EMBRACE THE JOURNEY
A GUIDE TO MENTAL WELLNESS
“Depression kya hai, anxiety kya hai…bus kaam naa krne ke bahane hai…humari tarah subah subah utho…kaise koi problem solve nahi hoti dekhte hai…kya hota hai therapist…..sirf paise lootne ke tarike hai….aur kuch nahi.”
This is the sad reality that adult’s reaction towards their children wanting to sort out their issues with the help of their professional. It is undeniably sad that the youth is facing major traumas, but are unable to communicate, which leads to bunch of sad people, living under heavy expectations. These reactions of the adults invokes suicidal thoughts and self-harming behavior.
Whenever we talk about health, the first thing that comes to our mind is physical fitness, but we believe that one should never ignore the aspect of mental health. It is as important as your physical health, and are interdependent on each other.
Mental health cannot be expressed only on the basis of absence of disease or disorder. Mental health can be expressed as a state of well-being that empowers an individual to cope with their daily life stressors, ability to identify their strengths and weakness, ability to learn new and accept failure and think that it is a part of life.
Generally, what happens is, people ignore the aspects of mental health. If somebody is suffering from any mental issues, he /she never communicates with their loved ones, and this is because they believe that people might call them insane. Many times, lack of emotional support, lack of peace, compel people to take dangerous actions.
One should remember that it is completely fine if you are not well mentally. It should be considered normal. After all, we all are human beings, at certain point of time, we need some break or we need to change our direction in order to rejuvenate us.
HOW ONE'S MENTAL HEALTH CAN BE IMPROVED
Leisure Activities
To improve our mental health, we need not to overload ourselves, we should spare some time for leisure activities that help us to keep our mind fresh. Generally, indulging in indoor and outdoor games not only help us to keep mentally fit but also physically fit.
Exercise
One who regularly engages in such exercise always has a great mental and physical well-being. These exercises generally boost up their energy levels and releases a “happy hormone” named oxytocin which makes a person jolly and satisfied. Exercise is beneficial for our heart, it keeps our blood pressure at an accurate level, therefore, a person has a lesser chance of having cardio-related diseases, like diabetes, or hypertension.
Sleep Pattern
We should sleep at least 8 hours a day, so that it keeps us mentally and physically fit and also helps in increasing our concentration level.
Form Relationships
We should socialize with other people, should form strong emotional bonds with others, should develop good interpersonal relationships, all these help us to have a good mental well-being.
Dental Check-ups
4. We should have a dental check-ups and other health check-ups on a regular basis (once in a 6 month)
Meditation
5. We should also do meditation, yoga, aerobic cardio exercise on a daily basis, this also helps to keep our mind fresh and also physically fit. It also helps to keep our stress levels low and also helps in enhancing your mood so that you can easily concentrate on other tasks.
Practice Mindfulness
You don’t know the future, and you can’t change the past, therefore, one should focus on the present moment. Sometimes, this awareness also known as mindfulness.
Identifying your Strengths
Indulge in those activities in which you are good at, as it will amplifies your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Have Realistic Thoughts
Try to have realistic thoughts about yourself, and about others. Try to be practical, but doesn’t mean, ignoring the emotional aspects fully. Try to maintain the balance between the two.
Step out of your Comfort Zone
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." -Albert Einstein. Try to indulge in those activities that are out of your comfort zone, in order to add excitement in your regular life pattern.
Don't Compare Yourself
Many times, we compare ourselves with people and try to become like them. In this scenario, we forget that everybody is unique, have different skills, have different qualities, and abilities. So, don’t try to become like them. You are excellent in the way that you are, try to focus on your strengths, that’s all. Don’t change yourself for others, don’t chase perfection. If you are stressed that you are worth of nothing, then always indulge in downward counterfactual thinking, like think about people who are struggling, whose lives are much worse than yours. Be grateful, be happy.
Physical Health
Take care of your physical health: Manytimes, due to mental pressure, we completely ignore our physical well-being, which should not be the case. Try to spare some time for workout, don’t try to follow a particular pattern, but do workout whenever you get time. Kindly start at your pace for a healthier living.
It's never too late to start your journey. So clam yourself, be gentle and love yourself.
It’s okay to achieve your career goals at the age of 40, finding your soulmate at the age of 50, don’t put an age bar on your dreams, don’t pressurize yourself, just believe in your hard work, believe yourself. Good time will arrive soon.
