Yet, from what Nicholas and Kim Darceuil have observed in Bermuda, the stigma surrounding it often does.

Numerous people choose not to get the help they need simply because they’re so afraid that their condition might become common knowledge, according to Mr and Mrs Darceuil, who run the Dignity House treatment centre in Pembroke.

“Many people find it challenging to discuss their experiences with health, particularly when it comes to mental health issues,” Mr Darceuil said.

“The stigma surrounding mental health crises remains a significant barrier, especially in close-knit communities like Bermuda.

“In this environment, individuals often hesitate to share their struggles for fear of being identified, as describing a situation without divulging names can easily lead to recognition within the community.

“Many of our clients decline to share their progress due to the lingering stigma, which can result in the loss of friendships, limited job opportunities, decreased social integration and a decline in social status.”

But while one individual might feel they’re the only person suffering in silence, the figures emphatically show that they’re not.

More than 9,000 people – about 14 per cent of the Bermuda population – were estimated to suffer from mental disorders in a report from Public Health England and the Pan American Health Organisation in 2019.

Only 16 per cent of the people who needed treatment, however, were actually getting it. For many, it is the stigma that holds them back.

“Much of the stigma associated with mental health is tied to misconceptions about severe psychotic disorders, such as hallucinations and delusions,” Mrs Darceuil said.

“However, mental health encompasses a broader spectrum of issues, including marital problems, job stress, financial difficulties and relationship challenges.

“These factors can lead to inadequate coping skills and, if left unaddressed, can evolve into significant mental illnesses, such as anxiety, substance misuse, depression, psychosis, and personality disorders.”

The PHE report found more than 3,000 people in Bermuda suffered from anxiety disorders, more than 2,000 with depression and more than 1,000 with ADHD.

Mrs Darceuil explained how, when unaddressed due to fears about stigma, these mild forms of mental health can escalate.

“Take, for instance, an individual who lost his brother at a young age,” she said.

“Despite the trauma, he resorted to self-medication with substances to numb his feelings, ultimately facing anxiety and psychosis from THC.

“He struggled to maintain a full-time job and relied on welfare and his mother’s support, yet he refrained from seeking help due to the stigma, opting instead for the culturally accepted method of self-medication.”

Historically, many illnesses have carried stigma within society – yet in some cases this has been dismantled through an intentional effort for the community to talk more openly and make people feel comfortable to seek support.

Cancer, for example, was such a taboo subject 50 years ago many people would only refer to it as “The Big C”. Decades of awareness campaigns have not only helped improved the recovery rate, they’ve also allowed patients to confront their illness without the fear of being whispered about.

Today, thousands of people turn out for Bermuda’s regular cancer awareness events, at which survivors and family members are championed for their courage.

Mental health awareness campaigns are at a comparatively early stage and, while support has grown for events such as the Mental Health Awareness Expo and Steps to Mental Health Wellness Walk, the issue is still playing catch-up.

“The community often rallies around individuals diagnosed with visible illnesses such as cancer, encouraging them to seek help and support,” Mr Darceuil said.

“In contrast, mental health stigma perpetuates silence and isolation.”

Light at the end of the tunnel emerged, however, when mental health issues came more visibly to the fore during lockdown.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has shifted perceptions around mental health, illuminating our mortality and forcing many to confront the feelings they may have previously avoided,” Mrs Darceuil said.

“Isolation, loss, anxiety and various forms of abuse have underscored the importance of mental wellbeing.

“For some, this period provided the first opportunity to truly engage with their emotions rather than relying on distractions or numbing mechanisms.”

Mr Darecuil, an experienced mental health nurse, and Mrs Darceuil, a public health nurse who worked for the Department of Health, opened Dignity House in 2022 after observing an alarming number of repeat patients at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.

Dignity House aims to break the cycle by providing a residential rehabilitation service to prepare people with mental illness for life in society, with a team of psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, occupational therapists, medical support workers and a case manager.

Mr and Mrs Darceuil were not alone in recognising the shortcomings of the island’s mental health services.

After the PHE report, MWI acknowledged there was a “revolving door of clients being institutionalised” and launched a five-year plan to improve services in 2021.

This includes copying the US and UK models of a community-based approach to mental health, instead of institutionalising patients.

