon.

I promised not to go out for at least three weeks and stay in seclusion, although I wished I would not experience chronic loneliness or stress. Research suggests that acute stress and prolonged isolation are risk factors that lead to coronary heart disease and premature death. I would be a liar if I said that I never thought of sneaking out once to avoid seclusion. Self-isolation was one of the worst experiences of my life! It may sound exaggerated but it was, especially when it also put a toll on advancing social connections.

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Gosh, isolation was – and still is – crazy! After a week of isolation and staring at the same walls, I grew restless, and the psychological impact began to creep in. I tried to drink my mental woes away. My mental health was at risk! The community groups were very much affected by all this. No wonder it has caused psychiatric disorders and other medical conditions in others!

Drinking To Decrease Loneliness

Of course, drinking to decrease loneliness did not help my mental health at all. One morning, I woke up with a mental hangover and got ready to buy some meds for it, but then I remembered that I could not leave, so I had to stay in isolation and nurse myself with water. The depression was sinking in. Another mental health condition arose – anxiety, one of the worst psychological problems.

It was my younger sister who helped me – she just got her license to work as a mental health counselor and handled a few psychiatric disorders. It was depressing to be in isolation, and hearing her voice touched my soul. I miss my family and I feel lonely. Clearly, my feelings of loneliness and  social isolation led to my poor mental health and declined individual’s ability. When I was socially isolated and could not be physically present in my family, it was devastating.

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Counseling To Heal Me – What I Did

Every day since then, my sister, the mental health counselor, would talk to me on my cell phone for at least 30 minutes. She would tell me about her day as a mental health counselor and a mom of two playful kids. Despite being socially isolated, it somehow helped my mental health to hear her voice just to stay connected.

Mental Health And Isolation

On my part, I decided to be honest about my feelings about depression and isolation. If anyone could get me out of my depression due to isolation and language barriers, it would be my sister who is a mental health counselor. She would often tell me, “In these uncertain times, everyone is prone to mental health issues, especially people who live in isolation,” she explained.

Isolation Final Thoughts

On a meta analysis level, I realized my physical inactivity affected my mental health.

I had a tough time with my mental health initially during my isolation. Isolation might have driven my mental health insane if my mental health counselor sister did not reach out to me on time. If there’s anything I understood from the isolation experience, though, it’s that mental health counseling would beat drinking for mental health any day. Health outcomes were far better than when you engaged in drinking. And the fact is, drinking too much is a risk factor for premature mortality!

FAQs

1. How does isolation impact mental health?

2. What are 5 mental impacts isolation has on people?

3. What mental illnesses can isolation cause?

4. What isolation does to a person?

5. What happens when you don’t socialize?

6. What happens to the brain if you don’t socialize?

7. What happens if you isolate yourself for too long?

8. Is isolation a form of depression?

9. Does isolation cause psychosis?

10. Can being alone cause mental illness?

11. Is isolation a mental health issue?

12. How does mental health affect social isolation?

13. How to overcome isolation?

14. What to say to someone who is isolating themselves?
15. How does isolation affect the brain?

 

I grew up in a close-knit family where everyone meets in my grandparents’ backyard every Sunday for lunch and dinner. The men fire up the grill, while the women prepare the rest of the food. Of course, the weekly occasion is incomplete without crates of beer and other liquor getting passed around.

However, as I met some of my father’s friends, I realized that two were brothers, and they never shared a drink. I only found out about it when one of them decided to leave while drinking right before the other arrived, saying that he had an urgent thing to do. When Dad asked the latecomer the real reason, he said, “We have a code at home that we will never drink. Even our father and uncles don’t do that.”

In truth, that was a significant revelation for me. It made me wonder about the pros and cons of drinking with family members, considering not everyone wants to have a toast with their loved ones. Here are a few ideas I came up with.

Pros

You Can Open Up To Family More Freely

Alcohol is known as the world’s most effective truth serum. The more you drink, the more your mouth becomes loose. Before you realize what’s happening, you have already spilled your guts to the family, figuratively speaking.

I undoubtedly do not see the issue with this, though. Sometimes, there are sad things that you may only find the courage to say when alcohol is backing you up. It will push you to voice out your worries and issues, even if you may not know that you are already doing it. As a result, your head may feel heavy in the morning, but your heart may be inexplicably light.

