Lots of dialogues and discussions are taking place about stress and mental health. While the nay-sayers may say that there is already an overload of information around this, I feel that this topic (especially in an Indian context) has been overlooked for way too long.
Most of us have grown up with the notion that mental health is very binary. Either you are normal or mad. Talking about mental health is discouraged, reasons around these dismissed as flimsy and sometimes the solutions proposed lack understanding of the very problems that are causing stress
Such classifications are indeed inaccurate. And the knee-jerk solutions fall short of identifying and addressing the problem comprehensively. One may be seemingly normal while the stress and other mental health issues are eating them away. Hence in my opinion any amount of information and positive discussions around this important yet neglected topic will go a long way in getting the much needed attention.
1. Stress is real only when it can be seen — Myth
Stress can be both physical and emotional. Not always the signs are visible or obvious. It can even happen that the person in question may not even realize that he or she is stressed.
Here is a good article that digs deeper into this topic.
2. Stress can makes one do weird things — Real
While this is no excuse to cross the line, stress being part of mental health can make the distressed do some seemingly abnormal things. Some examples are losing cool, biting nails, going astray from the usual norms, eating junk food, smoking, alcohol ..etc. This seems to put the person in question in a vicious loop as explained by this article.
3. Reasons that can cause stress are same for every one — Big Big Myth
Every person is unique and so are the reasons that can cause them stress. For one it may be the lack of recognition and for the other it may be the fear of losing the stardom. For one it may be due to not clearing a competitive exam and for the other it may be about not getting the desired choice after clearing that competitive exam.
The reason that causes a person to be under stress can be anything. Work Places, Schools, Traffic, Home, Personal Relationships, Co-workers, Peer Pressure, Behavior of other people, News Channels ..etc can be some reasons that cause stress, Internet presence in the form social media profiles like Insta can be yet another addition to this never shirking list of stress causing things.
These reasons can be dismissed as trivial. However to that person who is getting stressed with these, it certainly isn’t. That is an important point of view which needs to be acknowledged and respected. When you encounter someone with stress, the last thing you can do to help them is to ridicule the reason that may be causing them stress. Help with an open and a positive mindset as much as you can.
4. Admitting to Stress is a sign of weakness — Myth
Unfortunately, this is one place where the classification or Myth vs Real fails miserably.
Admitting to stress is indeed not a weakness but then there is always the fear of being branded a not-fit-for-demanding-roles. Modern workplaces are acknowledging stress as a real issue and are taking steps to prevent discrimination based on such an admission. However a lot of work is yet to be done here to remove the stigma associated with admitting to having stress, depression and mental health issues.
In this regard, the revelation from Deepika Padukone is path breaking. Glen Maxwell’s story is equally a watershed moment. Its Ok to admit to having mental health issues. In my own case, the admission indeed elicited a very favorable response and a helping hand from family (especially my wife Veena) and friends. I am quite thankful to them for this.
5. Stress has a cure — Thank God its Real
If left unaddressed, stress and other mental health issues can have devastating consequences and hence its important to With the right help which can be both self-help and external, stress is a beast that can be tamed. Some avenues around this are
- Identify the reasons that cause stress, accept the reasons and work to fix these. It is a journey and the results will not be instant. Here you can do a self introspection or talk to confidants.
- There are friends and family members who can be reached out to for any sort of help. Friends and family are always there to offer help.
- Physical activities like running, swimming cycling ..etc can be quite effective. So are other aspects like yoga, breathing exercises, reading books, writing .etc
- Most corporate environments offer counselling thru their people/HR functions. Else one can opt for their counselling and coaching options to overcome stress.
- Professional help (read doctors, health specialists) is indeed a preferred option in case stress levels are severe and are felt over a long period of time.
How have you helped someone who was under stress? Have you received help from someone while you felt stressed?
Disclaimer: The views and opinions are completely personal.