The Bermuda Government also announced this September that it was spending an extra $2.29 million on mental health support, aimed particularly at addressing stigma, including recruiting an expert from Britain to train guidance counsellors and educational therapists to support youths with mental health issues.

The Ministry of Health also pledged to run a comprehensive mental health awareness campaign aimed at “striking down stigma”.

Dignity House is helping to bridge the services gap.

“As a private, therapeutic facility, we prioritise mental health rehabilitation over traditional hospitalisation,” Mr Darceuil said.

Services include inpatient and outpatient counselling, with a focus on dialectical behaviour

therapy, psychiatric care, psychology and family support.

“This approach offers individuals access to localised care, minimising the need for travel abroad,” Mr Darceuil said.

“Additionally, our strong commitment to deinstitutionalisation fosters enhanced community support, ensuring that individuals receive the care they need in a compassionate and accessible environment.”

The couple have observed that wealthier people, and those with access to greater education, are more likely to be willing to discuss their emotional challenges.

“People who have obtained this greater level of education are more understanding, sympathetic and can advocate for themselves and others, adding to the reduction of stigma,” Mrs Darceuil explained.

To improve mental health in Bermuda’s community, Dignity House advocates for education about mental health conditions and offered the following advice for anyone who might be suffering in silence:

• Encourage open discussions about problems – don’t fear reaching out to mental health practitioners.
• Acknowledge that feelings are normal and should not be avoided.
• Prioritise adequate sleep.
• Practise mindfulness.
• Engage in regular exercise.
• Maintain a balanced diet.
• Learn to tolerate distress.
• Practise radical acceptance.

“Ultimately, we encourage individuals to embrace vulnerability and seek help from someone they trust,” Mr Darceuil said.

“Remember, experiencing feelings is a fundamental part of being human, and everyone needs support at some point in their lives. If you need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.”

Visit www.dignityhousebm.com for more information.

The post Breaking the mental health stigma appeared first on RG Magazines.

Due to Bermuda’s small size and limited number of dwellings, you might be tempted to think that any property on the island would sell easily but even when the market is “hot” nothing could be further from the truth. 

A home’s location, condition, pricing, seller’s attitude and even the behavior of existing tenants can all influence the amount of time that it takes to attract and secure a qualified buyer. 

I sat down with two of Bermuda’s most experienced realtors, Cesa Edwards of Bermuda Longtail Real Estate Ltd. and Judy Maybury of JBM Realty & Associates, to get their insights regarding some of the most common reasons that homes sit on the market and how to make these properties more appealing to potential purchasers. 

How has the Internet impacted Home Sales in Bermuda? 

Thanks to the internet, both ladies agree that today’s purchasers are savvier than ever before. 

Gone are the days when the only way to gather any accurate information on a property was to make an appointment to view it in person. Potential purchasers can now tour the inside of a home from the end of a laptop and sellers need to ensure that their virtual listing contains high quality images that accurately depict the features of a property as well as a detailed written description. 

Failing to create a compelling online listing can dissuade potential purchasers from ever going to see a property – costing the seller both time and money. 

How Does the Asking Price Influence the Likelihood that a Property Will Sell? 

An overpriced home, no matter how appealing, will struggle to attract buyers. 

These days even cash buyers will usually pay for an appraisal to determine a property’s fair market value and listing a home with an inflated asking price can cause a deal to fall through – either because the purchaser walked away, or because the bank refused to mortgage a property for more than it was actually worth. 

“Everywhere in the world real estate is all about price,” says Mrs. Maybury. “It is critical to price a house in alignment with the current market conditions and comparable sales.” 

Mrs. Edwards agrees. “It might be tempting to put a high listing price on a property to see what happens, but sellers need to ask themselves if they would ever agree to purchase that property at the price and terms they are asking for,” she said. 

“Not only does an unrealistic asking price increase the amount of time it takes to secure a sale, but a subsequent price reduction can actually make some buyers suspicious that there is something wrong with the property,” Mrs. Maybury said. 

OTHER COMMON REASONS THAT HOMES DO NOT SELL 

There are lots of reasons that a home can be challenging to sell including the density of the neighbourhood, proximity to a major road, exposure during hurricanes, privacy and safety concerns, distance from Hamilton and proximity of amenities such as grocery stores and transportation. 

