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Physical fitness, good food and sleep are basics of a healthy mind

Miroslav Světlák, head of the Institute of Medical Psychology and Ethics at the Faculty of Medicine, has been working with his teammates for seven years to improve the mental well being of students at Masaryk University.

Miroslav Světlák.

Miroslav Světlák sees helping healthy people as a natural part of a psychologist’s role in society. “We don’t want to wait until people get sick; we want to reach them much earlier so that it never happens.” Back in 2017, he and his colleagues launched a pilot project for a self-development programme based on mindfulness therapy to help medical students reduce their stress levels. Since then, the options available to students across Masaryk University for taking care of their mental health have grown significantly.

You don’t just work within the university. You and your colleague Adam Suchy have an Instagram channel called Chill is Skill about the basics of mental health. Why is it so important to look after mental health and are young people today really “snowflakes”?

I don’t think there is such a thing; it’s just a media term that has taken hold in society but has no basis in reality. Today’s young people simply perceive the world differently than we used to. The mental health problems of younger generations are on the rise, but the primary reason for this is that society is changing dramatically and rapidly, the pressure on people’s adaptability is increasing significantly and the level of stress is rising. And if a person doesn’t have a good foundation for mental health, it has a greater impact on them and can lead to anxiety disorders, depressive states and other problems.

What has changed so fundamentally and what are the pillars of mental well being?

My perception is that with the increasing freedom in liberal Western society, we are inadvertently touching its flip side, which I consider to be – among other things – relativity associated with uncertainty, anxiety, fear, what sociologists in the 1970s called “the fear of the future”. Freedom, relativisation, individualisation and pressure to perform without wisdom and a connection to the principles of what determines mental health can lead to a haze that ends in hangovers and anxiety as well as the search for quick fixes to make us feel better.

Not only does today’s world have a virtual component that operates under completely different rules, but the real world is also experiencing increasing levels of stress. There is constant pressure to make decisions, an overload of information and growing uncertainty. For young people, there is also uncertainty about what their competencies or roles in life are, because they cannot simply follow their parents. They face uncertainty about what is right due to the often contradictory information flowing to them. They do not know what they are free to do, what they are not free to do, or what they are responsible for – such as global climate change, which they themselves cannot prevent.

I must also point out that the behaviour of the population is changing, which has a major impact on mental health. I mean, there is less physical activity, and people generally spend more time indoors and sitting. Eating habits have changed, leading to an increase in the consumption of processed food. Sleep patterns have also changed significantly, with people sleeping much less and experiencing poorer quality sleep. The declining resilience of the population in terms of physical fitness is contributing to an increase in psychological difficulties, which has a significant societal impact.

Is there a way out of this situation?
Of course, the work of psychotherapists is and will continue to be necessary in helping specific individuals whose suffering is so great that they cannot help themselves. However, if we manage to influence the global determinants of health, we can, in fact, save perhaps a third of people from psychological suffering. Conceptually, we need to target interventions that impact the whole population. This will require a change in the concept of prevention and synergistic measures in several areas, including taxes, standards, educational programmes and, above all, the mindset of all of us. We need to be more open and prepared to adapt quickly to new things, while at the same time not forgetting the perhaps vague but still valid adage: “Healthy body, healthy mind”.

But are the older generations, who have the decision making power and should implement some of the changes, capable of doing so?

I think that today’s times clearly illustrate how our ingrained ways of thinking about the world are clashing with reality. The world has changed so dramatically in the last ten years that we don’t really know what to do about it. To give a concrete example: just two years ago, very few people were familiar with the concept of ChatGPT. Today, there are few people who do not use this or other AI tools at work or for fun. Yet even the basic legal provisions for this area are not well established.

Yes, the dynamically changing world and the traditionally rigid thinking of people in leadership positions are indeed clashing. These individuals, but not only them, should be able to balance two things wisely: they should genuinely listen and take in what younger generations and children are telling them, while also reminding and showing them that even in the old world, there are principles without which they cannot function. It’s okay to say, “Look, I don’t really understand what you’re experiencing and going through. I’m not able to comprehend all the new stuff anymore, but I just want to tell you that if you don’t move, if you don’t sleep well, if you don’t take care of your relationships in the real world, you’re never going to be well psychologically.”

Physical activity has decreased, eating habits have changed, and sleep patterns have significantly shifted. And the declining resilience of the population in terms of physical fitness is leading to an increase in psychological difficulties.

Studying at university is stressful in itself. How do you currently help MU students cope with it?

We created a course, Fundamentals of Mental Health and Effective Study, for medical students. In this course, we explain not only how to study effectively but also the basics of mental health. This is followed by a university wide course on Positive Psychology and Health Psychology, where we teach interested students the fundamental pillars of mental health from a positive psychology perspective. We also offer eight week courses based on the principles of mindfulness and stress reduction. Because we know that not everyone wants to attend in person classes, we developed the MUNI Healthy Minds e learning program, which has already been completed by 2,500 students and has even attracted interest from the Military Health Insurance Company and they now offer it to their clients free of charge. We have over 2,000 participants from this source. And, of course, we also offer courses to university employees.

Do e-learning courses have a concrete impact?

We conducted a study to verify the effects of the course and are currently processing the results. The data already published shows that they clearly help to reduce the level of anxiety and depressive experiences associated with stress. We are also delighted by the unique result that the graduates of the course have significantly reduced the importance they attach to various things that are the basis of happiness and well being in life, such as money, status, faith, and having a good partner. They simply gained more perspective and found that from a certain level of material well being, life satisfaction is no longer tied to things and consumer experiences.

You are also working on another project called MUNI Self Care Hub. Can you introduce it?
Basically, it will be an interactive portal for learners, featuring primarily educational materials on mental health support and first aid for mental health problems. However, the scope is wider: it will also include advice on proper nutrition and how to maintain good posture while studying. The website already exists and should be available sometime next year. However, we have been repeatedly told in relation to this project is that good eHealth projects cannot be effectively developed while conducting academic work and require much more financial and time support.