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The festival of Raja celebrates WOMANHOOD & MENSTRUATION. It's a one of its kind festival celebrated in the mystery lands of Odisha. It is believed that Mother Earth menstruates on this day and hence to signify respect and care towards her there is no agricultural/ any other activity where the Earth is plowed or used, in order to help her with this recovery and rejuvenating process. This festival is celebrated across 4 days wherein women, especially the unmarried maiden celebrates by wearing new clothes, dressing up, playing games like ludo and cards, eating various special dishes out of which one is an authentic dish of Odisha "Poda pitha". Women are given a break from the household chores and their other daily works; men of the house take up the tasks and responsibilities It is a celebration as well as learning that we can take from this. Respecting women has been in our traditions and culture and is reflected in many of our practices since always. However, it seems that we are forgetting our own culture in this fast process of getting ourselves updated and westernized. Feminism has been considered a western concept and hence makes it's difficult to get accepted. In my opinion, we need to Indianize Western concepts such as Feminism by making it relatable and acceptable for the entire community be it from any sphere of the society. Women in India face stigma and discrimination when they try to seeking help for their physical or mental health needs. The woman is belittled and faces the embarrassment thrown at her for something like menstruation which is a natural process, which needs to be stopped. This can only be done by making "THE TALK" generalized hence removing the stigma associated with this. Now talking about the mental health concerns faced by women. Women are biologically protected from mental illness and are less prone to experience mental health issues due to the presence of the hormone Estrogen, which provides a buffer for females and delays the age of onset in them. However, this hormone gets stops post menopause and hence they are prone to develop not only severe mental health issues as well as physiological illness such as breast cancer, Thus making the talk about female menstrual hygiene normalized and acceptable can help educate the girls of our country to understand their health in a better manner and take steps to prevent disease. "A healthy WOMAN implies a health FAMILY." #psychologydelhi#youmatter#entrepreneur#mentalhealthquotes#empathy#tiktok#counseling#delhipsychologists#business#destigmatizementalillness#addiction#indianpsychologist#art#socialdistancing#mindbodysoul#yoga#goodvibes#delhi#tarot#myths#facts#hypnotherapy#relationshipgoals#psychologyindia#genderneutrality#feminism#mentalhealthindia#odishatourism#odisha#raja #womenhood References Gogos, A., Sbisa, A. M., Sun, J., Gibbons, A., Udawela, M., & Dean, B. (2015). A Role for Estrogen in Schizophrenia: Clinical and Preclinical Findings.International journal of endocrinology,2015, 615356. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/615356

Tension is a state of physical stiffness in the body that can cause pain and even emotional reactions such as anxiety. Physical relaxation aims to undo this tension and progressively relax muscles and muscle groups. Psychological relaxation occurs when the mind is relatively free of stress and distraction. People may still have stress in their lives or tasks to complete when they are psychologically relaxed, but stress and tension are not foremost in the minds of relaxed people. Psychological relaxation can affect physical relaxation, and people under stress frequently experience physical aches and pains as well as muscle tension. Some people have more trouble with relaxation than others. People who tend toward anxiety may experience fewer states of relaxation than others. Depression, anxiety, external stress such as unemployment, diet, and drug use can all affect a person’s state of relaxation. Stress has damaging effects on health and the immune system. Relaxation techniques are helpful tools for coping with stress and promoting long-term health by slowing down the body and quieting the mind. Such techniques generally entail: refocusing attention (for example, noticing areas of tension), increasing body awareness, and exercises (such as meditation) to connect the body and mind together. Used daily, these practices can lead to a healthier perspective on stressful circumstances. Autogenic training It is a desensitization-relaxation technique developed by the German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz. by which a psycho-physiologically determined relaxation response is obtained. This technique uses both visual imagery and body awareness to move a person into a deep state of relaxation. The person imagines a peaceful place and then focuses on different physical sensations, moving from the feet to the head. For example, one might focus on warmth and heaviness in the limbs, easy, natural breathing, or a calm heartbeat. The main purpose of autogenic training is the achievement of autonomic self-regulation by removing environmental distraction, training imagery that accompanies autonomic self-regulation, and by providing a facilitative set of exercises that are easy to learn and remember. In the context of autogenic training passive concentration means that the trainee is instructed to concentrate on inner