Mental Health

Stuck in our houses, working from home, and seeing people die around have shaken many of us. This one and a half years of being holed up with minimal communication with the outside world has made us think and rethink many things. One of the topics discussed regularly and which came to the forefront is Mental Health!

Mental Health has always been considered a taboo. Those who needed help were deemed to be crazy or mad. However, now things are changing and for the better!

What is Mental Health?

Mental health is our psychological, emotional, and social well-being. It affects how we feel, think and act. Mental health is also essential to ascertain how we handle stress, make choices or relate to others.

When to seek help?

Mental health problems are pretty much invisible to our eyes; they do not have a concrete symptom. Suppose 'A' behaves in an 'X' manner owing to a situation; it is not necessary 'B' would react in the same way as 'A' for the same stimulus.

The way each person has different pain tolerance, every individual reacts differently to emotional or psychological stimuli.

One should seek help if:

• Change in eating or sleeping habit
• Low energy
• Disinterest in everyday life or things usually loved
• Feeling helpless or hopeless
• Feeling numb
• Feeling confused, forgetful, upset, worried
• Severe mood swings
• The urge to harm oneself or others
• Inability to perform daily tasks

If you or someone you know is experiencing these or any other unusual symptoms, it is essential to speak up!

What to do?

• Take a break
• Relax and unwind
• Find a new hobby and distract yourself
• Connect with others
• Speak up, or write down your thoughts and feelings
• If required, seek medical help

Benefits of positive mental health:

• Improved productivity
• Use of full potential
• A healthy way to cope with stress
• Good self-esteem and confidence
• feeling positive emotions like happiness, joy, love, optimism

Mental health need not be a stigma, for ignorance of Mental Health can cause a person to be depressed, suicidal or lonely. It also hampers self-esteem and overall social skills. It is hence crucial to take care of our and others Mental Health along with our Physical Health. 

But if you are not comfortable talking to doctors or consultants, you may choose to speak with your friends and family! Mental health need not be a burden but a way to lessen our burdens and free ourselves of excessive baggage in our life.

So as you see, there is no need to be sad, unhappy, or stressed out. One step at a time and each one of us can overcome the hurdles to mental health. Cheers to a great life and mental health!