Drinking Is An Incredible Bonding Experience

I can no longer count how many games my family has associated with alcohol. For instance, while playing Jenga, whoever makes the tower crash will need to down a vodka or whiskey or tequila shot. If you lose in a poker game, charades, and whatnot, you may choose between chugging a pitcher of beer or drinking straight from a keg. We do also play video games like Xbox and Play Station while drinking. I must admit that we really had fun playing our favorite Xbox games (https://www.familyhype.com/children/childrens-products/games/xbox/the-best-xbox-one-games-for-girls.html) and most of them have taught us the value of teamwork and sportsmanship. 

I get that the latter consequences sound frat-life-like, but that’s how my family rolls. It serves as an incredible bonding experience for everyone, considering adults of all ages enjoy drinking. I have seen almost every family member do it, from my 21-year-old cousin to my 80-year-old grandpa. Everyone’s a sport, so it has done nothing but bring us closer to each other.

You Can Ensure Your Safety

Another perk of drinking with family is that you can drink until you pass out, knowing that you have loved ones to look after you. That is especially true if you are merely drinking in the backyard. Even when you fall asleep on the grass or porch, no one will bother you or think of robbing you. There is no need to risk driving either because you are already home.

Still, I don’t intend to say that you won’t be safe among friends when you drink elsewhere. If you are with your best friends, I am sure that they will take care of you if you get drunk.   

Cons

You May Say Things That You Cannot Take Back

This is one of the reasons that my father’s friends gave him. He said, “Emotions can run high when you are drunk. You do not always know what comes out of your mouth, and I do not want to say something that I can no longer take back.”

That honestly makes sense; many families have broken up because someone says something that hurts the others. It is ideal if everyone is too drunk to remember it all, but the drunkest person in the group typically talks smack to the lesser drunk ones, so they remember every word. No matter how much they try to ask for forgiveness, it is not always enough.

Drunkenness May Lead To Ugly Fights With Relatives

Have you heard of family members punching or pulling a gun or knife on each other and starting a bloodbath? Yes, that is possible when people hit an ungodly level of drunkenness. They become extra sensitive, to the point that small jokes may be taken seriously and cause hate to build up between them.

Indeed, it is among the disadvantages of drinking with family members. Imagine if those ugly fights break between relatives. If anyone gets injured or, worse, dies, the victim’s side of the family may sue the other and show no mercy, even if they belong to the same clan. The once-happy family will then split into two as everyone takes sides.

Final Thoughts

Although there are more pros than cons in drinking with family members, we cannot be oblivious of the dangers of doing it. The key here is to know your alcohol tolerance level and make sure that you will never exceed it. This way, you and your family will always be happy while savoring your favorite alcoholic beverages.

 

 

There is nothing wrong with a glass of wine for dinner or having a great time with your friends and a few beers. This is tolerable, but the problem is that alcohol slowly affects our whole body, we may not see changes, but eventually, there will be – you can ask your doctor and psychologist about it.

Continue reading “How Too Much Alcohol Destroys Your Body And Mind – Ask A Doctor And Psychologist”

One does not have be a licensed therapist to realize that attending the Oktoberfest in Germany seems to be the highlight of the year of everyone in and out of that country. After all, the festival does not merely allow you to have fun, get drunk, and meet new people (not specifically in that order). For 16 to 18 days, you get to listen to fresh and famous artists perform their hit songs and make the place livelier. Not to mention, the organizers tend to invite singers and bands from all over the world; that’s why you can listen to a variety of music while trying different alcoholic beverages.

Although there are tents set up across the field where Oktoberfest gets help, there is no doubt that it is an outdoor event. The upside of it is that you can breathe in natural air, let the music reach your ears without breaking your eardrums, and watch the moon replace the sun when you stay there until nighttime. You can also see tens of thousands of individuals dressed in traditional Bavarian clothes frolicking around and having the time of their lives. Nonetheless, it is not a secret either that the rain can pour anytime, and the tents prepared may not be able to provide shelter for all the attendees. Thus, if you are a little slow, you might end up soaked to the bones, which may make you susceptible to diseases and even prevent you from seeing the festival through to the end.

