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It is imperative that we take charge and be the one to bring about the much needed change that the world expects now-Make mental well-being to be the only priority in our life!
Situation 1-
A: “For the past few days I am either not able to pull myself out of bed or sleeping too much!”
B: “Perhaps you are too tired due to work pressure. Give it time, you’ll be fine.”
Situation 2-
C: “There are days when I do not feel anything.”
D: “I think you are over analyzing things.”
Situation 3-
E: “There are times I feel suicidal.”
F: “Oh my God! I think you are overreacting.”
Well, I won’t be surprised if some of you or all of you have come across such conversations. More often than not, the moment an individual bares out his/her soul they are forced to retract their statements. They are assured these thoughts are a result of overthinking, over analyzing and over reactions! Thus these individuals find themselves trapped in a vicious web of constant mental turmoil.
Living in a society that believes in advocating cures without even getting down to the root cause of an issue, it is beyond imagination they would comprehend mental health issues leave alone depression. Hence “reaching out” or “talking out” doesn’t really happen.
Individuals who have been at the end of their rope find it incessantly annoying when their condition is admonished as “you will be fine” or “practice meditation it helps”! No it doesn’t!
Being depressed is not finding your favorite ice cream missing from the counter or missing out on your favorite pizza topping, it is much more than that. Depression is real. Depression can kill if not dealt with sensibly.
Being someone who’s been attacked by sudden bouts of anger, heart pounding anxiety and severe mood swings, I truly understand what it means to be in a state as this.
No one wants to remain in a state that is anything but normal. There are times when you can barely pull yourself out of bed while on the other hand there are days when you are haplessly sleepless!
Sometimes talking may not help as there is hardly anyone who would be non-judgmental (apart from those who are professionally certified in handling such conditions) and dangerous are those who assure to pacify you but expose your vulnerabilities at a time when you least expect it!
It is exceedingly sad that today we talk about mental illness in a lot more specificity after a famous personality jumps to his death but where was this concern when someone close to you suffered silently, only to avoid being judged or ostracized by the society at large!
Mental health is as essential as your physical well being or perhaps it is more important than that. It doesn’t need a person’s death to be spoken about or ranted about, just as many of us are doing on various social pages!
Unfortunately India accounts for 36.6% of global suicide rates and most of these have an underlying mental health issue. And sadly these have never been addressed by anyone. As an individual who has been undergoing therapy for years now, I know how difficult it is to talk about such an issue at home, with your own family; you dread their reaction just as they dread the society’s!
Why can’t we normalize mental well being just as how physical ailments are? Why is mental well being termed as a western superimposition upon our Indian society? Mental health issues is no longer a subject to be shoved under the carpet, it needs to be discussed, addressed to. As a parent to a 6 year old, I feel it should be a mandate in the school curriculum. Meeting a counselor/psychologist for any such issues should not stigmatized by the society. It is as common as visiting a doctor when unwell. Period!
As per WHO, 6.5% of the Indian population has an underlying mental condition that has never been addressed to. In a society that is dictated by “log Kya kahenge” remember even we add to the “log” in that statement!
As numerous wishes pour out for Sushant Singh Rajput from all walks of life it is really saddening that these people never reached out to him when he needed them the most!
How much does it take to drop in a “Hi, how are you?” Or “Do you need anything” or just an assuring line “I’m always there for you”?
WHO reports that a large part of Indian women suffer from mental illness due to sexual abuse or an assault, thus becoming victimized by something medically known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder! It is unfortunate that no one talks about that.
Until some years ago, none of us knew what postpartum depression is all about, whereas most new mothers unfortunately undergo it for a long time. When a woman delivers a baby she undergoes a dynamic change that includes a lot of it mentally; during this time most of the care is meted out to the infant that results in the mother being often neglected. She overlooks her own issues to tend to the baby. However it is the responsibility of the family to take ample care of the new mother as well.
Remember, Postpartum depression isn’t a character flaw or a weakness. Sometimes it’s simply a consequence of giving birth.
Most of our childhood fables were laced with morals and learning, kindness and empathy being the most important ones. However in a race to reach success and attain a “lit” life among our peers we somehow have forgotten those basic life lessons. All that matters to us is a list of followers, instant gratification in the form of “likes, comments and shares” and a verified account.
It is time we realize how at times thoughtless comments, insensitive remarks may tarnish an individual’s self esteem! It is time we lend an ear to those who need it, it is time we acknowledge their emotions and when it goes beyond our control, we mustn’t hesitate to offer them professional help.
As most of us are undergoing the stress of the pandemic, remember those with mental health issues are battling a tougher battle. In such a scenario, hope becomes the ultimate antidote for suicidal tendencies and kindness remains the only way to give hope to them.
It is insane to expect people with mental health issues to reach out to you, in turn if you fortunately understand the intensity of this issue, take the accountability of reaching out to them.
Remember, a desperate individual jumps to his death once but our lack of sensitivity and the inability to reach out to them thrusts them into the mouth of death every second of every day!
Hence rather than finding yourself entangled in a mesh of knee jerk reactions like all towards a current situation, it is imperative that we take charge and be the one to bring about the much needed change that the world expects now-Make mental well-being to be the only priority in our life!
Image Via Pexels
A dire penchant for words, can summarize my life as “My pen bleeds my life”! read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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