Tag: MENTAL HEALTH

A lockdown for bodies, but minds still wandering... And this distance between mind and body — it’s turning the inevitable pain into self-made suffering. But that’s the downside!! Let’s talk about the upside... the positives through this period. Let’s try to experience these happy realizations: 1. Death connecting us to life People are dying everywhere. It provokes fear of death now and then at every heart, no different you and me. But amidst all these did you realize: We literally experienced our biggest fear Death sitting at home? Gracious we are alive!  Is there a bigger blessing? I don’t think so. Let’s celebrate life with a toast to breath as the biggest reason to smile. 2. Higher sensitivity towards poverty and hunger It’s not only about this lockdown when the poor are dying of hunger. Earlier, most of us could only sympathize. We could not take that one step further — to think about doing something for them. Why? Either shortage of time or our own lives in a turmoil. Now as we standstill, there are more volunteers to think about the poor. This lockdown has taken our sympathies to another level. And that’s wonderful! 3. Turning faces towards the real mirror — Self-awareness We are denied worldly experiences ongoing lockdown. But this phase made us dig deep within to feel ourselves.  The deeper we touch, the darker it feels!! But do you know the sunnier part? At least we are facing the real mirror! We are meeting ourselves everyday. We are knowing ourselves more! No matter beautiful or ugly reflects our face in the real mirror of self-awareness, we are experiencing the taste of our company. It is leading to self-acceptance — the foundation of self-love! 4. Inculcating a new interest Earlier we never got this length of me-time. With a lockdown of direct connections with the outside world, the sharpness of the mind has less to dissect. Maybe it’s time for the soul to reach a deeper dimension without self-judgments. Picking up that half-read old book from the shelf, Tuning-in the chords of the broken guitar, Scribbling emotions in our personal diary,  Pursuing the hobby left out of responsibility, Learning different meditation or yoga practices, Let it be anything that pulls our interest! Who knows, we discover an artist within who flares the life-spark rest of our lives. 5. Connection with smiling nature after decades  Neither money is having the last laugh nor the people. It’s nature smiling! We must feel happy for them.  After all this damage, it resurrected! The air turned cleaner; the tress became greener; the water got purer. Guess what? The renewed nature is blessing us with a healthy life! Do we really need anything else? I feel nothing can draw our interest more than getting richer with nature’s wealth. Let’s celebrate nature, preserve the wealth it’s bestowing! 6. Our battle is always in the inside We have been our comparing lives with people, competing against them. Conveniently we have been blaming them for all the wrong happening with us. But about this time, we are not against outside; we are exploring the truth: We have been battling against our illusions. And it is always about the inside! We are meeting our inner critic... the real audience. And it’s an original ball game altogether. No doubt the battle has got tougher but...

The extended lockdown period... is it taking a toll on your mental health? Are you yearning to step out of lockdown to fulfill your desires? Is the pain of world outside transiting into your suffering? Do you struggle to utilize the Me time you never got before? Do you foresee uncertainties, leading to dilemmas, on the other side of pandemics? If any of these is happening with you during the Corona outbreak, your mind is turning into a theatre of psychological dramas. High time mate! You better stop engaging with your thoughts. Let’s understand what’s cooking A hell lot is happening around you, infact the whole world is suffering. Like too much to take! And amidst all these, the viral pictures of grief, remorse, sorrow, helplessness, are everywhere, in social media and news channels, making worse for the mind to sail smoothly with this life transition. The normal routine... regular thinking patterns... all disrupted! Nothing is motivating, nothing seems inspiring about the world right now. To add final nail to the coffin, this extended lockdown period! What all of it is resulting to? Overflowing thoughts... conspiring against each other, causing severe damage to your sanity. I was hit hard by lows during this quarantine. And as I always do, I consciously chose to explore the dark. I walked out in a better headspace! A few mindshifts pulled me out from the slumps of my mind. I am happy sharing these as my suggestions; hope you find them useful. 4 Mindshifts for a better headspace A mere acceptance of your pain Human race is mourning to bereavement, Eyes around reflect deep down fears, Destitution struck so hard the poor are starving to death, Economies gravely affected; savings vaporizing than never, Future looks ambiguous... the other side under dilemmas,  Like everything brought to a standstill! Difficult time this... as there is only pain to attract from the outside world. You never stood here before, and your mind is clueless about the way out. The result: A chaotic mind that produces anxiety. But my dear friend... you need to realize: Not only you, your family, your city, or your country... It’s the entire world that’s unsettled right now. So what you are going through is fine. It’s the current normal! Yes you need to accept this right now... Better said... you might wonder: How should I gracefully accept this change? Just acknowledge you are not battling alone. It's not only about you this time... we are in this together! This offers you strength to stand in solidarity, as we people are kind of sharing identical pain. It brings the acceptance you need! Trust me... Acceptance of pain is that reliever that never allows your pain turn into suffering. Consciously experience the biggest blessing — You are Alive! You are blessed to be alive, sitting at home, comfortable with your family, away from the virus, getting enough luxuries for a healthy living. You got to feel grateful for this! You are fortunate than millions suffering in this pandemic. Please don't let that feeling of gratitude die in your sub-consciousness. If I ask you:  Did you experience the fear of being asymptomatic to Covid-19 at any point? I think many of us would admit: Yes... I felt that... just for a little... but I did! If...

