It’s now time for us to wake up, learn and see the invisible. You might think that how do we see and accept the invisible, right? But if you introspect, you’ll realise that we already have inculcated a habit of accepting what we can’t always see.
For example,
God – We look for God in idols, books, long scriptures, philosophy
Air -We can feel it. We need it for our existence and the absence of it is the pathway to death.
If we already know how to accept the truth even when we can’t see it then why are we in denial of that one aspect which plays an integral role in our mental health – “Our Feelings”.
Why is it that any anomaly or disturbance in mental health is a cause of shame and needs to be hidden while Physical Health is something we flaunt?
When your child coughs/sneezes, you immediately get him some syrup, you rush to your nearest doctor. A cough/sneeze is a Physical Symptom, and visible, thus you get all worked up.
But stop for a moment and attempt to analyze all those symptoms which you can’t physically see…
- Your teen’s appetite has reduced, he is losing/gaining weight,
- His sleeping pattern has changed,
- Your teenager isn’t meeting his friends and, is not being social. Are you worried? Do you wonder why?
- Your child remains irritated and is violent for days on end? Do you get worked up?
- Your child is sad and upset and sometimes expresses or give signals. How do we react?
All the above are emotional problems. They are frequently invisible and thus, we quite often ignore them. These are the cold and coughs of your mind and if not dealt with immediately, will turn into typhoid or TB of Mental Health i.e Anxiety or Depression.
It is time to understand and address the challenges of this invisible mind. Ignoring these signs and hoping that they’ll go away eventually is not the solution to the problem. We have to nip into bud and let it not take deep roots.
Let us take this issue on a war footing basis.
Let us take steps to prevent the wilting of the bud even before it grows into a flower. Let us take care of the talented youth of our nation, before it is too late.
Whatever message Arjun was trying to convey is secondary, but what do we learn from this incident is now very important and our prime focus. We need to prevent these episodes from recurring and, hence begin the process of strengthening the emotional makeup of youth. We need to rewire the youth to provide them with the right tools to deal with such incidents in their life.
But while we are embarking this journey, what can WE do to foster them?
- Being observant and aware about changes in their behaviour and taking the required action or steps before it gets out of control
- Preparing them for the times ahead by taking care of their emotional growth
- Helping them increase their coping ability to face challenges and failures
The journey is a little long and may not be as easy as it sounds. Because, we’re attempting to restructure the emotional makeup of these young kids who are supposed to live a long, healthy and, fulfilling life. We need to open up our minds to help all the teens and the kids who are struggling with their emotions.
Life can get overwhelming but, with a little support and the right tools, there’s nothing that we can’t achieve!
Image courtesy – https://thetab.com/uk/birmingham/2017/03/05/mental-health-uob-guide-help-can-get-33458