BY MAHA AHMED
Sleepless nights punctuated by a lingering feeling of fear occupied my days as I drift along and continued to consider all the inconveniences normal. To live is to suffer was something I have heard from many people around. As the days and hours slip by, the sense of fear becomes so strong that one night, a strong pang of desolation struck me, and my mind was encompassed by all sorts of questions. In this competitive world, inhibited by talented and competitive beings, what will become of me? Will the world move on, leaving me behind in the sheer sadness and aloofness, and nobody will ever return to save me? The fear of loss and anxiety intensified so much that it lead me to a single conclusion- Should I end it?
In the age of social media where nobody leaves the chance to post their flawless lives online, life itself becomes complicated and competitive. The constant scrolling and looking at other people’s achievements affect our thoughts in imperceptible ways, which result in dissatisfaction and unnecessary agitation. Most of the time, these feelings further condense into several mental disorders among which anxiety and depression are the most prevalent.
Depression and chronic anxiety can occur at the same time, and most of their symptoms overlap, such as the constant feeling of irritability, lack of concentration, sleeplessness, and longing to ignore interactions. These disorders happen in all regions and societies, and depression is the second leading cause of death among younger people. Unfortunately, the rise of depression is alarmingly high in Asian countries mainly because of the stigma attached to depression and suicide in most of these countries. Pakistan is a South Asian country where talking about mental health and seeking help from a Psychiatrist or Psychologist is still considered taboo in many regions. Most of the conservative families refuse to accept mental illness as a disease and take offense when an attempt is made to raise awareness. The frequent solutions that we often hear from the “self-declared doctors” are: to sleep early at night, to drink milk every day, to not listen to songs, and to avoid meeting friends or relatives who are willing to help us. Due to these stigmas and lack of mental health resources, some reports point towards a high escalation of suicide rates over the years in Pakistan.
Islam condemns suicide, due to which the ratio of suicides was low in Pakistan previously. But, in the modern age of globalization and under the unbridled socio-economic pressure, it seems hard for modern men and women to be strong on their own and endure immense suffering silently. Thus, in recent years, the rate of suicides has also increased in Pakistan. According to a recent report, a total of 34 percent of the Pakistani population is affected by mental disorders.
Most suicides occur in younger people( married women and single men) under the age of thirty. Mostly, women are more prone to depression than men because of the societal pressure inflicted upon women. According to my observation, mainly in countries like India or Pakistan, the expectations of a ‘bahu’ are unrealistically bizarre. The ideal Pakistani woman is supposed to be well-educated, fair or beautiful, well-dressed, belongs to a respectable family, and ought to be a master chef. Similarly, the pressure on men is no less as they are anticipated to be financially stable at a young age. These ideals vary from country to country and leave disturbing impacts on the minds of people, mostly young ones.
Nevertheless, if you are suffering from depression or chronic anxiety, it is not the end of the world. We can fight back against the negativities that are halting us from living our best life.
- Seek Help:
Without any doubt, if you are suffering from depression or chronic anxiety, and no positive change is working in your favor. You must seek help from a professional. In our country, public health care (PHC) is highly ineffective, and most of the privatized institutions charge colossal amounts of cash to which a particular privileged class has access. On the bright side, a few NGOs are working for mental health, such as a local institution by the name of UMANG, which is Pakistan’s very own 24/7 free of cost telephonic counseling helpline. Moreover, AI applications are specially designed to help people cope with depression among which “Replika” has gained much popularity.
2.Accept your Place:
The perfect lives displayed online do make us doubt ourselves. It is the common anxiety we all share when we see the world moving forward at an unstoppable speed. It is in our hands to accept our place, to comprehend that people only share a fragment of their lives online, and stop comparing ourselves and achievements with others.
3.Write:
Whenever something starts bothering, grab a piece of paper and a pen, and write all your worries down. Once done, reflect on how you can deal with them, and if it relates to the fear of the unknown, then make all the endeavors patiently and hope for the best.
4.Keep Yourself Busy:
We are stuck in this mindset that one ought to be good at his/her hobbies to pursue them. On the contrary, to negate the negativities out of our lives, we should engage in different hobbies without feeling the pressure of mastering them.
5.Do Not Isolate Yourself:
The first thing a depressed person does is isolating himself from the world, and this isolation further poison thoughts. So, do not hesitate while approaching a family member or a close friend. Talking to people we trust does leave a calming effect.
Conclusively, mental illness is a serious social issue that should be addressed on a bigger scale. In our country, there is a need for increased spending on mental health as well as proper utilization of available resources. On an individual level, we must not let compassion slip away and should always reach out and look for those who need our help.
