It’s okay,not to be okay!

It’s okay to make mistakes!

To have odd days!

To be less than perfect!

To do what’s best for you!

And most importantly, to be yourself!

Let’s begin with a story :

You are outside on a drive and suddenly you met with an accident, the first thing you will do is to reach out to the people for help, call an ambulance or your friend or relative who stays nearby. But, what do you do, when you are hit by mental -illness and wake up every day feeling low about yourself or your life? Most of the time, you proceed with your work and let it be, Why then no one reaches out for help from their closed ones?

It is sad to see that in the world that starts its day with social media and post almost everything from what they had for breakfast and even physical illness. But, there are a couple of things that stay no-no, and one of them is emotional well-being.

f we can’t see that, it’s not there. This is the biggest concern regarding mental health. No one can see it or recognize it easily and we often fail to recognize it in our close friends, relatives, or sometimes we are the ones who are suffering from this. But, why some people are not okay to talk about it openly? Why it’s a taboo?

Let’s discuss: Mental Health

As per the definition by WHO:

Mental health is the foundation for the well-being and effective functioning of individuals. It is more than the absence of a mental disorder; it is the ability to think, learn, and understand one’s emotions and the reactions of others. Mental health is a state of balance, both within and with the environment. Physical, psychological, social, cultural, spiritual, and other interrelated factors participate in producing this balance. There are inseparable links between mental and physical health. 

(Source- https://www.who.int/westernpacific/health-topics/mental-health)

The phrase “mental illness” is used in a very disparaging manner. But, when it comes to physical illness, no one describes someone by saying that he or she is physically ill. 

The term physical illness has a broad meaning, some can have an eyesight issue, some can have serious knee problems, but we never group them all and define them as “physically ill”. Whereas when it comes to mental illness, we usually group them all and call them “mentally ill”(without really knowing about their problems and circumstances).

Mental health is not static, but a continuous process. It can change from time to time and there’s no end to it. Job issues, family problems, change in circumstances, changes in sleep patterns, stress, etc can have long or short-term impacts on mental health. 

We need to normalize Mental-illness, to help everyone to reach their greatest potential. This can be done by identifying the problem at first and then helping them out to deal with it. No problem can be solved if neglected.

Spotting Mental Illness:

Mental illness is NOT like physical illness in which most of the things can be diagnosed just by looking or performing some tests. Though there are few symptoms which can help you know if there’s a mental illness. These symptoms aren’t the same for all, but there can be some common symptoms like :

• Feeling sad or low
• Not able to concentrate and sometimes confused thinking as well.
• Fears, worries, or feelings of guilt.
• Significant tiredness, difficulty in sleeping, or low energy.
• Withdrawal from friends and activities.
• Inability to cope with stress
• Suicidal thoughts
• Change in eating habits
• Extreme mood changes, excessive anger, etc.

Attempting to differentiate between what expected practices are and what may be the indications of mental illness isn’t always easy. There’s no simple test that can inform somebody as to whether there is a mental illness or if actions and thoughts might be the normal conduct of a person or a consequence of physical illness.

Children don’t have much ability to express their thoughts or emotions clearly, especially at a very young age. There’s a need to express this issue, as this can develop into the bigger issue later. Most of their symptoms are behavioral, like:

• Extreme concern or nervousness, for example, battling to keep away from bed or school and even the changes in their performance in school.
• Hyperactive conduct 
• Successive bad dreams 
• Frequent defiance or hostility.
• Successive temper tantrums

If there are so many symptoms of mental illness, Why is it not discussed like physical problems? Let’s dig into these problems:

With regards to emotional well-being, there is by all accounts a dread that discussing prevention in one way or another infers individuals with mental illness are to blame for their battles.

• Mental illness is seen as a taboo and no one wants to talk about it openly, because it might sound embarrassing.
• People will judge them (lack of understanding).
• It is not as common as physical illness and no one care about emotional wellbeing.
• Ignorance from the victim’s side, sometimes from their closed ones or sometimes even both.
• Not able to spot their illness.

A quick wrap up:

A big hug to everyone who came forward and shared their stories of mental illness. Their powerful stories are an inspiration for many and at least there’s a little change in perspective about mental illness. We need more such people to share their victories over the mental illness.

Going back to the case, where if you’ve been hit by a car and met an accident, no one will come and just say “C’mon, get over it!”. But people from mental illness are so familiar with these words. There’s a lack of understanding, which is most of the time responsible for this “important yet ignored” mental-illness.

We need to normalize this and make the world a happy place!

This section will be your mental health guide and we will be posting about the emotional well-being and tips to lead a happy healthy life. Stay tuned for more updates.

Let the best reach the maximum!

Love!