sensations rather than environmental stimuli. Passiveness refers to allowing sensations to happen and being an observer rather than a manipulator. The training can be performed in different postures- · Simple sitting · Reclined armchair · Horizontal posture The technique consists of 6 standard exercises according to Schultz- Muscular relaxation by a repetition of a verbal formula, "My right arm is heavy", emphasizing heaviness. During the initial stages of the training, the feeling of heaviness in the trained arm is more expressed and occurs more rapidly. The same feeling can be experienced in the other extremities at the same time in the other arm. Within a week, a short concentration can trigger the sensation of heaviness in a trainee's arms and legs. 1. Passive concentration focuses on feeling warm, initiated by the instruction "My right arm is warm". 2. Initiation of cardiac activity using the formula "My heartbeat is calm and regular". 3. Passive concentration on the respiratory mechanism with the formula "It breathes me". 4. Concentration on the warmth in the abdominal region with "My solar plexus is warm" formula. 5. Passive concentration on coolness in the cranial region with the formula "My forehead is cool". *Autogenic training is contraindicated for children below the age of 5 and the individuals whose symptoms cannot be controlled. Breathing In breathing techniques, you place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Take a slow, deep breath, sucking in as much air as you can. As you are doing this, your belly should push against your hand. Hold your breath and then slowly exhale. Deep breathing also goes by the names of diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, belly breathing, and paced respiration. When you breathe deeply, the air coming in through your nose fully fills your lungs, and the lower belly rises. For many of us, deep breathing seems unnatural. There are several reasons for this. For one, body image has a negative impact on respiration in our culture. A flat stomach is considered attractive, so women (and men) tend to hold in their stomach muscles. This interferes with deep breathing and gradually makes shallow "chest breathing" seem normal, which increases tension and anxiety. Shallow breathing limits the diaphragm's range of motion. The lowest part of the lungs doesn't get a full share of oxygenated air. That can make you feel short of breath and anxious. Deep abdominal breathing encourages full oxygen exchange — that is, the beneficial trade of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide. Not surprisingly, it can slow the heartbeat and lower or stabilize blood pressure. Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. The brain then sends this message to your body. Those things that happen when you are stressed, such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure, all decrease as you breathe deeply to relax. · The way you breathe affects your whole body. Breathing exercises are a good way to relax, reduce tension, and relieve stress. · Breathing exercises are easy to learn. You can do them whenever you want, and you don't need any special tools or equipment to do them. · You can do different exercises to see which work best for you. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) It is a non-pharmacological method of deep muscle relaxation, based on the premise that muscle tension is the body's psychological response to anxiety-provoking thoughts and that muscle relaxation blocks anxiety.[1] The technique involves learning to monitor the tension in specific muscle groups by first tensing each muscle group. This tension is then released, as attention is directed towards the differences felt during tension and relaxation. This technique involves slowly tensing and then releasing each muscle group individually, starting with the muscles in the toes and finishing with those in the head. These learning sessions are not exercises or self-hypnosis. Training sessions are conducted in a darkened room with the learner in a reclined position and eyes closed. The instructions begin by telling the person to relax and just let go, detaching from thoughts or physical distractions or trying to solve problems. In each session the teacher reviews tensing one particular muscle group. A modification of the technique is "biofeedback" in which one uses external measuring devices to indicate how successful one is in relaxing and then to use those techniques to relax without the help of external measuring devices. Progressive muscle relaxation is suggested to be applied daily. The technique has its own top-down sequence, beginning with the upper body and proceeding to the lower parts. Typically, the duration of a course is eight weeks, with each weekly session each lasting an hour or so. Progressive muscle relaxation technique requires a high degree of personal motivation, as the effects are often seen only after prolonged sessions. Before starting a course it might be recommended to consult with a doctor in order to ensure special care and attention is paid to selected muscle groups, as well as to obtain a recommendation on the ideal course. Jacobson's progressive relaxation has remained popular with modern physical therapists. Although many institutions and individuals offer progressive muscle relaxation training, what they teach is not standardized, and no credentialing process is available for progressive muscle relaxation technique