Considering you do not want natural phenomena to ruin your enjoyment or, worse, traumatize you from going back next year to attend the Oktoberfest, here are some things you should do.

1. Take What You Must

The reality of going to this festival is that there are not a lot of rules in place regarding what the visitors can or cannot bring. Of course, it’s a no-brainer to avoid packing guns, knives, and other deadly weapons because such items are banned in any occasion. Even with a table booked in a tent, you do not need to bring chips or lunch since the foods you can buy there are so delicious that you might regret not getting a taste of any of them.

A few things you should not forget are a change of clothes (you may get sweaty there), umbrella (in case the sun’s too hot, or the rain comes), camera (to capture the best moments and exciting activities), and a lot of euros.

2. Try Not To Bring A Huge Luggage

Here is a likely scenario that you may find yourself in when you attend Oktoberfest: As soon as you arrive at the entrance of the festival’s location, you will already see thousands of people swarming the entire place. There is no need to use brute force to muscle your way in, but everyone will practically be in each other’s personal space due to the vastness of the crowd.
For this reason, you should never consider taking a large suitcase with you, which can: 1) make folks trip over, and 2) keep you from having fun without worrying about your belongings. This is when you should opt for the smallest backpack (with 3-liter capacity at max) in your closet instead of a fancy purse as well. After all, you won’t be there to model your bag; you merely need something to hold your stuff without getting in the way.

With this kind of rucksack, you can hang it on your shoulders, and not on your arms. So, when you suddenly pump your fist in the air or toast your large glass of beer with friends or random strangers, you need not worry afterward if your bag hits someone in the head or causes a drunk person to fall on their face.

3. Before You Choose Your Outfit, Check Out The Weather Forecast

As mentioned above, Oktoberfest is the kind of festival in which everyone is encouraged to dress up like the Bavarians in the olden times. After all, before the event became a hit for individuals who love to drink, it was a cultural thing for the locals first. That’s why the organizers still prepare a grand parade, horse race, and other activities in the span of 16 to 18 days.

Still, the weather will determine what type of clothes you should wear. If the forecast says it will be sunny all day long – and you will most likely be drinking till you drop, it is best to put on comfortable clothes. E.g., a loose shirt, dress, pants, sneakers, or sandals. If, however, you have gathered that it will rain on the day when you’re scheduled to join the festivities, take a raincoat and be in clothes that you will not feel sad seeing muddy or soaked. Then, waders and rubber boots can be the better choices for shoes so that your feet will stay dry.

Once you remember the three tips mentioned above, you will undoubtedly be able to enjoy going to Oktoberfest. Cheers!

 

 

From monks to Czechs to malt to shandies, the history of the German beer is as fascinating and surprising as its flavors.

Read on to discover some fun and interesting facts that perhaps you didn’t know about German beers.

 

Fact #1. The world’s oldest brewery is located in Germany – and is still operating up to this day.

Evidence proves that as early as the 8^th century AD, beer was brewing at Bavaria’s Weihenstephan monastery, although the brewery was only officially discovered in 1040. This was when it received its license to sell and brew beer from Freising. Another brewery was opened by the Weltenburg monastery, but only 10 years after Weihenstephan.

Up until today, the Weihenstephan brewery, now known as the Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan, has continued to brew delicious flavors of beer and has even won four beer awards.

 

 

Fact #2. The light beer Pilsner was made in the Czech Republic.

Pizen, or Pilsen, is a town in the western part of Bohemia but was earlier part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was German-speaking. When they decided to make a big brewery during the 1840s, they concocted a new kind of beer together with Bavarian brewer Josef Groll. The flavor was utterly delicious and so its popularity spread to the whole of Europe. This is exactly the reason why the Pilsner beer is sold in Germany and in fact holds the biggest market share.

 

Fact #3. Even if you drink beer daily for 15 years, you won’t taste the same kind of beer.

There are over 40 kinds of malt, a hundred sorts of hops, and 200 types of yeast strains. These 3 things are the only ingredients allowed by the purity law to be used to make beer, with the addition of water. So you can imagine how many variants of beer you can make out of these. Now, do you believe that you won’t drink the same beer if you keep drinking every day for 15 years in Germany? Amazing! And don’t worry, as per the German Brewers Federation, one can drink every single day for 15 straight years.

