How we view mental health

How often do you hear people go 'I was suffering from depression?'. How often do you see people open up about their mental health issues? Mental health includes anxiety, panic attacks, depression, low self worth and a lack of emotional support. The stigma that is attached towards discussion of mental health issues in the society prevents people from communicating, expressing, emoting or even plain saying that 'something is wrong' or 'I'm not feeling okay'.

Why don't we honour that part of our soul that keeps asking for help? Why do we feel a sense of 'not being good enough' or 'shame' associated with discussing our state of happiness or sadness. Does 'how we feel' has no significance in our existence as a living being? No, it has a big significance! Enough to hold it accountable for a sense of contentment and happiness in our lives. So we better not ignore it but rather honour it, water it and take care of it.

If you feel like crying, cry! If you feel a sense of joy, do something that adds to that. If you feel low, take a break! If you feel like watching a movie, watch a movie! Do what you FEEL like doing that adds joy and happiness in your life. Be free in your mind and avoid the traps of 'judgement', 'stigma', 'what will people say' etc. Take accountability to create joy in your life :)

Having read about a big bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput commit suicide recently, it has become very clear and evident that life in general, success and failure can have huge implications on our mental health. How we deal with situations, how that transforms us mentally by leaving memories behind and how we move forward can have a huge role to play in deciphering how good our mental well being actually is. Things like 'having it all' - a job, good career, love, friendships, money - all at a single moment in our life can add to being a major stressor. On top of that, to aim to have the perfect life can put additional pressure on an individual hampering their mental health and ability to think or reason. But the big question being - why do we want everything to be perfect and have it all? Why cant we be happy in having one thing at a time or even having little? If you knew how to live in little, you can handle anything big that comes your way with humbleness and humility. However, if you are used to having a lot, learning to live in little can be challenging.

Mental health is not a topic that is discussed in the open and that is precisely why it becomes a mountain to comprehend when dealing with it. We need to normalise discussion of mental well being - enough to make it an integral part in our overall well being. If you are aware of what you are going through - that is half the battle won. The other half is to decipher how to overcome it with strength. Strength doesn't mean going 'emotionless'. Strength means feeling the depth of emotion, feeling the lows and utilising that emotion to rise upwards like a pheonix. Cultivating mental strength by action, performance, resilience and endurance.

So lets talk and talk openly! Lets destigmatise mental issues. Lets make it a normal! We can together fight the elephant in the room by addressing it first and winning the fight individually and collectively :)