Diane sobbed bitterly. She was once and for all done with it, all her ambitions had come crashing down and landed as a pile of stones over her. She felt as been stuck in a never ending heap of untangled thoughts and worries for a lifetime…….
Diane is only an example, At present we may find numerous Diane’s going through similar overwhelming emotions.
‘What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candour, more unashamed conversation’ . – By Glenn Close.
There has been a dire need to woke people about mental health and lifestyle changes to be brought about.
Do you know that About 800,000 people die by suicide worldwide every year, of these 135,000 (17%) are residents of India?? WHO also estimates that about 7.5 per cent Indians suffer from some mental disorder and predicts that by end of this year roughly 20 per cent of India will suffer from mental illnesses. According to the numbers, 56 million Indians suffer from depression and another 38 million Indians suffer from anxiety disorders.
In this 21st century most of the young generation is pretty much aware that health is not just physical but a combination of mental and physical well being. Nowadays many sessions are being conducted shedding a light on the topic of mental health. We tend to grasp the knowledge and store it in a corner of our brain, hoping that this information might be helpful when we go through a similar situation. In reality the picture is not as easy as it seems. When the lightning strikes hard, as when the person starts experiencing the symptoms of anxiety or slides into depression, we think it’s just a rough patch and will be over in some days. Depression may set in due to many reasons. For some it may be family indifferences, domestic violence, for some it might be the death of a loved one, failure in exams, being bullied, insecurity of ones physical appearance, too many health problems, obesity, trauma, and the list is endless. You name it and that might be a reason of depression for someone in some corner of the world. Mental health is not limited to depression and anxiety solely. Just that these two are the widest seen among the masses.
Another common mental illness is OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). German psychiatrist Karl Westphal states that obsessions are thoughts which come to the mind of consciousness in spite of and contrary to the will of the patient, in which he cannot suppress and he is aware of this abnormality and all of the characteristic of himself. In this category comes the checkers, washers. For example a checker while going to an exam will constantly keep on checking if he/she has taken all the required materials. If they try to stop checking, they will become anxious and feel that something important has been forgotten. Washers constantly feel an urgency to keep everything around themselves clean. It is practically out of their control! It is difficult for anyone to accept that they are suffering from mental distress. Our society has created an image where physical health issues are good to go but mental issues have no place and having such mental health problems categorises the fellow person as “mad” or crazy “. This petrifies us and we try to suppress our emotions. We blame ourselves for not being emotionally competent. The next barrier is the communication taboo regarding mental health topics around family and friends. Even if one has accepted the fact their mental health is suffering how do they covey to their parents? In order to hide our feelings we become aloof, and take a backseat from all social activities. Remaining silent, lost in our own thoughts, underconfident, overthinking in a corner, all this steps in. Confined to our shell we try to avoid all our problems. Since the covid 19 pandemic has commenced mental health plight has exacerbated. People losing jobs, confined to one room throughout months and months, this disease has fanned the flames. In these times of peril, many people are coming out on social media and expressing their emotions and worries. It is indeed a good thing because as human beings we find solace in knowing that others are also going through the similar problems as ours. We figure out that we are not alone in this struggle; but many others are also experiencing it and many have overcome their mental distress and fear. Everyone has their fair share of difficulties and opportunities.
Difficulty arises when don’t belong to the”” higher strata”” of the society. The thought of consulting a psychiatrist scares the hell out of us. But we need help!! Everything can’t be done alone and fugitively. Remember that time heals all wounds. After each dark night as the dawn arises fresh and bright, we all are not going to stay in a bad notion for too long. Time flies, and things pass. Our life can’t be perfect. We experience all sorts of situations good, bad,. After all, it is a experience. A lifetime experience. We learn, we reflect and move ahead in our lives. Facts are one thing, what about the other part? The action? The action to be taken to bring out changes and improve our mental health. According to Darwin’s principle ‘survival of the fittest’, we need to be mentally and physically fit.
Lifestyle changes have a great impact on our mind and body. A happy soul is physically fit. Incorporating meditation and yoga in our daily lives has shown positive effects. Medicine states that regular yoga and meditation releases chronic stress patterns, increases calmness, relaxes the mind, sharpens concentration, in addition to its physical benefits procuring flexibility, strength and muscle tone. Managing our sleep-wake cycle, going to bed early and rising early can be a healthy start of the day. Including healthier and greener food options in our diet and eliminating junk eateries enhance our digestive system and as we all know that body and mind are interconnected. Its like a machine, wherein if one part functions properly it affects the overall outcome. Taking a break from our hectic schedule once in while and spending time with friends and family is highly recommended. We must indulge in activities that we like the most in our leisure time. This relieves our stress and there is a rush of fresh thoughts and positive vibes in our mind. We feel too lazy to do a physical workout. But research has proved that exercise releases chemicals from our body called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body. Exercise has proven to ward off anxiety and feelings of depression, boost self-esteem, and improve sleep.
Walking barefoot on grass early morning has its share of benefits. It improves insomnia and induces a feeling a happy feeling. A famous proverb, is very well applicable to here, ‘an empty mind is devil’s workshop’. It is observed that when we our busy in a work that we adore, we are free from all negative thoughts and emotions. Penning down your thoughts and emotions or any good or bad incidence that you want to, in a book, helps to clear your mind and get rid of the overwhelming baggage you carry each day. “” What is the worst possible thing that can happen?? “” this is the question to be asked to ourselves when we fear that something wrong might turn up in our way if we try to do a particular thing. Figuring out the worst thing that can happen and then finding out the solution for it. Isn’t this called preparing for the worst? There are numerous NGO’s lending a helping hand to the masses who are dealing with mental health issues. Without feeling ashamed we should now gear up to take responsibility to restore or mind with healthy wellbeing and come on track again for the betterment of us.
We are in this world to live life fully and not waste our precious time worrying. We need to embrace our faults and scars and learn to love ourselves a little more everyday… Running away from mental health illness is not a solution but facing it and eliminating it one step at a time is!!!! Change is a law of nature, and we need to instil positive changes in us to shape and mould us into a better and stronger person both physically and mentally!!