instructors. Meditation The two most popular forms of meditation in the U.S. include Transcendental Meditation (students repeat a mantra, a single word or phrase) and mindfulness meditation (students focus their attention on their thoughts and sensations). Meditation has a long history, most frequently being associated with the Buddhist religion (particularly the Zen cult) and with Yoga. More recently Transcendental meditation has attracted large groups of people, particularly the young. Experimental studies have shown that meditation can produce striking psychophysiological effects, including alleviation of tension, lowering of oxygen consumption and metabolic rate, and decrease of cardiac output. Many techniques exist for the production of meditation, ranging from practiced suspension of thinking to concentration on monotonous environmental stimuli, to a repetition of certain sounds or words (mantras), to special forms of physical exercise. The association of meditation with mysticism is understandable. As in hypnosis, a change of body image and the evocation of weird fantasies may strike some as evidence of preternatural worlds, But meditation may be practiced apart from a mystical union with the absolute and without achievement of “enlightenment”  and universal wisdom. Faith practice from 20 to 30 minutes daily is usually required for proper practice toward mastery of tension Self-Hypnosis Self-hypnosis (which can easily be learned), shying away from ego-building or exploratory suggestions so as to limit the extraneous suggestions and to focus the objective on relaxation. The technique is simple. The patient is enjoined to practice for 20 minutes, twice daily, sitting in a comfortable chair in a quiet room, shutting the eyes, and breathing gently, but deeply concentrating on ones breathing. The patient is then asked to relax muscles progressively starting with the forehead and working down to the fingertips and then shoulders to toes. The reverse can also be done, that is, starting with the toes and slowly relaxing muscle groups to the forehead. Finally, the patient counts very slowly from I to 20 listening to his or her breathing. After the count the patient is enjoined to let the mind become passively languid, avoiding concentrating on thoughts and ideas. Should these obtrude themselves, the patient is to revert back to listening to the breathing. In a short period these exercises may be learned to achieve what the more complex meditation practices accomplish without unnecessary adornments. In some instances this author has made a cassette recording for the patient utilizing the format outlined in the section on hypnosis later in this chapter but eliminating the ego-building suggestions and summation of suggestions. Such relaxation practices have been extremely helpful to patients under excessive tension, without interfering with the psychotherapeutic process. Guided imagery Similar to autogenic training, guided imagery involves listening to a trained therapist or a guided imagery CD to move into a state of deep relaxation. Once in a relaxed state, the images that come up in your mind can help you uncover important realizations about your emotional, spiritual, and physical health. Guided imagery is a widely used self-directed treatment of anxiety and is often practiced together with meditation or mindfulness training. Guided imagery can be individualized to fit the specific anxiety symptoms of each patient, and has well-known beneficial effects on the immune system, physiological stress responses, and general mental-emotional functioning. The regular practice of mental imagery is beneficial for many anxiety problems, including generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and traumatic memories. Imagery and relaxation techniques are often used together to induce hypnotic trance states resulting in a dramatic reduction in symptoms of generalized anxiety. Combining relaxation with guided imagery is probably more effective than either approach alone. In an open trial, 60 women reporting anxiety and postpartum depressed mood experienced significant reductions in both anxiety and depressed mood using a combined relaxation-guided imagery protocol during the first four weeks after childbirth. In contrast to the largely beneficial effects of relaxation on generalized anxiety symptoms, panic attacks are sometimes reported by individuals diagnosed with Panic Disorder during applied relaxation exercises. Body scan meditation This is a type of meditation that that focuses your attention on various parts of your body. Like progressive muscle relaxation, you start with your feet and work your way up. But instead of tensing and relaxing muscles, you simply focus on the way each part of your body feels, without labeling the sensations as either “good” or “bad”. Lie on your back, legs uncrossed, arms relaxed at your sides, eyes open or closed. Focus on your breathing for about two minutes until you start to feel relaxed. Turn your focus to the toes of your right foot. Notice any sensations you feel while continuing to also focus on your breathing. Imagine each deep breath flowing to your toes. Remain focused on this area for three to five seconds (or more). Move your focus to the sole of your right foot. Tune in to any sensations you feel in that part of your body and imagine each breath flowing from the sole of your foot. After one or two minutes, move your focus to your right ankle and