While these location related challenges are not things that you can really change about a property that you are selling – there are many other fixable issues that can make a property less desirable if not addressed. 

Minor flaws and peeling paint can make a big difference in how a property is perceived and they need to be remedied before a home is put on the market. 

Even small issues such as mildew and clutter can be very off-putting to a buyer who is seeking a “move-in ready” property. 

“Home staging is not necessary in every situation,” says Mrs. Edwards, “but ensuring that a property is clean and free of too many personal possessions can make it easier for a purchaser to visualize themselves living there.” 

“Especially if a property is vacant, it is very important to cut the grass and maintain the landscaping – both to make a property feel welcoming and to make it easier for potential buyers and their agents to gain access to the property,” says Mrs. Maybury. 

How Important is the Marketing Strategy? 

Effective marketing can make all the difference in selling a challenging property. 

“In Bermuda we are experiencing a seller’s market in some price ranges, but we also have a buyer’s market in certain other price ranges and situations,” says Mrs. Maybury. 

Both women agreed that it is important to make sure that your marketing is directed toward the right audience because what one person might consider a challenge, might well be a desired feature for the right buyer. While city living, for example, might be off-putting to some people due to noise or congestion, it might be the ideal lifestyle for a young professional who wants to walk to work and enjoys eating out. 

How Important is it to Choose the Right Realtor? 

Particularly if you are selling a challenging property, you need to make sure that you are working with an experienced realtor who has a good business reputation with colleagues, banks, lawyers, and property surveyors alike. 

Tactfulness and professionalism are also essential. 

“Every real estate transaction is like a marriage – in order for things to work, neither party can feel compromised, neglected or disrespected,” says Mrs. Edwards. “Both parties need to leave the table feeling satisfied in order for the sale to go through and this is particularly true when you are selling a challenging property.” 

Selling a challenging property requires a strategic approach that considers all the factors influencing the sale. 

By thoroughly evaluating the property, setting a realistic price, creating a strategic marketing plan, and effectively networking with other real estate professionals, even the most “unsellable” homes can find the right buyer and transition from sitting on the market to sold. 

The post Selling the Unsellables appeared first on RG Magazines.

As energy prices increase, insulation is a critical component of maintaining an energy-efficient and comfortable indoor environment, especially during the cold and damp winter months. In this article, we will discuss several types of insulation, including thermal, mechanical, and comfort insulation, and discuss why investing in insulation is a wise decision.

Understanding the Different Types of Insulation

Insulation is not a one-size-fits-all solution; it comes in several types, each designed for specific purposes. These include: 1) thermal insulation for condensation control and heat conservation, 2) acoustic insulation, 3) fire insulation, and 4) impact insulation. While many forms of insulation exist, most insulation in buildings primarily serves thermal purposes, ensuring that indoor spaces remain warm in the winter and cool in the summer. However, it’s important to choose insulation materials that can perform multiple functions simultaneously.

Evaluate Your Current Insulation

Before deciding to upgrade your home or business’s insulation for the winter, it’s crucial to assess the current insulation situation. Determine how much insulation you already have and where it is located within your building. This assessment will help you identify areas that require improvement and guide your insulation upgrade decisions.

Mechanical Insulation Services

Mechanical insulation is a type of thermal insulation used on various mechanical systems, such as piping, equipment, boilers, HVAC systems, ducts, emergency generator exhaust systems, and kitchen hood exhaust ductwork. It plays a pivotal role in conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, making it a common choice for industrial and commercial facilities.

In industrial settings and certain commercial buildings, mechanical systems that transport or store liquids, gases, or products sensitive to temperature fluctuations require insulation. This insulation serves multiple purposes, including maintaining consistent process temperatures, preventing liquids from freezing, protecting employees from hot surfaces, and soundproofing. Ensuring these systems are adequately insulated is essential for both safety and efficiency.

Comfort Insulation for a Cosy Winter

One of the most significant sources of energy loss in homes is through the roof. Insulating the roof spaces and walls of your house is a vital step in creating a warmer, more comfortable indoor environment during the winter and a cooler one in the summer. This type of insulation is aptly named “comfort insulation” because its primary purpose is to enhance the comfort of your indoor space, regardless of the external climate conditions. Comfort insulation is a low-maintenance solution that can be installed in new construction or retrofitted into existing buildings.

