The Stigma

We can talk about physical ailments comfortably but decline to address issues cropped up in our head that has swept through the world with devastating effect. Mental health is just as important as physical health. As a society, we’re so open about our physical problems with no worry of rejection and prejudice. Why isn’t it this way with mental health? What makes mental health such a taboo topic to bring up? We have to become extremely passionate about tackling stigma and be open about our emotions. This is the first step to getting better; decide to speak out more. People are so kind and understanding, it is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. It is amazing how open-minded people are towards mental health.

How do you get better? Like Terrorism and Extra-Marital Affairs, depression is a thing that is easy to get started but difficult to bring to a close.

Depression can be treated by courage, reassurance and altering focus. It is dark and lonely but we need to find the roots of our mind and stand tall and strong in storms. People have a notion here that every mental problem is madness n people who visit a psychiatrist are mad !! That is why many mental problems go undetected at an early stage!

We have to challenge outdated views and to put an end to life-limiting, and sometimes life-wrenching stigma, and discrimination that’s still associated to having a mental health problem in so many countries and communities by being kind, compassionate and gentle to each other.

The more expressive and accepting you are the easier it is for your mind to manage the stress and contain it. Lack of expression and inability to vent out hysterically are some of the common features of severe depression. cry your eyes out, rant and share how you feel, and what you think of your loved ones. Pick up that phone, write to your folks or the best would be to just see your loved ones in person and spill your heart out. A healthy and positive environment is of the utmost importance.

Get enough sleep, gobble up good food, and exercise regularly to calm down chaotic mind, take out time for meditation (Meditation, At first, meditation feels hard and slightly odd. In time, it’s a valuable technique.), yoga and taking up some hobby can also help distract your mind and facilitate coping. In stressful situations, learn to switch off and get off social media. Some of the recent studies show that social media can aggravate feelings of anxiety in many people, hence ease off a bit there for some time for your own self.

But it isn’t a smooth ride. Some days, exercise helps. Some days, it is too much. Some days, odd jobs feel wholesome, sometimes they feel depleting. Some days, just making dinner is too much. Other days, it feels like doing nothing, but know that doing nothing was the worst thing we could do.

Little Things;  ways in which you can self-aid yourself in tackling a depressive spell. These would include, (A) making a journal and writing about your feelings and emotions to de-clutter your mind and maintain a record of your emotional/psychological health. (B) Derive strength from your past struggles and how you overcame tough situations in the past. (C) Relax – detoxify yourself, appraise yourself, treat yourself lavishly. (D) Do not blame yourself for events and circumstances which were unavoidable. Understand, what’s done cannot be reversed, make peace with it. (E) Learn to let go of memories, people, and things.

We all must be a little gentle and sensitive with others. Talking about mental health can make a big difference and social contact — which is where people with and without mental health problems come together to have a conversation — is an extremely powerful approach in breaking down the taboo around the issue.

Rediscover gentle ways to spend the time with yourself doing things that you please with people you love. I learned how to let time pass without trying to fill it.

And there is no shame at all going for the therapy. It is like a therapist and you go digging like two detectives on a mission, piecing together clues and facts until you find the roots of anxiety, sadness and all that shit that fucks us over. In fact, most times it will feel like both have purposely embarked on a long confusing road with no map and no GPS. Progress is awkward and at many moments, we think that the therapy is entirely useless. And then ever so slowly, we begin to feel lighter, almost like someone had lifted off an iron blanket from our back.

It isn’t straightforward. It may relapse six weeks after going back to work and needed another month to build up from the bottom again. Even now, a year on from that first, dark question mark, we can still feel the sharp edge of something. But, happily, it does little more than prod us, reminds us that we need to tread carefully. Yes, it’s tough, yes; it’ll turn your life upside down. But it does get better. You do recover.

We wouldn’t have been able to make the changes we made to become happy without the mental illness.