repeat. Move to your calf, knee, thigh, hip, and then repeat the sequence for your left leg. From there, move up the torso, through the lower back and abdomen, the upper back and chest, and the shoulders. Pay close attention to any area of the body that causes you pain or discomfort. After completing the body scan, relax for a while in silence and stillness, noting how your body feels. Then slowly open your eyes and stretch, if necessary. Biofeedback training It is a recent entry into the arena of self-regulated tension control. There is considerable evidence that one may gain conscious command over involuntary bodily functions by receiving sensory information from visceral organs. There gradually develops a type of operant conditioning that enables a person to monitor certain physiological functions. The most common instruments employed are those that record changes in skin potential (psychogalvanic meter), brain-wave activity (EEG machine), muscular function (electromyograph machine), and skin temperature (thermal machine). By learning to diminish or increase the auditory signals or amplitudes on a visual scale, one may be able to produce greater quantities of alpha waves (a phenomenon associated with lessened anxiety), to reduce the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, and to achieve profound muscle relaxation. Lowering of blood pressure in hypertension, healing of stomach ulcers, and relief of migraine are among the conditions that have been successfully managed. Relatively easily mastered instruments are available for biofeedback training through which most persons are able to develop an ability to regulate subconscious physiological activities. This kind of visceral learning holds out great promise for the future in treating psychosomatic ailments. Therapists may profitably explore this field to see whether it may enhance their therapeutic repertoire, should their practice involve the treatment of many patients with psychophysiological ailments. In the event the therapist does not possess the instruments, the patient may be referred for adjunctive biofeedback therapy to a behavior therapist skilled in the method. Most patients can be trained in about 10 sessions. Meditation has also been used as part of the treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Vietnam veterans, and to break substance abuse patterns in drug and alcohol abusers. Relaxation techniques can also enhance coping skills in migraine sufferers and reduce stress, as well as improve mood in those with cancer. In general, studies show that with consistent practice, relaxation techniques can potentially reduce symptoms or improve outcomes in the following conditions- Stress Premenstrual syndrome Pain Irritable bowel syndrome Anxiety Infertility High blood pressure High cholesterol Diabetes Panic disorders Chronic tension headaches Fibromyalgia Insomnia Psoriasis Arthritis Hyperactivity in children, as in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Labour and childbirth *It is extremely important that usual medical care and advice be followed for these conditions as well. Relaxation techniques are meant to complement the usual medical care. REFERENCES - Arias, A. J., Steinberg, K., Banga, A., & Trestman, R. L. (2006). A systematic review of the efficacy of meditation techniques as treatments for medical illness. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 12(8), 817–832. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2006.12.817 - Wolberg, L. R. (1977). The technique of psychotherapy. New York: Grune & Stratton. #mentalhealth #delhi #psychology #emotions #depression #stress #stressors #stressrelaxationtechniques #stressbuster #jobstress #anxiety #relaxation #selfhelp

Do you face difficulty in communicating at your workplace? Do you feel that you lack that confidence in addressing in meetings? Here are some tricks and tips to help you out with your difficulties in communicating with your colleagues and help you perform better. 1. Your body speaks a thousand words- Using one's body language i.e. facial expressions, posture, gestures, and eye contact. There are certain agreed-upon interpretations of certain behaviors in a society that may vary from culture to culture but non-verbal communication accounts for the majority of the information transmitted during interpersonal interactions. Eyes: A direct eye contact while conversing is considered to be a sign of confident personality and can make you reliable as a person. Handshakes: A loose and limp handshake is a big NO-NO as it is reflective of one being underconfident and can leave a bad impression. Pay close attention to a firm and friendly handshake. Smile: A lack of crinkles around the eyes suggests a potentially fake smile and cause distress between coworkers. Sitting posture: Sitting with hands and legs crossed while conversing might suggest a disinterest and could imply disconnect. Have an open posture for better communication and improved interpersonal relationships. 2. "Looks does matter"- Setting appropriate dressing makes you look more professional, approachable, and credible. Although you might think this is an outdated notion but wearing clothing or accessories that are appropriate for your workplace can earn you the respect of your coworkers. 