Mental Health & Indian Society

We are born and we naturally keep growing day by day. As we grow, we are made to fit in a society and it's so-called social rules, maybe by our parents or by other members of society. But isn't it important for all of us to understand that this is 'our' life and is precious than anything else in this world! I don't really know the answers to many of the questions in our social system, as many of them are baseless.

Mental Health is a sort of TABOO for the Indian Society, a stigma that has not sought approval from members of the Society. Many people in our society are unaware of what mental health and well being actually is. Boys are told right from childhood that "LADKE NAI ROTE (Boys don't cry)" But why? Boys aren't robots. They have emotions too. It's nothing wrong if men feel shy or cry. Crying is not a sign of weakness as our society has portrayed it. Indian society lacks awareness and sensitivity on the topic of Mental Health which is why 7.5% of the Indian population suffers from some form of mental disorder (source: A WHO report 2019). The worries of "LOG KYA KAHENGE" should end.

According to a research, it is clear that social media is the biggest reason for mental health issues everywhere around the world. WHO predicts that by the end of 2020 the 7.5% mark of India will rise to 20% which is really alarming. We need to be social in real life. Social media is just an asset. We need to understand that social media is for our betterment and not to shift our lives from real to virtual. In other words, social media is "fakest" and a dangerous place and one of the primary venues for mental health issues. Day by day it seems that social media is becoming the new "real" world and the real world is turning "fake". It does not matter how many followers you have or how many likes you get, but it does matter as to how many real people are there to lend you an ear when you need to have a quality conversation which is not possible virtually. 

Our society and we all as a part of it need to ponder on how it has changed so much; the same society which worships Gurus and the first Counselor - Lord Sri Krishna and the same society which has the best life counseling books - The Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, the holy Quran and so on as its religious scriptures.

Our World is colorful. We just need to have a "KALEIDOSCOPIC" view to see it's true beauty.

LOVE YOURSELF. LOVE OTHERS. BE LOVED

EVERYTHING INITIALLY STARTS FROM WITHIN.

Did you meet yourself?

Hi folks! Hope that you all are safe at your homes and having a memorable lockdown.

        The current situation is indeed troublesome for all of us. Our lives are off track. I’m deeply missing my normal life - my friends at college, my roles in there and also the daily chit-chats that add up to priceless memories. Everything is at a halt. We all are in our homes, getting bored each day, binge-watching online stuff, eating and sleeping. But there's something that you can try!

        Even if the lockdown has abandoned our social life, it has offered all of us a golden package - an opportunity to know yourself, an opportunity to meet yourself; an opportunity to cherish yourself...

It is true that we know a lot more about everyone, but we don't know who we are! All of us do remember the basics of our biographies but we have hardly met ourselves which is why many times people decide our worth and there is nothing left for us than to soak their verdicts into ourselves.

       We know much about others - you know what is the favorite dish of your best friend or partner, you are aware of his or her mood swings. Well, that's too good and appreciative, thus ameliorating the bond of both of you.

 But wait! Do you know what are you best at?

                 Do you know what makes you happy internally?

                 Do you enjoy how you're spending time with yourself?

                 Do you know how to love yourself?

       Well, if your answer to any of the questions is No or if you are confused, you surely haven't yet met yourself! Its nothing to panic either. Most people across the world aren't able to do so even until the end of their lives; thus always staying dependent on external factors for their own well being & happiness, leading them to set impossible goals for themselves - "I can remain happy only when I'll have a loving and caring partner”, or “I'll be happy only if my friend(s) understand(s) me”, and many such Our own happiness never has to be dependent on such external factors which are beyond our control.

       There goes a saying – “Life is all about finding and creating yourself". It seems simple, but if pondered on, it can take you to on the best journey - The journey which you'll start within yourself to meet your own self.

Meeting yourself is not too difficult, not so easy either. It may take days, months or even years; but once this journey is complete, you'll become happier, more peaceful, more satisfied & contented.

       So, from the next morning, you wake up, rush to the mirror to see yourself, give a smile and ponder for a while on how beautifully you have been made by nature, no matter what anyone says or thinks about you. This exercise may sound a bit crazy, but do give it a try every day, till you understand & realize how important you are not only for yourself but for everyone around. When we are a perfect & stable identity for ourselves, we will be a little less hungry for praise, a little less worried by the opposition, and much more original in our own thoughts.

       So, in this lockdown, - Start living with yourself. That surely doesn't mean that you need to stay inside a closed room for the whole day looking at yourself in the mirror, but it means that you've to start learning and analyzing yourself. So, take a pen/pencil and a blank paper, write an essay on yourself and read it often - keep changing it regularly as you get to know more and more about yourself and keep working accordingly. I assure you that one day, it will change into one of the best biographies, the day when you'll feel that you're the happiest person on this planet .......

And Bravo! You'll thus create yourself,

       Thank you for reading. Love you all. I hope that the next time we met, you'll be a new 'you', having known much about yourself."

(Image credits freepik.com ; The images used here have been designed using the resources from Freepik)