World Mental Health Day

We celebrate World Mental Health Day on October 10 every year. On any other day, we generally greet, gift, and appreciate people for whom the day is meant. On mental health day, we need to do the same with ourselves.

Our mental health comprises of how we think, feel, and behave. The words we speak regularly and our beliefs influence what we think. Beliefs are deeply held assumptions about us and others that we keep repeating or hear it being repeated to us over a period. Our beliefs provide a foundation upon which we base our every decision.

E.g., If you believe you are a good dancer, you'll have no issues going on the dance floor anywhere. Similarly, if you believe that people are fake, you would be cautious about talking to them and forget about taking the initiative to make friends.

I would like to tell you about a few incidents from my life that helped me change my beliefs for the better.

I was around 14 years old and expressed my willingness to move to the nearest city, which was around 130 km away for my further studies, to my father. I tried convincing him by saying how I would be left behind as not many opportunities were available where I lived. Of course, my father would never agree to that. I knew that, but I still tried. He couldn't just bluntly say no or ignore me since I was his favourite child (no offence to my siblings :)). What he came up with at that time helped me immensely in my life. He said, I can't send you away from home now, but if you have a burning desire to be or do something, you are smart enough to figure out a way to do it. I didn't like it and was frustrated and angry with him.

I didn't go anywhere and forgot I had ever asked about something like that. As I progressed in my life, I somehow started believing that I could do whatever I wanted to do. My father had a significant role in this. Yes, he would scold me, say no to my visits to my friend's house, and was sometimes irrational, but throughout my years with him, he made me believe in various ways that I have infinite potential. When my mom was completely unhappy with my underdeveloped cooking skills, my father would tell me that I could write a recipe book one day because cooking is nothing but a mix of spices here and there. When I would cry, which I used to do a lot, he would come and pamper me and remind me what I am good at and uplift my spirits. He would not allow me to go to my friend's house, but when I went out of the city for my higher studies, he would not only allow me to travel on the bus alone for a 4-hour journey but also give me tips to make me feel safe about it. He never spoke emotionally, but his unspoken words, gestures, and trust in me made me the person I am today, and I'm so grateful.

He never allowed me to follow anything just because others were doing that. Instead, he pushed me to use my brain. When I tried to choose a path that seemed easy, as my friends were doing, he disagreed and forced me to recognize my strengths and weaknesses to use them for my benefit. At that time, I found him harsh and unsupportive, but I realized later what disaster he saved me from- Co