3. The "T" Factor- When you work in an office usually you share a common space with people and human being a social animal have a need of belongingness hence the "t" factor i.e. TOGETHERNESS that is a sense of connectedness between you and your fellow workers becomes important. Hence being respectful and supportive towards your coworkers can bring a boost to your popularity and can make you appear attractive and approachable to others. hence following simple practices like greetings, sharing a smile, small talks, etc can help you get into the game. On the contrary being isolated and over-competitive can be counterproductive. 4. Leadership- Leaders have always been popular and liked by others since primitive ages. Hence having leadership qualities such as being proactive in work completion, empowering others, taking new challenges, getting out of the comfort zone, and raising your hand first can help you gain that leadership position. 5. Punctuality- Punctuality is an important element of one's overall image in the workplace and could be a deal-breaker. People who are punctual and feel responsible for the assigned work and have more chances to be chosen for appraisals that those who have a carefree and casual attitude towards work. "WALK AS IF YOU ARE THE KING OR WALK AS IF YOU DONT CARE WHO THE F*** IS THE KING." #mentalhealth #delhi #psychology #firstjob #jobinterviews #vacancies #officehours #jobhiring #urgentjobs #howtoshineatjob #tipsforwork #psychologysays

George Brown in 1956 introduced the concept of expressed emotions, wherein he observed that the patients of schizophrenia after being successfully treated and discharged, in certain cases showed relapse. Expressed emotion (EE), is a qualitative measure of the 'amount' of emotion displayed towards a psychiatric patient, typically in the family setting, usually by a family member or caretakers. It refers to affective attitudes & behavior of relatives towards a family member with psychiatric illness. Brown proposed 5 components of expressed emotions: 1. Critical comments: As observed the patients who had caregivers who passed critical/angry comments towards them consisted of almost 70% on negative symptoms of schizophrenia and further led to physical violence which caused high expressed emotions leading to relapse in patients under such circumstances. 2. Hostility: It refers to a negative attitude directed at the patient because the family feels that the disorder is controllable and that the patient is choosing not to get better. Problems in the family are often blamed on the patient and the patient has trouble problem-solving in the family. The family believes that the cause of many of the family’s problems is the patient’s mental illness, whether they are or not 3. Emotional Over-involvement: It is said to occur when the family members blame themselves for the mental illness.  These family members feel that any negative occurrence is their fault and not the disorders and hence shows a lot of concern for the patient and the disorder. This is the opposite of a hostile attitude and a show that the family member is open-minded about the illness, but still has the same negative effect on the patient. The pity from the relative causes too much stress and the patient relapses to cope with the pity. 4. Positive remarks: Positive regard comprises statements that express appreciation or support for the patient's behavior and verbal/nonverbal reinforcement by the caregiver and hence seen to have a positive impact on the recovery of the schizophrenic patient. 5. Warmth: It is assessed based on kindness, concern, and empathy expressed by the caregiver while talking about the patient. It depends greatly on vocal qualities with smiling being a common accompaniment, which often conveys an empathetic attitude by the relative. Warmth is a significant characteristic of the low expressed emotion family and hence having better recovery for the patients. There are many psychometric assessments to measure EE one of them is CFI. Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) was developed by Rutter & Brown in 1966. It is a semi-structured interview to measure family characteristics. The CFI scale consists of 5 scales to measure. Critical comments, hostility & emotional over-involvement have been found to predict relapse, whereas warmth & positive are known to protect relapse. Criticism Over involvement Warmth Positive remark Expressed emotion and Relapse It is well established that high family levels of expressed emotion are consistently associated with higher rates of relapse in patients with schizophrenia. The first study to undertake the expressed emotion measure and connect it to the course of schizophrenia was investigated by Brown et. al., 1956 where the patients were followed up for 9 months after they discharged and sent to their home from hospital. It was found that prolonged contact of patients with critical caregivers determines the relapse in schizophrenia. A comprehensive analysis by Bebbington and Kuipers of data from 1,346 patients established the relationship between family caregivers ' expressed emotion and relapse, and also the protective factor of reduced face-to-face contact for patients in high expressed emotions families. The odds ratio for relapse in high expressed emotion compared with low expressed emotion homes was 4.30 for men and 4.37 for women. A meta-analysis of 26 studies confirmed that living in a high expressed emotions home environment is more than twice the baseline recurrence rate of symptoms for schizophrenia patients. Reference Amaresha, A. C., & Venkatasubramanian, G. (2012). Expressed emotion in schizophrenia: an overview. Indian journal of psychological medicine, 34(1), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7176.96149 #mentalhealth #delhi #psychology #emotions #depression #anxiety #homelessness #psychiatry #mentalillness #schizophrenia #recovery #relapse #caregiversupport

