Is Mental Health A Myth?

Starting note….

I’m writing this with full positivity, I feel Mental health is a highly neglected topic in our society and I was planning to address it for quite some time. Mental health is as important or more important than physical health yet some people around us still stigmatize it as something negative. I’ve compiled some things I wish to convey most of them from my experiences, stories I heard, and things I researched, so read the rest and share your thoughts.

Why is our society so ignorant about mental health?

People often find seeking professional help (a.k.a Psychotherapy) as alienated. Feelings like depression, anxiety, overthinking, etc. are considered as either jokes or misused very often. Everyone has their share of problems, but most of us keep them hidden. I believe the excessive use of social media has affected the youth of today very badly. The endless and mindless scrolling through the feeds, running behind the useless Snapchat streaks, long hours of gaming, and what not, all have contributed to their fairshare

It’s really scary that the new generation of parents are raising a generation of mentally weak children. Kids are getting exposed to screens even before they turn one month old and the screen time they are having is dangerously high and it’s alarming. The mental strength of these kids is very low and we’re witnessing the suicide news of children of age less than 10 for seemingly trivial issues like not being allowed to use a phone or play certain games.

are the kids responsible for all these?

The responsibility lies with us, the parents, who may not be preparing these kids to handle rejection and failure. make children your best friends create a safe space for them to open up. appreciate and encourage them when they achieve something and on the other hand motivate them and console them when they fail, and teach them failures are a part of life.

Like lack of awareness, over-concerns are also equally dangerous. many thoughts and mental states are just normal and can be ignored but stressing about every minor things is equally concerning. Psychiatric drugs should be the last resort for any problem as they will surely mess with our hormonal systems and there may be side effects associated

The suicidal tendencies are often not the way we think they would be the below video opened my eyes to that, which portrays the last moments of people who took their lives soon after. I belive we all need someone to listen and someone to whom we can share things without being judged.

It’s ok to cry!! I had a very bad misconception that crying makes me weak and I was very reluctant to cry, but “SOMEONE” made me realize that crying is normal and it eases our mind. It helps to reduce the heaviness we feel in our mind sometimes when we feel anxious.

Today’s workplaces are neither an exception. hectic work weeks combined with close to zero vacations leads to situations like burnout, depression, etc. and a lot of people just misinterpret burnout as laziness and show no efforts to diagnose and cure. make taking vacations and regular breaks a normal thing rather than stigmatizing it.

Practice mindfulness, and do regular breathing exercises to keep our mind calm. Some things cannot be tackled alone, you might need external support to keep moving, either in the form of friends & family or in the form of a professional. It’s okay to consult a therapist and yeah it works!! Everything should have a limit and also should be ready to work on yourself, fix things, learn new things, and unlearn the unnecessary.

NB: The information provided is based on personal insights and experiences. Please note that many statements lack specific statistics for support. While the content aims to share valuable perspectives, readers should interpret it as anecdotal and use it for informational purposes only. For accurate and comprehensive information, it is recommended to refer to reputable sources and consult with professionals where necessary.