Thoughts to Words

Life is too short to be demeaned by toxic positivity, cut me some slack because when there is a real problem with my mental health I take the responsibility to heal myself by addressing the illness first. Optimism is in the rulebook and a part of my routine too but the idea is not to exploit its usage by bombarding one-liners to shoo away the acknowledgement of the wound. Seeking help to lead a healthier life (physically, mentally and spiritually) is a human right. On humanitarian grounds, be kind and patient to LISTEN because off late good listeners are missing in action. ©songbriti

"Emotional pain lasts for 10 to 20 minutes, anything longer is actually self inflicted by over thinking, making things worse." This "psychological fact" was posted by a social media page yesterday. You may correct me if the fact is mentioned in any reputed journal related to mental health. I would then happily accept my fault and apologise to you. Talking about Overthinking and its relation to mental illness, is it so hard to understand that no survivor of a mental illness wants to overthink deliberately. Mental illnesses like anxiety disorders have symptoms such as excessive worrying and according to the National Institute of Mental Health (which is a reliable, valid and renowned source) it is a fact that the risk factors of this includes both genetic and environmental factors. It would be great if self proclaimed psychologists/psychiatrists/counsellors on social media understand that mental illnesses like Depression, Anxiety and Phobias are not self-inflicted. ...

The month of Mental Health Awareness came to an end last week. Putting your alarm on snooze after this? Please don't. This is a movement with a global welfare perspective and it needs your support to grow. The awareness campaigns on mental health and mental illnesses by various organisations both on and off social media reached out to a section of the population which is great but reaching out to every human being is the larger objective. The baby steps we take now are the roots of the foundation for tomorrow. Understanding the person next to you, encouraging emotional hygiene, sharing your awareness with fellow citizens, normalising mental healthcare services is a few starters we need to work on. When winter is the season in town, you wear warm clothes to protect yourself from catching a cold. Agree? Winters will come and go but mental health is not seasonal, it is a permanent part of our lives. The month of May is the ship which will be back next year but...O Captain! My Captain!...

"Cold grass blue tea." Disorganisation has its own way of defining things. The floor is having a blast of pastry cream and confetti. It is her birthday, I was ordered to celebrate it. Alexa, my virtual assistant reminds me that I have an appointment at 4pm. A bottle of water is ready on my bedside table and a clozapine. "Whispers of Immortality." Reading books used to be my favourite pastime, not anymore.The last book I read is in the store room, fighting for its life as the worms have begun their coursework. I push myself to the right corner of the bed after she declares she needs more space. Adjusting to her orders is not a choice. "How are you feeling today?" "I am surviving." The session ends after an hour and I leave Dr. Mehta's cabin with a smile. If you think, all the sessions have a happy ending, I must tell you that my battle is not plotted in Fantasyland. There are days when I cry out loud while describing how she scares me...

* I am not a machine which can generate motivation 24X7. I have my own share of emotional breakdowns. Please understand that this however does not affect my responsibilities towards my clients because as a part of my training process I do learn how to deal with my professional life without letting my personal life step into its shoes. * I am not Google. I do not have the solutions to your problems and even if I do have an opinion in my mind, I will never impose my thoughts or opinions on you. As a psychologist, I will always help you help yourself but not spoon feed you with answers. * It takes me by surprise when people say that mental illnesses are a luxury! Are you even listening to yourself? You are calling an illness a luxury? Should I empathize with your ignorance? Actually do me a favour, drop in a message about your ignorance, I will help you gain some awareness and don't worry I won't charge you a penny for it. * It takes years of hardwork to become a psychologist l...

"Am I normal?" Mmmm..."Are you normal?" Validation, yeah? In a world where the number of fucks traded between two or more individuals is directly proportional to the profits obtained by them, what are you searching for again? Just a second, I have a burning sensation in my throat which is running a marathon till my gut. Munched on some homegrown chillies before I got here, a form of rawness and amateurish language flows out of my tongue and damn, I have not been taking those pills of euphemism. Anyway, you were asking… "Am I normal?" Mmmm…"Are you normal?" Fighting a battle in silence for years, switching between laughter in the daylight and sleeping on tear stained pillows with eyes staring at the ceiling blankly till the sun says "knock knock"… In a society where stigmatizing mental illness and chanting slogans of "Oh it is all in your mind" is not questioned and left to brew ignorance and insensitivity, You ...