A worm's eye narrative of mental health in the capital I am writing this article by keeping it closer to the ground realities of Indian mental health conditions. You can find “n” number of articles on the web talking about the scary figures and containing tons of data on the present scenario of the mental health in India, so let's move beyond it. What I am trying to express through this article is a lived-in experience. So, let me start with a brief introduction, I am a Psychologist, born and bought up in New Delhi, India, one of the most modernized states in this country and known for its urban lifestyle and glamour across India, by the rest of the country the state is also seen as a platform of opportunities and growth. Actually, I would say that’s just a bird’s eye view and probably a vague explanation about the Capital city, wonder why..?? let me just explain from my 24 years of lived-in experience from Delhi. The general socioeconomic status of the city ranges from low socioeconomic status to high socioeconomic status but the majority would agree to exist somewhere in the middle. Although the city caters well to the need for education, health, basic amenities, etc. for some reason it has failed in terms of mental health awareness and this is something SERIOUS. “Serious” because the capital can give you a fair estimate of the rest of the country. People and governments both seem to be failed up to a great level to spread awareness on mental health, in the city we can see the awareness banners about communicable diseases like TB, dengue, HIV, etc. but you can rarely find a single awareness banner talking about mental health. we can agree upon the fact the other diseases are important but I feel miserable when I think back and find myself unable to recollect a single awareness banner talking about “mental health and interventions" over the last 2 decades: in one of the most developed cities of India. Did Delhi forget to look at the darker alleys while being busy decorating its broad corridors with glitter? I believe undoubtedly that urban lifestyle offers a good amount of stress to the residents and the constant stress is directly proportional to mental health issues (mostly neurotic) common factors being low employment rates, high cost of living and “on the go lifestyle” does not provide the city with a fair opportunity to relax. Over the last 2 decades, I have seen the city accepting these stressors and normalizing their deteriorating mental health condition for some reason. No doubt that the number of mental health professionals seems to be increasing at a steady rate but the question is how will it help when there seems to be “no awareness” among the large part of the population. It is not uncommon to hear people in the capital asking “who is a psychologist?” and on probing a bit at the most they will identify one as “Paagalon ka doctor” (doctor of mental). Among my friends and family, I hardly know someone who seeks the help of a Psychologist, I am making this statement as I myself being a Psychologist know people who really need and even having diagnosable issues but they do not seek help because they are unable to even recognize their condition to be something which requires help. Moreover, I feel sad to express that I have even experienced Physicians stigmatizing mental illnesses and not making the client aware of the possible options to seek help. Delhi is among the top 5 cities in India with the highest number of suicide rates. Studies in Delhi shows that the population of Delhi has high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity, poor subjective well-being and unacceptably low levels of awareness about the mental health services and related issues, also almost negligible number of people seek professional help. These highlights one important thing i.e. No matter how many public hospitals like IBHAS and AIIMS we provide mental health care facilities, they will be of no use until there is a substantial awareness in the society about mental health. I totally feel that Accessibility, Availability, and Acceptance will stay at a halt until the Awareness does not prevail. Today in 2019 looking at this scenario, there is a compelling need to ask, where did the capital fail? Now what? Concluding from the experience, I can express that DELHI REALLY NEED TO WORK ON IT. There is already a number of studies proving the unsatisfactory mental health scenario in the capital. We are just waiting for the governments to acknowledge this as a significant problem and implement the best possible resources for the same. Few things which can be done: Awareness programs in schools and colleges Mental health OPD’s local public hospitals Planning a health cover for therapy and counseling services Promoting and funding NGO’s to work for promoting mental health Sensitizing and training ground-level workers like ASHA and Anganwadi for identification and help Overall increasing the mental health budget They say that “prevention is better than cure". For an extended time, the capital has been overlooking the need for mental health services. This is a high time to take steps in the favor, and I feel people, in general, need to take a lead in promoting mental health. Do share with us in the comment section what else do you think can be done to promote the mental health of the city. #mentalhealth #delhi #psychology #emotions #depression #anxiety #mentalillness #poverty #homelessness #streetsofdelhi #recovery #relapse #psychiatry

