14 Oct 2022 | 06:07am IST
The secret to handling stress
The pandemic changed everyone’s life and no matter how stable a person was in their life, it was a time when the situation was out of one’s hand. With the stress levels quite high and the fear of losing near and dear ones, many people suffered from stress problems and suicidal thoughts
Dr Roshan Kanekar
T
he pandemic has hurt everyone in the world, from people living
in poverty to the richest businessmen, from new born children to elderly
people, from illiterate to most educated people. Covid-19 claws have grasped
the eternal darkness of the worst affected person and will continue to do so
till the pandemic lasts. Definitely there will be light of hope, joy and
opportunity after every darkness.
Just like trash, we all generate stress
but if you don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your
life. Decrease use of social media beyond any career opportunity related matter
as social media brings you close to those far away but drives you away from
those standing just next to you. Include enjoying your hobbies in your daily
routine as they are a good distraction from worries and trouble that plague
daily living. If you are angry due to frustration of any cause just do deep
breathing, try saying alphabets in reverse order, write your frustration on a
piece of paper and tear it off. Have at least one friend with whom you can
share all thoughts and feelings without any hesitation and with only mutual
compassion and love. Decorate your room with photos of all the happy moments,
some beautiful flowers and mind refreshing wall stickers so that in frustration
you will feel fresh.
Have a pet at home, they have a way of finding people who need
them and with cuddling and purring, they will fill sadness and anxiety in your
life with happiness. Have at least 7-8 hours of sleep per day as a tired mind
doesn’t plan well and before going to sleep say thanks for at least two good
things that happened that day. Do exercise, have healthy food as this brings
‘peace of mind’ which is a necessity rather than a luxury. Avoid smoking,
alcohol and drugs as they are temporary fun with permanent impairment. If any
thought of hopelessness, helplessness or suicide enters your mind, don’t feel
shy to consult professionals online or offline.
Remember you only live once. Pandemic will end soon. Some people
have lost everything in their life: house, job, family and some have walked
hundreds of miles hungry, just to stay alive. At least, you are lucky to have a
roof on your head, food to eat, parents and friends to talk to. So consider it
as a blessing, do what makes you happy and believe in yourself.
People have risen from ground zero to do become great people in
life, like Dr APJ Abdul Kalam went from selling newspapers to becoming an
aerospace scientist. Cricketer Yashasvi Jaiswal went from selling pani puri to
becoming the leading scorer in the tournament. Manya Singh, daughter of auto
rickshaw driver, went from washing utensils at restaurants to becoming Miss
India 2020 runner up. Their road to success was never straight. It was full of
hurdles but they became successful because they had a dream. They forgot about
all the pain that came their way.
Life will always push us to our limit and will test us beyond
our endurance. But if you have a dream and a mind which is focused on that
dream, you will turn out to be the strongest soldier in the battlefield of
life.
(Dr
Roshan Dattaram Kanekar completed MBBS and MD neuropsychiatry from Goa Medical
College and has eight years of clinical experience. She aims to remove the
negative attitude that exists in society towards mental health.)
