Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. With increasing pressure from societal norms and current culture it’s estimated that anxiety, depression, stress and other mental health problems are on the rise. With the fashionable culture of organic alternatives from food to yoga it can be seen that the population are looking at alternatives to add to traditional medication to handle these trends. One such problem is the increase of unhappiness in schools where the younger generation are having mental health issues leading to self-harm, depression and even suicide.
Shabbir Mellick is a pharmacist, author and mindfulness coach and has a keen interest in mental health. As a pharmacist he advices the public about medicine and other health issues such as depression, addiction etc. He has undertaken to put some of his methods learnt in enjoyable books and journals to help tackle mental health.
Over the past year he has been working with charities such as Penny Appeal (pennyappeal.org) and Mind (mind.org.uk) to raise awareness and help tackle mental health issues. Along with this he has been delivering talks in schools and the public sector as a volunteer, teaching children how gratitude and mindfulness can empower and support them to flourish. The mindfulness talks in schools range from positive psychology, gratitude, food and mood, mindfulness, self-harm, body image and ways to deal with anxiety, stress and depression.
Research suggests that centralising experiences through writing in a gratitude journal is spiritually therapeutic, reduces stress, increases happiness, and improves self-esteem. Recording and transcribing our thoughts grants us an intimate insight into ourselves and allows us to translate appreciation from our thoughts to reality.
To cultivate this technique Shabbir has designed self-help books and one of the books titled the Gratitude Journal is an activity book created specifically to help you live more gratefully in your daily life. In this book you will find a mixture of inspirational quotes and writing prompts that can be used to enhance and grow your thankfulness every day. Shabbir and his gratitude journal have been awarded pharmacy awards for the positive work that he is doing in the community, schools and the charity sector. The awards range from Boots best of the best area community award to being shortlisted at the Chemist and Druggist pharmacy awards.
Shabbir and his gratitude journal have been awarded pharmacy awards for the positive work that he is doing in the community, schools and the charity sector. The awards range from Boots best of the best area community award to being shortlisted at the Chemist and Druggist pharmacy awards.
The Gratitude journal is being used in pharmacies, book stores, schools and counselling sessions as a progression tool to tackle the mental health crisis we face. Shabbir has set up Fitrah Designs who are trying to aid and provide solutions for mental health by creative innovative approaches to tackle mental health and support wellbeing. Fitrah is usually translated as “original disposition” or “innate nature” and the purpose of the books are to rewire the brain to this positive (default) nature.
Pharmacist: Shabbir Mellick
Website: www.fitrahdesigns.com
The adventurous spirit behind the pages of British Muslim magazine. As the Editor-in-Chief, Natasha leads with a passion for exploration and a pen dipped in wanderlust. With a keen eye for halal travel experiences and an insatiable curiosity for new experiences, she brings readers along on captivating journeys to far-flung destinations. Through her vibrant storytelling, Natasha invites readers on enriching adventures, where every experience is a window into the muslim world.
