Editor’s Note: This month, that is October 2019, FII’s #MoodOfTheMonth is Mental Health And Well-Being, where we invite various articles narrating people’s experiences of living or living with someone with mental health issues. If you’d like to share your story, email us at pragya@feminisminindia.com.
The “I am fine” monotonous chant, until we drown ourselves into oblivion. This is a conversation we all run from. We in this society are under the influence of a lot of distractions, be it the never ending hustle of capitalist greed, overworking our days in fear of losing our daily source of bread, or choosing procrastination over call-for-action required for self-development. Ultimately, we are hardly left with any time for self reflection, murdering the baby in the cradle itself.
I have struggled with Generalised Anxiety Disorder for a good chunk of time in my teens and I never sought professional help or talked about it to anyone close to me. I was ashamed to brand myself as “mentally ill” from the Generalised Anxiety Disorder, because I didn’t know better and I didn’t receive any guidance.Blinded by the taboo I didn’t take any action to empower myself. I was the girl who found her voice in college. Listening and sharing pieces of our lives, I realised the importance of it.Believe me, slipping into depression by alienating ourselves is the most destructive thing one can do to themselves.
Wounds of past often cut open at present in emotionally difficult situations. I want to share a piece of my strategy so we don’t succumb to these blues. You are not alone.
There are some bad days when I feel blue, but I’m sure everyone does, for whatever reason. Wounds of past often cut open at present in emotionally difficult situations. I want to share a piece of my strategy so we don’t succumb to these blues. You are not alone.
Career stagnation is a real thing, and professionals are facing it now more than ever.Putting our best foot forward for a thankless job only to bury yourself in ubiquitous anxiety. An average person in the human population is trapped in the ‘ Kira-kira’ of a fat stash on month’s end. Trust me, it’s a vicious cycle. But how to break this spinning wheel of negative thoughts?
The answer is you.
It is extremely important to understand and pin down these early signs like listlessness, passive aggression and lack of interest in things. Once these impulses go unchecked, they have the potential of snowballing into a bigger problem. Depression is one dark pit which once fallen into gets difficult to get out until proper professional intervention is available.Mental disorders are just reduced to a meager chemical imbalance in the brain, where the obvious solution in an ignorant eye is to “ stop thinking about the problem “. The cause behind this stigmatic behaviour is the fear of unbottling our emotions, believing it would create chaos and leave you disturbed without closure. This is a false assumption.
Don’t let fear drive your decisions. – Let these words resonate deep within you.
I have struggled with Generalised Anxiety Disorder for a good chunk of time in my teens and I never sought professional help or talked about it to anyone close to me.
Taking initiative takes courage, and stepping into the unknown can give jitters but it would be worth it in the end. Nothing matches the feeling of inner peace. So, let’s start a conversation.
Also read: Everybody Should Go To Therapy
Identify
What triggers you? Once you know what you’re dealing with it becomes easier to quantify the intensity and ways of handling that specific trigger . This step is of paramount importance if you want to weed out the problem at the grass-root level.
Make a mental note of these signs and observe how they lead to a chain reaction of thoughts which ultimately make you feel down. Once we start with observing , we can practise healthy detachment.
Manage
Each human mind is constructed in different ways.One size doesn’t fit all. One’s poison might be another’s panacea. But the good part is, we have some idea what works for us.
It is advisable to chalk out your mental rewiring idea and share with people in your inner circle, these people will be there to support you in your journey to battle your inertia.
The goal is to break out from the pattern ,pause and realign your thoughts and then start again with a fresh perspective.
Deploy
Track your progress.
Little changes in your daily routine- discovering alternative sources of motivation.
Promote the idea of subversive repetition where you make little dents to the discourse ultimately progressing and mounding into something you want.
You can’t stay in the cocoon forever,
Also read: The Urban Millennial And Why Therapy Is Essential For Them Today
Let the metamorphosis happen.
Falguni is a Literature and Psychology student at the Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi. Currently working as a freelance PR Professional and Content Writer for online publications. Apart from the daily grind she takes photo walks to old cities and historic places to capture fragments of narratives for her photo blog. You can find her on her Instagram.
Featured Image Source: The New York Times