In Bermuda, the use of comfort insulation is on the rise, especially in new construction projects. Retrofitting older buildings with comfort insulation is also a viable option. To determine the best insulation method and installation system for your home, consider scheduling an appointment with the insulation experts at BAC Group. Proper insulation not only improves indoor comfort but also leads to energy cost savings, making it a smart investment that pays dividends overall.

Conclusion

As winter approaches, don’t overlook the importance of insulation for maintaining a comfortable and energy-efficient indoor environment. Whether you need thermal insulation to conserve heat, mechanical insulation for industrial systems, or comfort insulation to keep your home cosy, making the right choice can lead to significant benefits. Insulation is not only a practical solution for winter comfort but also an investment in energy efficiency and sustainability. So, take the time to evaluate your insulation needs and ensure that your home or business is prepared to face the winter months with warmth and comfort.

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This article is an evergreen content and was originally published on November 2023. 

The post Prepare yourself for winter comfort with proper insulation from BAC Group appeared first on RG Magazines.

There are countless apps out there that claim to help you calm down, aid sleep, cure stress or make you happier, but how do you know which ones to try? We asked some of the experts who have contributed to the April issue of RG Best Health as well as our ‘app loving’ friends, what they would recommend. 

Mindfulness, Meditation and Better Sleep 

When you ask regular practitioners what their favourite apps are for mindfulness and meditation, the same three always come up: Insight Timer, Calm and Headspace. 

Insight Timer: Describing itself as the “#1 free app for sleep, anxiety and stress”, Insight Timer offers tens of thousands of guided meditations, online events, courses, guided sleep practices and calming music. There is also a section for parents containing stories and music that help children calm down or go to sleep. Their meditation timer can be customised to whichever sounds and time bells work for you and their seven day ‘Learn How To Meditate’ course helps beginners master the basics of meditation. Insight Timer is free to download and access. Insighttimer.com 

Calm: Have you ever wanted to have Matthew McConaughey, Regé-Jean Page or Kelly Rowland read you a bedtime story? Calm offers stories read by them, and others, to help you sleep. It also provides calming music, stretching, warm up and cool down exercises and a variety of mindfulness and meditation options to help with issues including stress, anxiety, grief and sleep difficulties. You can also find stories and meditations for children and young adults. Calm is free to download, but you need to pay to access the content. An annual subscription is USD69.99. Calm.com 

Headspace: Considered the better app if you are a complete beginner or want more structure to your meditation and mindfulness practice, Headspace is easy to navigate and has short meditations as well as longer ones. Their sleep content includes ‘sleepcasts’, which are audio tours of different, and sometimes made-up, places, and ‘night-time SOS sessions’, which users can try when their sleep is disturbed by bad dreams or general worries. The app’s ‘Move’ section includes mindful workout sessions. Headspace is also free to download, but you need to pay to access most of the content. Subscriptions cost USD12.99 monthly or USD69.99 annually. Headspace.com 

Productivity 

Our time management experts, Jessica Lightbourne and Lorene Phillips, co-founders of the ICLI coach training and leadership institute, recommended the app Asana for productivity. A PCMag Editor’s Choice winner, Asana manages team projects and tasks by allowing users to organise their work details, priorities and deadlines in one place. These can then be easily tracked. Team members can even record integrated video messages, which can reduce laborious meetings. Asana’s basic package is free but premium and business packages cost USD10.99 and USD24.99 per month respectively. Asana.com 

Keep Moving 

If you work at a desk and stay relatively still throughout the day, having an app reminding you to move and stretch isn’t just good for your health, but for your overall happiness too. 

Health and fitness enthusiasts recommend the FitOn app, particularly for the stretching, yoga and quick HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts. Designed to be done at home – or anywhere convenient – FitOn’s workouts are varied, require minimal or no equipment and cater to beginners all the way through to the super fit. There is even a section for parents who want to involve their children in their workout. The FitOn app is free to download and access. Fitonapp.com 

The post ‘APPINESS: Apps that help you destress, sleep or move your body positively appeared first on RG Magazines.

