Do you feel like you have no energy left to deal with the stresses of your job? Or, for that matter, your life? That you just ‘can’t take this anymore’? If you do, you are probably experiencing burnout.
At times, burnout goes unnoticed for long or gets addressed very late. By the time, the fatigue and distress the person experiences take a toll. How do you know if you are going through this?
I feel so worried
I’m extremely sad today
I’m very very angry
A feeling is equal to some thoughts and a state of mind – is that it though? When you speak of sadness, anger, fear, despair what do you think these emotions really include? A lot of us mistakenly believe that emotions are just about some thoughts and the way one feels.
This understanding is hugely incomplete
Emotions have a big, big manifestation in the body too. In fact, the body is the seat of emotions.
As December sets in, everything around you oozes of cheer, joy and happiness. Daily life seems to get a boost of excitement when you see that preparations for the celebrations have begun all around – be it Christmas, New Year’s or weddings. However, amidst all the December enthusiasm, there may be people who are feeling low, depressed and lonely.
In the newest rung of society, there is an increasing number of people who find that they want a different life for themselves. Of the several small and big changes that people choose to make in their lives, one of the major ones is choosing not to have children. The realization that you do not want to have children can come with a lot of confusion, concern and some anxiety.
Paintings, especially paintings of people, are not just beautiful pieces of art, they can also be artistic ‘mirrors’. Usually, when you look at a painting, you dwell on the art – the figures, their expressions, the colors, how they blend and change. Have you ever stopped to gaze at a painting, while remaining aware of what it brings up in you? How it makes you feel? What thoughts, memories or emotions come up within you while you look at it?
The dictionary definition of doodle is to scribble or make a rough drawing absentmindedly. However, doodling, as opposed to drawing, is an activity where you can fearlessly express, without the pressure of having to meet any external standard. A doodle represents something that has meaning exclusively for you.This mental health week, let’s try and see if we can make sense of this activity more ‘present-mindedly’!
With the busy lives that people lead, everyday routines do not have too much room for spontaneity. In that cramped room of “too many things to do/not enough time”, your natural urge to explore, to try something new or to just have fun hides in a corner, eagerly awaiting its turn. You let your roles and responsibilities limit you and thus, miss out on the rest of you! In this article, read about discovering this seemingly lost idea of “spontaneity”.
Life is generally viewed as a series of ups and downs, successes and failures. Hence, when we are going through a tough time we wait for “suffering to end” and hope for joy to be waiting at this end. What we forget is that happiness can exist alongside. Maybe not in big, obvious ways. But in small moments. Like the rainbow.
Mental peace, and how to achieve it, is probably one of the most sought after things in the mental health area. This is with good reason, all of us need moments of peace. Ironically though, the pursuit of peace causes more frustration in one too many of us, especially in those moments where we are genuinely feeling bad, distressed or hurt.
This year, our theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is ‘Looking Within’. We strongly feel that mental health is not just about dealing with problems that come up but it is also about forming a connection with yourself- a compassionate connection that perpetuates a healthy mind and body relationship. And “looking within” is the first step towards this. So, take this week to look within, explore and truly connect with yourself.
A young woman from another country moved with her family to live for one year in a town near the monastery. When, in the course of the year she discovered the monastery, she would periodically visit to have discussions with the Abbess. The Abbess introduced her to meditation, which became very meaningful for the young woman.
When the family’s year-long stay was drawing to an end, the young woman asked the Abbess, “In my country there is no Buddhism and no one has even heard about meditation. How can I continue to learn and deepen the practice you have started me on?”
The Abbess said, “When you return home ask far and wide for who, among the wise people, is recognized as having the greatest ability to listen. Ask that person to instruct you in the art of listening. What you learn about listening from such a person will teach you how to further your meditation practice.
― Gil Fronsdal, A Monastery Within: Tales from the Buddhist Path