Life, like an exciting avalanche of events, can sometimes knock down even the strongest person with its flows. In the pursuit of ideals, it is easy to confuse goals with mirages, or even completely lose yourself. On this difficult path, everyone needs to take a break and have a serious talk with themselves. So says one of the most respected influencers in Lithuania, a specialist in the field of health and well-being Ieva Mackevičienė (@ieva.macke).

Text: Marianna Hodash
Photo: LINA JUCIŪNAITĖ, @ieva.macke

Anxiety, panic attacks, neuroses - mental problems have become more relevant today than ever before. Have people become more fragile? And what is the reason for this?
I think that today's world is full of technological achievements, but at the same time it stimulates us too much and it becomes difficult for us to concentrate, we become restless and we need to look for new techniques and solutions to adapt to the changing world. I think that it becomes really difficult for us to choose from the excessive flow of information what we really need and what our body is asking for.
In order to be able to live the social media &ldquo;standards&rdquo;, people often go beyond their limits, and as a result, anxiety, panic attacks and neurosis appears, because you CAN try to deceive yourself, but you can't deceive your body so easily, our body is able to switch on the conservation mode and to stop us by saying &ldquo;Wait we can't make it anymore, I want to rest, I want you to spare me&rdquo;, and this often happens in the middle of hard times and when we are testing our limits, and in those moments we need to learn and adapt by finding new solutions and techniques to calm our minds and put it on ease.

We live in an information-saturated time. How do you personally deal with excessive information noise? And what do you advise our readers?
I always tend to talk myself through and limit the flow of information according to my mood and feelings of that day. Of course, we can't close our eyes and imagine that if we don't read the news, that life doesn't happen around us and bad things don't happen every day, BUT I make a conscious decision - not to spend too much time on news portals, it's better to read quality books, to look deeper into myself and my family and as a citizen of the world care for the worlds news every day, but with a certain censorship, trying not to fall into too much information flow.
My advice would be keep wondering, read the news, but besides that try to be more present in your everyday life, because life goes by really quick (especially when you have kids.
Is it possible to limit yourself from stress, build a buffer from the inside?
The biggest self-harm happens when you grow a skin from the environment, stress and other things, but you don't take care of yourself from the inside. I think that at the beginning there should be a dialogue with yourself and sometimes, maybe not sometimes, but in very frequent cases it is the main barrier that prevents you from finding peace and shelter for yourself. Talk, analyse, get to know better yourself - it&rsquo;s the main character of your life, nowadays, we have so many options for self healing, high quality medical care, we just need to START, and the time is NOW.

What rituals do you practice daily to boost your mental state and why?
I like to take my time in the mornings. For a calm day, I need a slow, focused start of the day: to drink coffee calmly, divide day's work and just feel the sun rising.
A good psychological well-being requires discipline: in your day, at work, in the family. To guarantee my good mental state I need: breakfast, physical activity, at least 1-2 hours in the fresh air, reading at least 10 pages of a book every day, vitamins, communication with people who are good to be with, conversations with the closest people in life, but also finding time in the day for a conversation with yourself. Maybe it will sound strange, but very loud music in headphones helps me keep away anxiety and keeps me in presence. And reading! It has been scientifically proven that reading reduces stress by about 70%. Reading helps to focus and even lowers your anxiety levels.
Today many people are experiencing an inability to relax. What can they do in such cases?
Begin with the easiest steps forward, for example long walk, good book, soul warming food tasting, sometimes people are over analyzing and complicating the easiest ways to relax. Shutdown all computers, tablets and put your phones away after workday, start with baby steps and ask yourself, WHAT would you like to do today for yourself? and do it, again and again choose yourself and you will see the difference in long period.
Sometimes inability is a form of depression, mental problems that can be moderated with the help of professionals and it&rsquo;s okey to ask for help.

Why is meditation such a popular method, yet still it is not suitable for everyone?
I would say perhaps because everyone can individually discover their own meditation methods, it is not necessary to meditate in order to find a place to listen to yourself, sometimes it is enough to walk barefoot on the wet morning grass, sometimes it is enough to be present in your day and be grateful for everything.
Gratitude is one of my ways to reflect what I have and it helps me put everything back to order, when my mind isn&rsquo;t on ease. Sometimes we look for too much meaningful things and forget that sometimes simple things can help us relax.
The best book about mental health that you have read recently?
Bessel van der Kolk M.D. &laquo;The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma&raquo;, Dr. Joe Dispenza &laquo;You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter&raquo;.

The most terrible habits for mental health that you need to get rid of right now?
My most annoying habit would be overthinking, I guess, I always try to find meaning for everything that happens in my life, I try to be very reasonable , and yet always thinking how it could ended up differently, so I try my best to go with the flow and let life experience guide me.
How do you personally understand the phrase "Loneliness on the web" - people have become more lonely? Is it worth fighting loneliness?
The loneliness is something that we need to accept and be comfortable with it, it gives us opportunity to hear yourself loudly and clear, so I think real problem is that we don't need to fight against it, we need to try to adapt some of this &ldquo;lonely&rdquo; time to ourselves to reflect, to heal, to put effort of becoming a better version for ourselves, and from my experience it takes a lot of effort and courage to face it, but it is really rewarding.
Your favorite inspirational quote about mental health. Why this one?
&laquo;This too shall pass&raquo;, it&rsquo;s the meaning of the beauty in the moment, even when its good or bad, everything passes by, but the focus you give to that moment is the key that drifts you into it, or near by it, I choose to live knowing that I owned every single day of my life, even when it&rsquo;s not the best days, but it gives my lessons and I&rsquo;m grateful for that too.

Ieva Mackevičienė: «Talk to yourself!»

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