“Kya itna bura hoon mai maa?; Tujhe sab hai pata hai na maa!” She pressed her hands to her ears hoping to get that song out of her head but in vain. She tried to stifle the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her as she didn’t want her roommates to wake up in the dead of night. The rings beneath her puffy eyes were a giveaway but there was hardly anyone to notice and even if they did, they hardly cared. “No, I don’t want to go to that dreaded hostel and no, I don’t want to study that course!” she had shouted indignantly but her parents quickly dismissed this as a usual tantrum of an undisciplined teenager. The same conversation would play in her mind almost every night, pieces of the past haunting her till her tears dried up and her body gave in to sleep. The restless feeling, the lump in the throat, the self-loathing overtook her completely. She screamed so loud but no one heard a thing.”Grow up; don’t be an emotional fool; get over it already; why are you overreacting so much?”-thoughts were swirling in her mind like a perfect storm until she couldn’t take it anymore and she brought down the knife on her wrist.
This could be the story of anyone around you, silently fighting his/her battle and feigning a smile for the others’ sake. Over 5 crore people in India suffer from depression and studies show that every one hour, a student commits suicide in India. Coaching centres, colleges and even schools nowadays have made life a race where they tag every other person who doesn’t come first as a failure for life. We are definitely taught how to solve a thermodynamics problem but we are unable to face the challenges in life and cope with failures. So on account of World Mental Health Day on 10th of October, NMC wishes to enlighten you about depression, one of the most common miseries of people, especially youngsters and how you can battle it! Its high time we take the matter into our hands.
Signs your loved one might be suffering from depression:
- Generally, a person suffering from depression may almost always feel aggressive, anxious, restless or even apathetic and empty. Feeling low is not the only symptom. They may also have sudden bouts of brimming emotions.
- We have seen people who are always pessimistic, the kind who seem to suck out the good in everything. Chances are that they are actually facing bigger problems and their struggle has turned them into a cynic.
- Issues of self-worth propping up and feeling guilty about even the tiniest of things are common among depressed people as in that state of mind, they lose all sense of reasoning.
- A person fighting internal battles will be going through a lot of stress and this would probably cause major fluctuations in his/her appetite.
If you feel like you have become a victim of your fears and insecurities and these dark thoughts are seeping into your life, first of all, let me tell you-you are beautiful, in every sense of that word and don’t let yourself or anyone tell you otherwise. Don’t be sorry that you are feeling low, its not your fault. Weaknesses are nothing to be ashamed of. Having shitty days doesn’t make you a shitty person. Identify and curb that inner critical voice which tells you not to pursue your goals, to stop bothering others and berates you in every possible way. Talk-let it all out, the hurt, the anger, the amalgamation of all those negative feelings by talking to people you trust because those who matter will definitely care and try to understand. Be active, do things you once liked to do even if you don’t feel like it. Constantly remind yourself that you are no less than anyone. Being depressed is nothing to be ashamed of; feel good that you are one of those fighting against it.
If you know someone who might be facing depression and you want to help them, just listen to what they want to say, absorb all of it without giving unsolicited advice. We, humans, crave love and these souls just need a little extra care. Never ask them “Why are you depressed?” because most of the times they themselves might not know how this darkness invaded their lives. Take them seriously without dismissing their problem as a phase that will pass. Making them realize that their problems are quite small compared to others’ and asking them to get over it is definitely not going to help-hey, don’t push them further down the pit of self-loathing. Also, do not explicitly tell them that they need to see a doc. You need to make them feel good about themselves. Don’t make them feel as though they are the problem, because they aren’t, they are just deeply hurt by some experiences in life and are finding it harder to accept them.
If anyone is in need of help, I’ll always be there to confide in.You can contact me at <a href=”mailto:tarannumnikhat@gmail.com”>tarannumnikhat@gmail.com</a>.
Author: Shaik Nikhat
