By Pooja Marwah
Seeking help does not reveal incompetence. It reflects bravery to recognise a problem and look for solutions.
Feeling low and being able to talk about it does not show weakness. It’s a sign that you are mature enough to respect another person’s insight.
In today’s world, good mental health is of equal importance, if not more, than physical health. The thoughts we breed is the fuel we give our mind and body to function. It is impossible to think positive, when all we feel is as though our world is falling apart. But the one important thing to understand is that no matter how tough the situation may be, we have to be able to identify it … and then move ahead and tackle it. After all, tough times don’t last… it’s the tough people who do.
I find it very strange when we look at therapists or psychologists with a wary eye. “Why do I need to go to a third person and talk about my personal life?” “How can a random stranger help?” I too have shrugged them off in my younger days saying we have friends and family that we can turn to, to talk. But the stark reality is – Sadly… no one has the time or the inclination. And if they do, there is some or the other vested interest. And I am taking the liberty to generalise here for, barring a small number, even parents have some or the other motive in shaping their child’s decisions.
Right from childhood, mental health needs and should be given its due. It helps us understand the responsibility of choices we make, determines how we handle stress or even relate to others. New age words like therapist, life coach, mental awareness coach have all surfaced due to the increasing trend in behavioural problems. Depression, another cherry on the cake, isn’t even identified with the seriousness it should. Mental illness is like being trapped on a rollercoaster ride. When the highs come, it feels thrilling and as the low hits, the feeling gets suffocating and nauseous.
And the thing to remember here is that there is nothing wrong in seeking help. It has to treated as a physical ailment wherein we go see a doctor to get medicine. Likewise, if you find yourself going through sudden mood swings or bouts of insecurity, you have to be able to push yourself to ask for help. It takes a lot of strength and a whole lot more of empathy for the ones you love. But it’s a decision that only you can take.
People the world over are people. Some leave lasting impressions in a good way and others leave their imprint negatively. For too long in life, I’ve seen them give a lot more importance to the latter than the former and that is where the first weed seeps in. I’ve seen people break down in ways that it seems daunting to even try and pick them up, I’ve heard of suicidal contemplations and I’ve seen good people deteriorate merely due to lack of acceptance that there is a problem!
Therapy sadly comes with a stigma attached to it – ‘It’s for crazy people!’ And all that will do is prolong your road to recovery. If you find yourself feeling low or going through long lapses of time daydreaming about depressive thoughts, you must step out and ask for help. And, if you can’t do it for you… do it for the ones that light up your world.
(Pooja Poddar Marwah is an award winning author and Blogger. She writes an contemporary living and offers incisive reflections
on the world around us. Her blog, Random Conversations is a go to guide to deal with the myraid stuggles we face each day.)