 

 

Fact #4. Liquid bread is what the German monks called it before.

Apparently, the monasteries were the first breweries in Germany. The monks would stew the hops and barley and boil them. They did not have any idea about the significance of yeast in fermentation.

According to history, the monks brewed near the bakeries; thus, the fermentation process took place even without them actually adding the yeast, as they were already surrounded with it because of these bakeries. They actually thought the fermentation method was a miracle.

When Lent came and the monks fasted for 40 days, they were forbidden to eat bread but they were allowed to drink beer, so they called it ‘Flussiges Brot,’ meaning ‘liquid bread.’

 

Fact #5. No great bonds between Germany and Namibia, but the beer relationship remains alive.

In the 2014 top beer consumers’ list, Germany came in 4^th and Namibia followed 5^th, which is odd that a country like Namibia could win over the United States and Europe, which are placed 17^th and 27^th respectively. Interestingly, from 1884 up until 1919, the Germans colonized Namibia, which is why the German culture remains alive there. And like Germany, Namibia also celebrates Oktoberfest in its capital city Windhoek.

 

To Sum It Up

There are a few more things you wouldn’t have thought about the beers of Germany, but we hope these five facts have perked your interest and you had fun reading the article. I, for one, can’t wait to grab an ice-cold beer right this minute!

 

 

Who doesn’t like beer? Beer is considerably one of the oldest beverages in the world. People gather and have fun with a glass of cold beer now and then. But do you know that the best people who genuinely knew their brewed beverage are the Germans? Yes, and they are well known for celebrating the largest beer festival in the world named Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest Historical Background

Oktoberfest is a beer festival that people around the globe tend to partake. It happens once a year in Germany and is part of their culture. The celebration of the famous beer event started way back on October 12, 1810. It was a celebration of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese’s marriage. All of the townspeople during that time were invited to attend the ceremony. The city gates (now known as Theresienwiese) were the venue of the event. The location’s name was from the Princess herself. Today there are still remnants of the same gates from 1810, and the locals call it Wies’n.

The festival was such a massive hit that the people asked the prince to continue celebrating the same event every year. Hence, the creation of Oktoberfest began. Until today, it has become a significant event that evolves into a world celebration that not only Germans enjoy, but other people across other countries as well. The yearly crowded occasion becomes massive that attendees this specific year reached a record of 7 million people. Unfortunately, for first timers or those people that have yet to attend the grand celebration, activities in the event might be confusing and chaotic since it involves heavy intake of alcohol.

What To Do During Oktoberfest

Beer Tent Reservation – Due to a large number of participants each year, it is wise to act early and reserve for a beer tent immediately. It’s safe to remember that there are millions of people attending the event, so the early the reservation, the better. However, the process of every tent reservation does not start at the same time, so it is essential to know and search detailed information so attendees won’t end up getting cut off from the reservation. Every tent has its system of beer reservation so don’t be confused. For additional information, the big tents usually hold seven to ten thousand people, and it is the most difficult place to get into. Weekdays are much less crowded, so it is more advisable for first timers to reserve during these days since the celebration lasts for three weeks anyway.

Selecting For The Best Tent – Don’t bother choosing for the best tent and focus on getting into one. All of the tents in the event present unique aspects of brewing beer. Therefore, all people will still have the chance to enjoy the party along with their beer.

Beer Cost– Since Oktoberfest is the largest beer festival in the world, people will have to spend a fortune. The reservations, cost of travel, and drinks aren’t cheap during this time of the holiday. A regular price of a liter of beer in the event ranges from $10 to $13. Even water costs around $6 and those prices aren’t cheap. However, individuals can find activities during the event that are worth spending for.

The Alcohol Content Of The Beer– It is necessary to know the strength of the beer before chugging a whole pitcher. The alcohol content of a glass of beer during Oktoberfest is around 6 percent. Therefore, always consider limitations.

Oktoberfest is not only for beer enthusiasts, but it is also for tourists who want to have some fun. During the event, there are also colorful parades and shows that families can enjoy.