Did you know that in 2017, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists for research into sleep and sleep disorders? Sleep is important, and in our busy lives, in which the demands on our time seem ever-increasing, it may seem like an afterthought. Too often one hears “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”. Sadly, that may be a self-fulfilling prophecy, as lack of sleep has a host of negative effects, up to and including shortening lives. Some 20 percent of US road accidents are estimated to result from sleep deprivation.

It is, therefore, very important that each of us gets the appropriate amount of sleep – something which does vary from individual to individual. The US National Sleep Foundation gives these daily sleep guidelines:

Determine Your Sleep Cycle

One key factor is to determine what your most effective sleep cycle is. The distinction between “night owls” and “up with the larks” is truism because individual habits do vary. The afore-mentioned Nobel Prize winners, for example, determined that a genetic mutation in the so-called CRY1 gene affects an individual’s circadian rhythm (your internal “body clock”) and can delay the onset of sleep by several hours from the usual adult threshold of around midnight. In this case, forcing yourself to sleep is counterproductive!

Interestingly, there is now evidence that in pre-industrial Europe, two-phase or bi-modal sleep was the norm. People would go to sleep an hour or two after dusk; then wake up a few hours later and perform tasks, before going back to sleep until dawn. Ironically, what is now considered the norm (i.e. a single, uninterrupted sleep phase) may be adaptive behaviour that goes against our evolutionary development!

Having determined that you most easily fall asleep according to a particular cycle, how can you have the best chance of getting a truly restorative night’s rest?

• Make going to bed a habit at the same time each night

The same applies to length of sleep. Research indicates that trying to “catch up” on sleep is not really effective in making up for prior sleep deprivation. And, when the alarm goes, get up! Hitting the “snooze button” interferes with creating the habit.

• Make sure that where you sleep is as quiet as possible

Some find absolute silence disquieting. In that case, consider using one of the many ambient sound or white noise “apps” available. Some find being read to soothes them to sleep. In that case, consider setting up an audio-book to perform the task (if you do not have a compliant partner on a different sleep cycle!) Believe it or not, there are now audio-books available designed specifically to aid falling asleep. Of course, people do get used to the pattern of surrounding noise (frogs in Bermuda; traffic and public transport in many cities); but quiet is better.

• Make your bedroom as dark as possible

Light makes your brain believe that it is not yet time to sleep. If you live in a particularly “light polluted” area (and, yes, light pollution is real) you should try to install blackout blinds or curtains. If all else fails, use an eye-mask. Nightlights or illuminated clock dials may be acceptable, but some find them a nuisance, so it is probably better to avoid their use – at least for adults.

• Make your bed just what you need

So far as your mattress and bedding (including pillows) are concerned, there is a growing industry that thrives on the assumption that the more you spend on them, the better your sleep will be. Sadly, expense, beyond a certain basic level, is not correlated with quality of sleep. A firm mattress; a pillow that supports your neck; and either a quilt or sheets and blankets that are made from natural fibres are all that is required. There is now some debate over the benefit of weighted blankets for those who have insomnia. Current research remains inconclusive, at least for otherwise healthy adults, but use should certainly not be harmful.

• Find the right temperature

You sleep better if you are neither too hot, nor too cold. In the modern era, too many people sleep in rooms that are, in fact, too warm and with more bedding than they need. This means that their core body temperatures remain elevated, disrupting deep sleep. Ideally, the ambient temperature should be in the mid- to high 60 degrees Fahrenheit. There is a reason why Bermuda winters are “good sleeping weather!

• Turn off the screens, pick up a book

The subject of “screen time” before sleep has received a lot of coverage in recent years. It does appear that the light emitted by most electronic screens contains too much “blue spectrum”- wavelengths that interrupt the mind’s expectation that the light will gradually fade to a warmer spectrum. This is why many devices now have settings that gradually change the light to a warmer shade over time. However, even then, the origin of the light is believed to remain disruptive. Far better to switch from “screen usage” to the pleasures of a real book when one wishes to fall asleep. Furthermore, having any electronic devices in your bedroom is potentially disruptive. If you must have them to hand, at least switch them to a “Do Not Disturb” mode if you can.

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This article was originally published in the 2019 edition of the RG Health & Wellness supplement.

The post Sleep: Why you need it & how to get more appeared first on RG Magazines.