Celebrating is important to our mental health

doi:10.15406/mojbm.2023.08.00195

MOJ

eISSN: 2574-9722

Biology and Medicine

Opinion Volume 8 Issue 3

Celebrating is important to our mental health

Ines Estrada Vigil

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Department of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Argentina

Correspondence: Ines Estrada Vigil, Department of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Argentina

Received: August 10, 2023 | Published: August 25, 2023

Citation: Vigil IE. Celebrating is important to our mental health. MOJ Biol Med. 2023;8(3):117. DOI: 10.15406/mojbm.2023.08.00195

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Introduction

Humans are social beings and have always gathered to celebrate. To celebrate is as old as human culture. In fact, recent studies have proved that celebrating brings far more benefits to our mental health than what we are aware. Celebrations help the coping process. All cultures have their own ways of celebrating and with globalization, celebration styles and traditions have been exported from one country to another. As we all know, covid nineteen changed the way we celebrated. The gathering was forbidden during lockouts. Today, even when we can see the post-traumatic stress caused by isolation, the human need to gather feels more pressure than ever. We need and want to go back to celebrating in person. Neuroscientists, the gurus of today, have proved that celebrations have a positive impact on our brains. Celebrations release oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins, which lower the stress hormone cortisol and give us a sense of feeling good. Celebrations increase people’s sense of well-being regardless of education, age, or socioeconomic status.

Celebrating reduces the chances of Depression

As said above, celebration releases the feeling-good hormones called endorphins. Endorphin is a natural antidepressant. When you choose to celebrate you show gratitude to yourself. Celebrating events in your life, gathering with people who care about you, letting those people share that moment with you, and allowing them to illuminate your life with their presence has that magic effect to put you in a happy mood, pushing away for a while those blue feelings, that sometimes just jump up into your lives. Yes, being grateful is a choice, an attitude that is immune to the circumstances of our lives, and celebrating is all about expressing gratitude. Consciously cultivating an attitude of gratitude builds up a sort of psychological immune system that can cushion us when we fall.

Celebrations can improve your relationships

Celebrating and expressing gratitude increases your connections in your relationships. That “feeling good” effect that comes from celebrating is contagious. It makes those who care about you also feel good for a while. It shows the people you gather with that you care about them. It also shows you value them, and that you are grateful to have them in your life which is why you want to share that special moment with them.

Let us just celebrate

Celebrations do not make problems disappear; it just makes you focus on whatever good things might be happening in your life. Personally, I focus (and try hard to do it properly) on the wonderful experiences and memories I have made up to now and the ones that are still to come. I put my focus on the present tense in here and now and put all my effort on trying to make the best out of it. Here I am, August 2023, facing my own birthday and wondering how to deal with it. On one hand, there is the stress of getting older and the sadness of missing the people that are not here any longer but, on the other hand, I am aware of the benefits it brings to my mental health. If celebrating implies gratitude remember, gratitude can help you through tough times then it is worth the effort. There I go!