TED Talks aim to inspire, inform, and create connections to help solve a variety of problems. However, did you know that TED lectures can be a fantastic way to learn more about your mental health? Talking about their own experiences, the presenters in these talks and presentations want to connect with their audience on a deeper level and show you that you are not alone in whatever it is that you are going through.
A TED talk is a videotaped speech that was first delivered at either one of the numerous global TED satellite events or the main TED annual event. TED is a nonprofit organization that promotes ideas through brief yet impactful speeches that are commonly referred to as “TED talks.” Technology, Entertainment, and Design, or TED for short, are three broad topics that together are reshaping our world. A TED conference, on the other hand, covers much more ground, presenting significant ideas and research from many fields and examining their connections. The top 10 TED Talks that address mental health are shown below:
1. The Power of Vulnerability By Brene Brown
The TED Talk by Brown has resonated with young people who want to make deeper relationships in their lives. In a world that frequently favours conformity over originality, Brown exhorts people to live more truthfully and to accept vulnerability as a source of strength rather than weakness. We tend to identify feelings of vulnerability with ones we wish to suppress, such as shame, fear, and uncertainty. However, we all too frequently forget that vulnerability is also the source of happiness, a sense of community, creativity, authenticity, and love.
2. Don’t Suffer From Your Depression in Silence by Nikki Webber:
Producer and activist Nikki Webber Allen thinks having feelings isn’t a sign of weakness; rather, it’s what makes us human. Webber Allen concealed her anxiety and depression until a family tragedy made it clear that those close to her were also experiencing hardships. She was too embarrassed to disclose her diagnosis to others.
She candidly discusses her battle with mental illness in her crucial speech, emphasizing the need for communities of colour to eradicate the stigma that views depression as a weakness and prevents those who experience it from seeking treatment. She candidly discusses her battle with mental illness in her crucial speech, emphasizing the need for communities of colour to eradicate the stigma that views depression as a weakness and prevents those who experience it from seeking treatment.
3. There is no shame in taking care of your Mental Health by Sangu Delle
TED Fellow Sangu Delle had to face his profound prejudice – that men shouldn’t take care of their mental health—when stress became too much for him. In a candid speech, Delle describes how he overcame fear in a culture that finds emotional expression awkward.
4. What is Depression? By Helen. M. Farell:
Around ten per cent of persons in the US suffer from depression, which is the primary cause of disability worldwide. But unlike, for example, high cholesterol, it might be far more difficult to grasp because it’s a mental disorder. Helen A. There may not always be a trigger present. It appears out of nowhere. Then things shift, and those depressing emotions vanish. Severe depression is not the same. Being a medical condition, it won’t go away only because you wish it would. It persists for a minimum of two weeks in a row and seriously impairs one’s capacity for work, play, or romantic relationships.
Read: Habits to Help in Avoiding Depression
5. How to Stay Calm When You Know You Will Be Stressed by Daniel Levitin:
According to neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, there’s a technique called pre-mortem that can help you avoid making crucial errors during stressful moments when your judgment is impaired. “We all are going to fail now and then,” he continues. “The idea is to think ahead to what those failures might be.” Stress makes you not perform at your best. Your brain has developed over millennia to release cortisol in stressful conditions, which may help you survive, say, a lion attack, but also block reasonable, logical thought.
Read: Stress Management Strategies for Young Professionals
6. The Bridge between Suicide and Life by Kevin Briggs:
Sergeant Kevin Briggs and his colleagues, who serve as members of the California Highway Patrol and are tasked with monitoring the Golden Gate Bridge, serve as the final line of defence between potential suicide victims and their imminent demise. Right now, the world’s most popular place for suicides is the Golden Gate Bridge.
Read: Suicide Awareness: Unveiling the Truth
Between May 18, 1937, the first day of operations, and April 1, 1978, 625 suicide fatalities were formally recorded; it’s possible that over 200 more suicide deaths went unnoticed and unrecorded. American speaker on suicide prevention, John Kevin Hines was born on August 30, 1981. When he was just 19 years old in 2000, he tried suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Since his story received widespread public attention, he has turned into a motivational speaker and suicide prevention campaigner.
7. The Voices in My Head by Elanor Longden:
In this poignant account of her years-long road back to mental health, Longden argues that her survival was made possible by her ability to learn to listen to her voices. This speech was delivered during a TED conference. One sign of a mental health condition could be hearing voices. A physician might label you as having “bipolar disorder” or “psychosis.” However, hearing voices is independent of a mental health condition. Many people report hearing voices or having other kinds of hallucinations, according to research. Mental health issues: Many mental health issues, such as psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar illness, schizoaffective disorder, or extreme depression, can manifest as hearing voices.
8. A Tale of Mental Health Illness by Elyn Saks:
Saks, a legal scholar, disclosed her own experience of having schizophrenia in 2007; it was constant and managed with medication and counselling. She challenges us to view those who suffer from mental illness honestly, openly, and compassionately in this stirring speech. Saks stressed during her speech the importance of having greater empathy and knowledge when it comes to comprehending and caring for people who suffer from mental illness. She describes the various ways in which schizophrenia impacts a person’s relationships.
9. A Simple Way to Break Bad Habits by Justin Brewer:
Can we overcome negative behaviours by increasing our curiosity about them? Psychiatrist Judson Brewer investigates the connection between addiction and mindfulness, including overeating, smoking, and other behaviours we engage in while knowing they are unhealthy.
10. How to Start a Conversation on Suicide by Jeremy Forbes:
Various ways breaking poor habits can make your life better. Breaking poor behaviours, for instance, can help you become less stressed, lose weight, and boost your confidence. Getting rid of negative behaviours might also help you strengthen your bonds with friends and family. Is there someone in your life who is too ashamed to talk about their anxiety, despair, or suicidal thoughts? Jeremy Forbes is on a quest to teach people how to start a conversation about this after noticing it happening all around him.
Don’t presume that the audience has any prior knowledge; instead, start from where they are. After piquing their interest, present each of your ideas one at a time. Employ metaphors to clarify your points; and, lastly, provide concrete instances and brief anecdotes to solidify your points. Seeing the presenters discuss their personal experiences related to mental health struggles is always beneficial. When it comes to disguising your true feelings and acting as though everything is well when it’s not, it puts an end to the stigma. Never forget that information is power!
Read Books on Mental Health
- “Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions” by Johann Hari
- “The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment” by Eckhart Tolle
- “The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love – Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits” by Judson Brewer
