Distress Signals- Problem not Punishment!

Anxiety, stress, anger, restlessness and an extreme sense of vulnerability are more common than most of us think! Some of us consider it as something that happens as a punishment to us as individuals. But that is far from the truth. 

Ever had those moments when you are watching a movie and you get the feeling that a chapter from your life is being played on the screen! Or when you are reading a book and you come across a line which is probably the exact thoughts that run through your mind, it’s just that someone else put them in words! Well this might just be coincidence or it might be that our life is not an individual event; it is always a shared event. Someone somewhere may be exactly in the same position as we are.

Stress and distress are not punishments delivered to you because of who you are or what you did. It is an experience, it happens to everyone at some point or the other. The intensity and frequency of life stressors may differ for each one of us. Some of us may overcome it sooner and some may take longer. And all this depends on when and how we decide to cope with our problem areas. This is in turn achievable only if we decide to cope with it rather than burying it deep or running away from it.

We understand how difficult it is to reach out for help when you are dealing with tremendous pressure, pain or grief in life. In fact each step on the way will be hard, sometimes people, some of the times circumstances and yet other times your own mind will make it problematic for you to come out of it. But you have to realize that your problems are not permanent just like every moment of your life- it is passing and it will pass. Once you accept your situation and believe that you are ready to start changing it, you will realize it is a slow process but it will happen.

Reach out to us at 

healing.together12(at)gmail(dot)com

P.S: We maintain utmost privacy and confidentiality of those who write out to us. Please do not share any information which might compromise your identity.

Demystifying Depression!

Most of us consider depression as some sort of an extreme mental breakdown. But that is not the case. To be honest depression is a state of mind which may be more chronic and subtle in its manifestation. It might be always there- sometimes concealed and other times very much obvious. It can arise as a part and parcel of the job we do, the kind of neighbourhood we live in, our home environment or simply as a result of our interpersonal and social relations.

Depression as a mood is characterized by a sense of being ‘low’. It affects our thoughts, our feelings and our behaviour. It comes to determine our eating, sleeping, working and decision making habits. It can also put us constantly in a battle with our self- self doubt, guilt, worthlessness, anxiousness, emptiness and helplessness.

Apart from a mental state of anguish, it can severely affect our physical self- pain, fatigue, nausea and digestive troubles can all result from this state of depression. In worst case scenarios a constant thought of suicide, to the extreme edge of preoccupation with suicidal thoughts and attempts to end one’s life can manifest if this depression continues for long.

A depressed mood may be a result of a normal reaction to any tragic event like accident, death or loss of someone close to us. It may also be a result of bodily ailments like an acute or a chronic disease or merely due to side effects from ongoing medical treatment. Other circumstances may involve constant rejection or failure at academics, work or in familial or personal relation.

Every bad day or every bad mood need not be assessed as depression. There are certain check lists which have to be crossed off in order to diagnose it. Nonetheless seeking help at the very initial stages of depression is a good idea.

Demystification Stress!

What is Stress?

We hear the word so often nowadays that the actual meaning of the term has been misinterpreted a whole lot often. Simply defined stress is a response to any external stimulus that disturbs our mental or physical equilibrium or in other words a change can put our body’s reflex system into action. We under go long term, short term, positive, negative, minor, major as well as real and perceived changes throughout our lives. We go through a change everyday even when we are performing our routine tasks.

Stress as a response mechanism is not bad, in fact it is essential for survival. In all animals this stress response can be life saving when chemicals and hormones are released in face of predatory threat. This puts us in a ‘’fight or flight’ where bodily functions which may not be essential for immediate survival are suppressed such as digestive, reproductive and excretory while also lowering immunity.

Different people feel stressed in different ways though our body’s response to this stress is pretty much the same. For example some might feel urge to eat while others might lose their appetite. Once the threat passes, normal functioning of these processes is restored. But when the stress is chronic and goes on for too long, the response to it also continues for long.

Types of Stress:

• Stress related to pressures from day to day routine and responsibilities
• Stress brought on by sudden or major changes in life, mostly negative changes
• Stress caused by some traumatic event like accident, natural etc

Dealing with Stress:

Stress can build up over time which can in turn lead to serious effects on your mental as well as physical health. There are simple ways to bust routine stress but tackling traumatic stress can be above and beyond individual capacity and may require professional help. This may be due to several reasons such as lack of an understanding of one’s problems and ways of dealing with it, unavailability of familial support, social stigma etc.

• Concentrate on keeping yourself healthy-physically and mentally. Eat a balanced diet to keep yourself light and fresh. Also inculcate a habit of walking or doing gentle exercises like yoga or meditation to boost your mood.
• Keep yourself in company. Stay in touch with friends, family and try to enroll yourself into social groups, religious organizations or hobby clubs.
• Try and keep a check on bodily changes like difficulty in sleeping, fatigue, irritability or increased substance use, to start changing these things one step at a time.
• Learn to say no politely. Turn down new tasks if you think they are going to put a burden on you.
• Set priorities when it comes to family and work responsibilities. Spend time and travel with people you love.
• Avoid thinking about the past- what was, what could have been, problems and mistakes. If you want to change for better then accept them and move on, you know you cannot change what happened by going over them in loops inside your mind.
• Seek help for a counselor/ psychologist/psychiatrist if you think that your state of mind is overwhelming you and you are unable to cope with it individually. Sometimes the ability to talk to someone with a non-judgmental attitude and requisite knowledge about mental health conditions can do a lot to put us at ease.