World Mental Health Day is observed every year on Oct 10th.
Mental health awareness is increasing over the past few years. At the same time, things that destroy our mental health are also on the rise.Here are a few thoughts to ponder.
(1) You don't have control over many things happening around the world, but what you can control are YOUR thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
(2) Your state of mind at the end of the day is determined by all your responses to various events, people, and situations you encountered during the day.
(3) Be extremely wary about the inputs you are feeding your mind. Most of the movies and OTT series these days are filled with gore, disturbing violence, and expletives. You might brush it aside, thinking that these are the norm or that such visuals are not affecting you, but these disturb your subconscious mind and increase your anxiety levels.
(4) Discipline is the highest form of freedom. Prioritize activities that help improve your overall health - eating the right foods at the right time, physical movement, sleep hygiene, and awareness about feelings and emotions.
(5) Do not succumb to artificial pressures created at the workplace that demand night-outs or long meetings (scheduled during meal breaks). Evaluate all those that come in the way of respecting your circadian rhythm. Do not compromise your sleep for any reason. Not worth it!
(6) Take the time to listen to what your heart truly wants. Invest time in activities that you enjoy and cultivate offline hobbies.
(7) Question your ambitions, desires, and wants. Are these coming from a place of boosting your ego or self-esteem? Are these arising due to jealousy, comparison, competition, or societal pressures?
(8) Going inward is the only way out in today's times of unreasonable demands that are either self-imposed OR imposed by others. Disconnect from the external world more often to connect within.
(9) Identify the paths of Yoga that most suit your personality and build your inner strength by following one or more of them. Choose from the paths of willpower (Raja Yoga), action (Karma Yoga), intellect (Jnana Yoga), and devotion (Bhakti Yoga).
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