‘There is no health without Mental health’ – WHO says. However the conversations on mental health is ubiquitously missing in our country, if even there are mentions of it – it is mostly related to mental illness which is stigmatized at large, full of myths and taboos. There is dire need to talk about mental health for the overall wellbeing of the people especially in time of uncertainties, pain and grief due to COVID-19.
With
the help of Principal and state manager at Government School, Dwarka we invited
students from different classes to participate in the workshop organized on
International Mental Health Day, and more than 60 students joined on zoom
giving us a happy surprise. With a pleasant smile on our face and heart full of
gratitude, we began the session by building understanding on the importance of
the day and how crucial it is to have mental well-being for everyone. The
session proceeded with mindful meditation allowing them to calm their thoughts,
relax and bring back their wandering energies to themselves so that they will
be fully present to the various activities that would happen in next hour or
two.
What
started as chaos, students speaking all at once, noises all around seemed to
hit a pause for few minutes – it amazed me how these young students have this
wonderful diverse capabilities to bring entropy and silence all in a small dose
of time. The participants were then invited to write their experience of a day
where they felt low, sad or angry; giving them time and opportunity to reflect
on the day and how that affected them.
Some
of the coping mechanism shared by the students were –
“I
sing songs or listen to music”
“I
go to park, sit in silence and watch people”
“I
look back and remember old memories when I was happy”
“I
watch old photos”
“I
sit with my parents and watch television”
“I
laugh, let go and try to stop thinking about it”
“I
do meditation”
“I
go for cycling”
“I
speak to my friends and talk about it”
“You
may not like it, but I play PUB G”
“I
play video games”
“I
sleep”
“I
shut down, and don’t talk to anyone”
“I
sit with myself, avoid anyone’s company”
“I
draw, paint or do craft”
“I
pray”
I
am stumped by their responses, each of them is so unique, beautiful and
wonderful in their own way ! With the help of these answers, we talked about
healthy and unhealthy coping mechanism line even if someone doesn’t like what
you do, if it makes you grounded, present and help you deal with the situations
– it’s good but secluding oneself or not talking to anyone or sleeping for long
duration is numbing and falls under unhealthy practices. In our quest to build
understanding on positive mental health and providing them tools to cope with
not so good situations, we asked them to write 5 good things about themselves –
“I
love talking to new people, I make friends easily – its good for both me and
other person; I do this so that they don’t feel left out or alone. I can make
people laugh. I love cycling, not a day goes by when I don’t go for cycling. I
never shy away from doing any work be at school or home- if my mother asks me
to do anything, I do it with a happy smile. I enjoy speaking my mind in front
of small group of people but larger audience makes me nervous”
“My
height has increased early, I have learnt riding bicycle fast. I am very
tenacious- I do all my work on time, I learn and understand things quickly. I
respect and love my elders and people of my age”
The
positive self-talk works wonderfully when we face difficult situations –
knowing about one’s good points help in negotiating and moving forward rather
than procrastinating and pulling oneself down. Next we invited the participants
to draw or write about their dreams- the one they have thought for themselves,
not the one told by parents or teachers or their peers. This was such a
beautiful sight when all of them were exceptionally silent, busy in creating,
drawing and wording their dreams.
In
the next part of the session, we invited the students to write about their
happy memory or a day where they enjoyed or were relaxed! It was an invitation
for free writing to express their thoughts and feelings. The prompt response
was ‘my birthday’ yes – the day when the person feels very special and people
all around make us feel that ways. This is one of the tools – journaling; a
diary is like a mirror where you can write whatever you are going through on
regular basis which could be first step to acknowledging and dealing with a
difficult experience.
In
the last part of the workshop, we asked students to share what they are
thankful for!
“I
am happy that I have good parents, supporting friends, good school and a
healthy life”
“I
am happy to be alive”
“I
am thankful that we are getting food during COVID-19, where so many people are
going hungry”
“I
am happy that we didn’t get ill from COVID-19, all of us are saved”
It
is important to remind ourselves that these activities shouldn’t be restricted
to some occasion or just International Mental Health Day, it should be part of
our day to day life in order to have positive mental health.
During quarantine, this has been one of the most wonderful moments for Sahas; this is a reminder that we are growing creatively, taking each step in unknown and exploring things to build a community beyond assumptions, judgments, stigma and stereotypes of present narratives.
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