Mystery Behind Misery : Importance of Mental Health

In this fast growing world, the consuming rat race and the will to excel and fit in,we have forgotten to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. No amount of hustle, success and money can compensate for our health, be it physical or mental. We give enough attention to physical health but always hesitate talking about mental health. The superiority of humans lies in their well developed brain, so it becomes important to talk about mental health and mental distress too.

The other day, I came across the news of a 25 year old boy who ended his life because of the drastic workload he was facing at his workplace. For us commoners, that might be some workload, but we have no idea what that person must be going through. Someone who gave a quarter of his life dedicated to studies, who started earning great too at such a young age, who was living his dream life as assumed by most of us, that person was suffering in silence and nobody came to know. And I strongly disagree that workload was THE ONLY reason. There must have been some other reasons as well. Someone choosing death over life is not an instant decision. It is an accumulation of so many thoughts, a cycle of negative vicious thoughts recurring every now and then.

Mental health is not just about depression. There are other factors that go unnoticed like loss of social interaction, drastic increase or decrease in appetite, loss of interest in hobbies, fatigue, lack of concentration, love for staying secluded, insomnia, self harm or crying without any specific reason. We don’t need any rocket science to help such people come out of their current situation.

The ones suffering from mental health issues don’t need our sympathy. They need our kind words, empathy, our shoulders to lean on, ears that will listen and a gentle heart that will understand and not judge. It’s our job to make them feel secure, safe , wanted , understood and loved. We should make ourselves so potent and approachable that they don’t hesitate to seek help from us. This can only happen if we stop considering this topic a taboo. And never ever turn down someone who is coming to you for help. If God is giving you a chance to save someone’s life, don’t lose it. You will not always have solutions to their problems, but you can always listen to them. At some point or the other in life we come across someone who has recently faced a tragedy,has lost his loved one, or is facing multiple failures. Rather than ignoring them, we should always check on them and keep a track of their activities, not as a detective but as someone who cares for them. And always remember PEOPLE DON’T FAKE DEPRESSION, THEY FAKE HAPPINESS.

It happens that life is not a bed of roses. There will be days when we will feel tired, would want to give up. But always remember that good times are about to come right after everything is going wrong and nothing seems to align, right after you are about to give up. If you won’t taste a bad apple, you won’t know what a good apple tastes like. Life is a process of learning, healing and growing, and it’s really brief. You are just having a bad time, not a bad life. And at the end, we all make it home. So be generous and kind as we all are here for a while.