Aniruddha Live (FB)-Sushant Singh Rajput and Mental health

This is the matter of my FB live on 14^th June, 2020. You can watch the video Facebook live or YouTube (don't forget to like, share and subscribe to the channel) 

Checkout all the videos of the mental health series and other videos here  

You can check out my Facebook Page here and my Instagram page here

You can also check out my list of books here.

Hi friends, good evening.

The untimely demise of highly successful actor Sushant Singh Rajput has shocked the country. May his soul rest in peace.

But the string of celebrity suicide around the world has once again ignited a topic that is usually brushed aside by most of us-the issue of mental health.

The problem of mental instability, depression and anxiety has risen significantly since the arrival of the COVID19 pandemic and the associated lockdown. But friends, is it the pandemic and the lockdown that has led to such consequence? Or was it already a part and parcel of our lifestyle and surfaced due to the unprecedented phenomenon?

Like, we can say for most things around us-COVID19 didn’t break a system, it exposed a broken system. The good, the bad, the sacrifices, the corruption, the heinous acts and the selfless services-none of them were created by the disease, it only brought out what was already there. Likewise the problems with mental health were already there-the pandemic and the lockdown are pointing it out to the world.

It may not be an overstatement to say that mental health problems are also a side effect of the global interaction not too different from the coronavirus pandemic itself. The ancient Indian way of life was a gem when considered in terms of mental health and peace of mind. However, since we are not in a state to go back to the basics right now, let’s take a look at the issue. 

Our lifestyle, our self-obsession, our extreme selfishness and our unnecessary obsession with the society-defined success has been one of the major causes for erosion of our happiness. However, if we very carefully consider the human civilization and our own lives, we will realize that everything we did was for happiness. Why did you want to top your class? Why did you want recognition? Why did you want to earn more? It was all because we wanted to be happy.  Even when you love someone it is because loving that person or being with the person makes you happy. Everything friends is somehow related to us, being happier. But today in our endeavor for the means we have forgotten the ends.

Friends none of the above can make us happy. Ask yourself friends-are we happy?  We must understand that happiness is a state of mind-and its not in having or not having its about being. You can’t have happiness you can be happy.

We run after money, we run after jobs, recognition, physical gratification and we think that we will be happier when we have this or that but it doesn’t happen that way. The only person who can make you happy is you yourself. It is like this very famous dialogue from one of the most successful Indian movies-“Gabbar k kaher se tumhe sirf ek admi hi bacha sakta hain-khud Gabbar.” Likewise you are the only one who can save yourself.

While accepting the fact that depression and mental health issues are medically accepted illnesses, we must understand that like every other illness mental health also has two components-physiological and psychological. Only in case of mental problems like depression, anxiety etc the psychological part plays an immensely larger role. Like we say the doctor gives the medicine but god heals the sick. Here we are the god. We are capable of healing ourselves.  The medicines can only help relieve certain physiological disturbances and make us strong enough to fight the problem-but we must remember that it is us, who have to take care of the issue at the end.

I would tell you about some very general tips to fight depression and reach a happier state of mind today.

1. Gratitude: Yes, dear friends, gratitude is an extremely powerful tool. Use it anywhere and everywhere you can. Be grateful for the small things is life and life itself.
2. Be active. Human mind is unable to focus on more than one thing at a time-so get busy and your mind will have little time to become unhappy, depressed, or anxious. You may realise that mental health problems are more prevalent among the affluent classes-more so because they have too much leisure to think about the non-essential items in life and attach undue importance to small things. You won’t be depressed of not having an AC if you can’t manage four square meals a day.
3. Exercise, meditation and pranayama can help immensely in betterment of physiological and psychological state of your being. Try them, even if at a rudimentary level.
4. Compassion-yes friends. Compassion helps to take our mind off our own problems and makes us feel for others. In helping others, we are actually helping us to attain a happier and more fulfilled life. You don’t always need to help people in cash or kind, just feeling empathy for someone in trouble can lead to serious improvement of your own state of mind.
5. Hobbies are also a great relaxer-sing, dance, chat, read books, watch good movies just don’t get addicted to anything, because that can again be a cause of sadness.

However, I know it’s is not a one show fits all approach. But I also don’t want to make this video too long, so just consider my suggestions and try to implement them in your lives and share it with others so that they can benefit. Any of you, who is not feeling the way you want to can get in touch with me, and I can help you out to get to a better state of mind. It will be a pleasure to see someone happier. Secrecy will be preserved so feel free to get in touch.

I will take your leave now. Take care and stay safe, Good Night.

You can watch the video here.

Check out my Facebook Page here and my Instagram page here

You can check out my list of books here.