Mental Health Matters!

Ever been taken away by a stranger’s captivating smile(the one which speaks of his current state)? where you, so effortlessly, chose to turn a blind eye. His silent screams begged you to lend your ears but you lended your back instead! If ever from the nooks and crannies of your mind does a question manage to pave its way out, I expect it to be- this glued smile feels so remarkably unequivalent to his eyes, there’s ought to be a reason to this unbalanced equation and move towards him with all of your empathies, gently hold his hand and ask, he’d then, perhaps, recite to you of the unconditional pain(here, loneliness) he’s managed to keep confidential for the longest, of the ever soaring storm within him, he’s struggling to voyage his emotions with and whilst waffling all this he’d end up revealing to you of the faceless monstrosity he’s being chased by.

He’d tell you of the bane of his being- 

Depression!

Doesn’t this give you the vibes of an extract from some renowned novel? Well, to make you shiver down your spine I’d sum it up in just one clause – is an insight into someone’s life. You’ll never know it until you’ve known it first hand, until you’ve known how scary and lonely it feels to face depression at a young age. You die a million deaths prior to the one meant for you. 

Depression is drowning into the dark hole of anxiety, where one’s lullabies are taken over by pills and the person is circumscribed by an ever dissipating darkness. On this note, we must understand that trivializing the term or taking it lightly isn’t the solution at all. Suffering never did no good to none. Instead of lurking miserably in some corner of your room, allowing it to take over you, seek out for help! Allow it not to play russian roulette with your life. Fearlessly commands him to pack up its presence and leave! You’ve got to change your attitude of avoiding mental health like a plague and copping out from educating ourselves about it instead of learning about it like any other subjects. Renowned American singer Selena Gomez says, “had I learned about my mental health before, I could’ve been a different person than who I’m today”. 

Mental health is as essential as any other essentials of yours. You’ve got to refrain yourself from concealing your suffering in the guise of a smile that goes undetected by most. Let’s be genuine with ourselves, we all are believers in seeking help and if the fear of being the talk of the town holds you back from stretching out your hand, for this world’s a busy body, you need to question yourself, is it worth it? Do not take yourself as a distraction or that your timing wasn’t appropriate (better late than never). You’d be taken aback to know that 7 out of 10 Gen Zers were most likely to report experiencing common symptoms of depression: Anonymous.

The one her kind, world admired, Naomi Osaka, quit from French Open and Wimbledon for having suffered long bouts of depression since 2018 and wished to “take some time” away from the tennis court. She’s stepped out as a pioneer, an uplifter for the ones backed by vulnerability, I insert. In a fractured world seeking humanity, now is the time for the sound(voice) to break through and make a difference, now is the time for you to throw over your sound(voice) far and wide, let the murmurs of realization spur the mankind to do justice to the voice they’ve been blessed with. Reach out to the ones persevering depression, be part of their rebellion, let them speak their painful heart to you, make them believe that they are not alone, let the essence of heartfulness be roused, long story short, pull them out of this hell.

For those of us trying to cope up with it, what you can do on your part is, you do you. Engage yourself into activities that boost up your mood, refreshen you up, and make you cheerful. For instance, a hot cup of tea and your favourite song on repeat, bing watching your favourite soap opera, a stroll through the woods, cuddling with your pup, catching up with an old acquaintance, preparing your favourite meal, looking for resources(organizations) that help overcome depression, etc. Long story short, try to be in your element as much and eventually the fog of darkness and nostalgia will dissipate.You ought not forget that two can play at this game! If depression can then you can too! What matters is the amount of valour you carry irrespective of the fact that your depression is stubbornly persistent. Drawing on all the resources you’ve been able to have the opportunity to approach, you should try to make the most out of them and win this battle.

Ever been taken away by someone who is well up out of euphoria for he has beaten the bane of his life at its own game? No, this ain’t some renowned one liner but going to be a beautiful reality of one of yours life..

By Gulrukh