Accepting that feeling

I came across an article in Times Of India titled whether and how you should communicate about your mental health to your partner. For a long time I used to think depression comes from certain trigger and it is mainly about  feeling sadness and it goes away with time. I used to experience certain kind of negative emotion during early years of my life and I used to tag that as 'sadness' and used to blame external factors as its cause. Some times I used to rebuke myself for over thinking and feeling down even when there was no apparent external reason of feeling low. Soon I discovered diversion and disassociation from the current environment are the best medicines to recover. Until recent years, sharing this feeling was out of question for me mainly due to the stigma attached to mental illness.

Then I started reading about bunch of celebrities who admitted of going through mental issues and the diverse range of illnesses possible in this domain. I understood every human being goes through illnesses like depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, post traumatic disorder etc at least couple of times in life just like we all experience fever, abdominal pain, bone issues etc in life. Intensity and duration of this pain vary from person to person. Medicines like constant attention, love and care are sufficient to deal with them in many cases, some time consulting doctor is necessary; just like steam inhalation and gargling are sufficient to treat chest congestion at home, but we need to see doctor if the symptom persists. Some persons are prone to cough and cold or have tooth sensitivity from childhood and gene and / or environment or habits in early life play a vital role in shaping the physical health in a specific way in later life. Same is true for mental health. Until I reached middle age, I was not aware of my own psychological and behavioral patterns which might have stemmed from certain factors in my childhood. 

Now I accept not feeling anxious or depressed from time to time is some thing that only dead people can ensure. Acknowledgement is important. Care needs to be taken to prevent  symptoms from aggravating. Exercise,  meditation, aroma therapy, laughter and acceptance and support from near ones can help to heal. Some time it is okay to cry. Every time you can not force your mind to think or feel some thing else. And people who are prone to such diseases need to take additional care. It is strange but true that India still lacks quality mental health care. I reached out to professional help for couple of times in my life and I was criticized and made to feel uncomfortable by most of them.One famous Bollywood star recently mentioned his busy schedule did never let him experience the luxury of depression. It is unfortunate that many enlightened people are still unaware of handling this obvious aspect of human life.  Social media is raising awareness on mental health now-a-days and people are slowly getting benefits by sharing experience. 

Human beings have the most superior brain in the animal kingdom. Rationalizing and expressing emotion are precious capabilities that make human beings so unique. Hence taking care of our mind is extremely necessary part of our every day life.