Mental health awareness is something you should not ignore. Downloading an app is a good option when you cannot afford treatment. Over the years, therapeutic techniques have been more accessible, portable, and cost-effective with respect to traditional treatments.  Here is a list of top 5 mental health apps that you can download free of cost:  Mind Diagnostics: The tests in this app are one of the quickest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a specific mental health condition. Mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety are real, common and treatable. This US based app can find therapists in your area with over 25 tests like Depression Test, Anxiety Test, Adult ADHD Test, PTSD Test, Alcohol/Substance Abuse and Addiction Test, Gambling Addiction Test, Narcissism Test, Sex Addiction Test, and others.   Download:  Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.minddiagnostics   What's Up?: A free app utilizing some of the best CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) methods to help you cope with Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Stress and more! With a beautiful, modern design, simple heading and easy-to-follow methods, you can get to what helps you the most in seconds! Some of the key features are:  12 common negative thinking patterns and simple methods to overcome them. 10 great metaphors to help you cope with negative feelings. A comprehensive diary to keep your thoughts and feelings together, including the ability to rate feelings on a scale out of 10. A positive and negative habit tracker. Set goals to practice those good habits while ending the bad ones! A catastrophe scale. Put your problems into a better perspective when things are too much A grounding game containing over 100 fun questions to help keep you grounded and in the present when stress is taking over. Download:  Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jacksontempra.apps.whatsup Wysa: Stress, Depression & Anxiety Therapy Chatbot: Wysa is a mood tracker, mindfulness coach, anxiety helper, and mood-boosting buddy, all rolled into one. Wysa, your happiness buddy is that friendly and caring chatbot. Wysa is packed with daily spiritual meditation for women that improves women's mental health and is also a perfect way to bond over family meditation. Always there for you when you need someone to talk to, Wysa helps you keep track of your mood with friendly chats and helps fight stress and anxiety with its proven techniques and calming meditation and mindfulness audios. Checking in with Wysa regularly will improve your emotional health so you can track your happiness and mood. Download:  Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bot.touchkin Moodpath - Depression & Anxiety Test: Moodpath is your personalized mental health companion and supports you in phases of stress, depression, and anxiety. Download Moodpath to get a mental health assessment, to track and reflect on your mood, and take a break from negative thoughts and overwhelming emotions. Some of the key features of the app include -  assess your mental health, Track, monitor and reflect and learn to let go of negative thoughts and overwhelming emotions Download:  Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.moodpath.android Psychiatry Pro-Diagnosis, Info, Treatment, CBT & DBT:...

This write-up is quite close to my heart as it is straight out from my heart. I was going through an ugly phase in my life, and like many others didn't have the courage to accept it. That phase has taught me a lot and it is my responsibility to share a few of my realizations. As it comes: First of all, be patient. RELAX. It is entirely reasonable. In fact, don’t forget to Thank God as He has made you an emotionally active person. Also, you are smarter and pro-active than many others. It is because you at least understood, realized and accepted the fact that you are facing rational problems and now, you are ready to challenge it and find the solutions to these problems. It is the reason why you are here, scrolling down, seeking solutions to solve your physiological mysteries. Well done mate! You deserve a pat on your back as you landed on the right harbor.  Believe me; I can completely understand what you are going through from inside. It is the flood of negative emotions inside you, which is not only keeping you away from happiness but also choking your breath.  Reasons to feel negative: I know your reasons to feel negative might be varied and classified. Sometimes, you blame people, at times situations and sometimes destiny for your negativity. Actually, It is opposite to the way you think.You need to realize that facing negativity is not a problem.A bitter realization is on its way...You need to realize the cause of your negativity is no one except YOU. It might have come hard at you but most of the times, it is a fact. The sooner you realize it, the sooner you act to target the right cause for your negativity and subsequently, act upon it. Friends, we all love the blame game. Nevertheless, what happens after the blame game? Do you feel light or does your negativity gets eliminated? No, never. In fact, it acts as a base to attract more negative energies. This process goes on and on until you become an entirely negative person. The entire process: You need to comprehend the vicious circle, which is ruining us. It will enable you to target the right problem and work on that. Let me explain this vicious circle by boiling down to the nitty-gritty. The vicious circle: Idleness- Thinking- Overthinking- Feel less- Losing the awareness in the present moment-Losing happiness- Negative thinking- A fully negative person- Blame game- Non-productivity/Idleness. This flow chain says it all. Let me explain it to you quickly. You are not always working. Sometimes, when your mind is not working, instead of feeling and enjoying the now, most of us involve our minds in idle-thinking. Idle-thinking is extremely dangerous as your mind is not thinking about anything productive that time. When that thinking is stretched for an elongated time, it leads to overthinking. Overthinking about anything non-productive acts as a base to attract other negative energies. One point to be noted is that it is the idle-thinking, which I am talking about,...