By Milind Kher
Contributory Author for Spark Igniting Minds
Health consciousness leaves a lot to be desired.
Nevertheless, there has been considerable improvement versus the past and people are monitoring their health closely nowadays. Sadly, the same cannot be said about mental health. There is still a lot of stigmas attached to people admitting that all is not well on the mental health front and then seeking professional help to remedy the situation.
Why do issues of mental health crop up?
This can happen for a variety of reasons. Mental pressure is a prime cause. Let us see how this works:
There are pressures that a child goes through at various stages of growing up which ultimately gets converted into a full-blown issue on attaining adulthood. During early childhood, the “I am not ok, you’re ok” mindset can be quite disempowering for the child. This is the time that the child has to be handled in an extremely sensitive manner so that both extremes are avoided, the child developing an inferiority complex, as well as the other of the child getting an exaggerated sense of entitlement.
When we move to the classroom, we find teachers also exerting a lot of pressure on the students in an attempt to mold the students’ way of thinking to that of the teachers. This is, in fact, the central theme of the song “Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd.
Ultimately, as people move into their teens, what their parents or their teachers think does not really matter that much to them. Now everything is about peer pressure, how “with it” they are and how “cool” they are. This is a stage where self-regulation makes a lot of difference. If parents can inculcate this into their wards, then they do not have to worry too much about them at this stage. If the parents do not have the time or do not devote sufficient attention, then this could have unhealthy consequences for their wards. Whereas prevention is better than the cure, nevertheless when the situation so demands professional help should be sought. The help of a counselor or a psychologist should be taken, and in more advanced cases, that of a psychiatrist. Mental ill-health can result in depression, and in extreme cases, even lead to suicide.
It is not only youngsters who are at risk. Middle-aged people can go through a mid-life crisis, and the elderly can feel lonely. Support groups are important. These may be run through social media and ultimately face to face connection is important. Whereas social media may give visual and auditory stimulus, ultimately the kinesthetic feel comes through interactions that are provided by face to face interaction.
Mental health is an issue that needs to be addressed, and the more awareness we create, the better.
Featured Image by Natasha Spenser from Pixabay
About the Author
Milind Kher is an Emotional Intelligence Specialist, an NLP Practitioner, and an ICF Certified Life Coach. He works with the human mind and human relationships to enable personal and professional excellence. He is a subject matter expert in all areas of certifications.