According to the WHO, Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It recently also includes spirituality as another dimension to observing one's health. The above-mentioned factors all contribute to the wellbeing and health of an individual. However, due to imbalance in any of these dimensions can lead to illness or maladaptive behaviors. and any diversion from the balanced position of the various dimensions of health causes disturbance in one's physiological, mental, and social functioning. although the early signs are noticed in the physiological sphere, here in this article we discuss few indicators that can be used as Red Flags for gaining the earliest insight of one's deteriorating health. You can scan for yourself or your loved ones for these signs and then consider consulting with a mental health professional for further clarification and treatment. The following are some signs that you can look for- 1 Confused thinking 2 Social withdrawal 3 Extreme and sudden mood changes 4 Feeling irritable 5 Increased or decreased in sleep 6 Increased or decreased in appetite 7 Not being interested in activities you previously enjoyed doing 8 Difficulty in focusing or concentrating 9 Unexplained and frequent headaches or body aches 10 Excessive worry or fear 11 Seeing or hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations) 12 Suicidal thought 13 Increased substance use However, these are some of the common warning signs that can indicate whether there is an emerging mental illness in you or your loved ones. But saying so this list is not to be used for self-diagnosing any mental illness or disorder, rather be used as an initiative helping you in seeking help from mental health professionals. It must also be considered that the presence of symptom does not necessarily direct towards serious mental illness, rather can be a temporary response to exposure to a stressful situation, emotional disturbances to transitional circumstances. #sleepanxiety #Help

Changes are an integral aspect of anyone's life. Some are good and lead us towards a positive outcome and some are difficult for us to go through but there is no way in which one can avoid the process of change. Sometimes the individual is baffled with the decision that he has to take due to the coming change and sometimes the individual is scared of what he has to leave behind and go. This can lead to mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression, and cause damage to one's wellbeing. Here are a few tips which can help you manage the stress that one undergoes while the process of change occurs. Acceptance The individual undergoes through a lot of negative consequences many times due to not acting within the time frame and lives in a state of denial wherein he loses that valuable time that could have been utilized to plan and strategize for the upcoming change. The earlier one individual accepts the change the faster he moved ahead. One must also accept the fact that he can undergo a lot of stress but the way one deals with the stress plays an important role in the change causing any sort of impact is it a positive or a negative one. Attitude One attitude can influence our outlook on things and situations and is also influenced by one's own experiences and personality dynamics. A positive attitude towards change can influence one's decision making immensely and help one focus on the details rather than getting driven by one's emotions and losing track. don't let yourself get blinded by your emotions and you can achieve clarity in your decisions. Scheduling Transitions are made healthy and easy when an individual understands and prioritizes one's life and situation. Making a to-do list and discussing with friends or family can help you bring up to the things that are important for you. Resilience is an important thing that can help one deal with the big changes in their life. Task completion gives a sense of achievement and helps the individual to bounce back into life with new energy. Commitment Any task completion requires commitment be it any small or large. Commitment strengthens one's motivation which helps in making decisions as well as keeping us on track to reach our final goal. Staying on track might feel difficult sometime and you might lack that motivation to keep yourself going but keeping yourself committed to the process and the aim can provide you with the motivation that you require. Focus on Here-and-Now The power of having control over one's thoughts and feelings and staying in the present is not questionable. this is the ultimate power that any individual can have to sustain on the course of achieving one's goals and staying focused. Once there is any diversion to the mistakes made in the past or the fears of the future the attention and focus shifts which then causes problem to sustain motivation and achieve the aim. Focusing on the present and the problems in hand help keep us going and winning the war, by winning small battles. #tips #change #psychology #selfhelp #delhi #stress #anxiety #goals #achievement #motivation #acceptance #commitment #focus #scheduling #job #aims