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Breaking the Spirals of Overthinking and Conquering her Social Anxiety Through Therapy: This is Srivalli’s Story.

Born and raised in the cultural capital of Gujarat, Srivalli is a 19-year-old college student, pursuing her Bachelor’s in Interaction Design. Usually keeps to herself and is a little introverted, but enjoys a good match of badminton.

She spent 15 years of her life in Vadodara and later shifted to Maharashtra with her family. She currently lives with her sister and mother.

Moving to a new place comes with all kinds of challenges. No matter how cautious you are, there are often times when it gets difficult to adjust.

“I spent like 4 to 5 years in Maharashtra, it was a big change for me.”

Moving to a new city raised a lot of concerns in Srivalli’s mind. New people, new faces, new classes, new places ignited her social anxiety. Thoughts engulfed her vision and she tried to avoid interactions with people.

“What if they don’t like me?” “What if I don’t get good grades?” “ What if I am not enough?” “Will I fit in with people here?” Would I….? Will I….? Can I….?

Every Indian kid is taught the standard idea – to keep up with whatever expectations parents have. It became challenging for Srivalli to cope with that.

We are HappiMynd, a digital platform that works behind the scenes to give you a better perspective of your emotional wellness | If you have

#health & fitness #motivation #culture #science #fit girls #fitness #workoutmotivation #student #health and fitness #nutrition #workout #fitnessjourney

6 Early Warning Signs Of Emotional Well-being Deterioration

When we hear “Emotional Wellbeing”, we think of pleasant associations such as excitement, happiness, love, and acceptance. However, how we handle the unpleasant feelings we experience is an important indicator of our emotional well-being.

According to Psychology Today, the definition of emotional well-being is “the ability to practice stress-management techniques, be resilient, and generate the emotions that lead to good feelings.”

No one knows us better than us, making us the first person to know whether our emotional well-being is deteriorating or not. But some of us are unable to recognize the early signs of emotional well-being deterioration and that might lead to a mental breakdown.

One such individual was Siddharth who continued to ignore the early signs of emotional well-being deterioration. He then ended up spending a night in the hospital because of it. Siddharth had self-doubt issues but it didn’t affect his life much so he didn’t bother about them. But after losing his job, thoughts of self-doubt started increasing. He started to feel that he was not good enough and was never going to achieve anything in life.

Siddharth felt helpless and hopeless about his future endeavours. He tried applying to other places but the fear of rejection made him not want to try. He isolated himself in his room and one night when he was unable to take the burden, he started getting thoughts of ending his life. Luckily his roommate found him and admitted him to the hospital.

The story of Siddharth is the story of many of us too. It may not be that extreme, but we all have faced self-doubt and emotional turmoil brewing up inside our minds. This has an impact on our physical health as well.

We can avoid all that by seeking early treatment, but for that, we need to know what the early signs of emotional well-being deterioration are. Here is a list of the early signs:

Increased feelings of agitation and irritation

Feeling distant from your loved ones

Feelings of Hopelessness

Feeling helpless all the time

Feeling worthless

Lack of personal care

Increased feelings of agitation and irritation

One of the first early signs of emotional well-being deterioration is a significant increase in feelings of agitation and irritation. You might notice yourself getting upset at things and people more frequently than before. You feel frustrated with your life and might have problems controlling your temper or unable to calm down. Watch out if you feel uncharacteristically angry, anxious, agitated, or moody.

Feeling distant from your loved ones

An early sign of emotional well-being is that you begin to distance yourself from your loved ones by avoiding meeting them, going out for parties, or other social gatherings. Slowly you start spending more time alone in your room than with your loved ones. You withdraw or isolate yourself from other people. You may stop taking part in activities you used to enjoy before. Do not confuse it with being introverted. It is seen as a change in your typical sociability.

Feelings of Hopelessness

Another early sign is feeling hopeless about your future. You notice your general optimism starting to decrease and now can't find anything to be hopeful about. You start to see the negatives in every situation and suffer from feelings of worthlessness or guilt.

Feeling helpless all the time

You might feel stuck in your life problems with no way out or no one out there who would understand and help you. You feel all alone in this world with no one to support you. You feel helpless and lost, having no idea how to stop the emotional well-being from deteriorating and for things to go back to being good.

Feeling worthless

Your emotional well being might be deteriorating if you have a prolonged feeling of worthlessness. You have no self-confidence and your self-esteem takes a hit. You see yourself as flawed and full of shortcomings, there is no confidence in your abilities and you doubt your every move. According to you, nothing you do is right. People in this situation may say that the world would be better off without them, suggesting suicidal thinking.

Lack of personal care

Not all are emotional, they can be physical signs also. Your emotional well being might be deteriorating when you start to let go of taking care of your physical self. This involves skipping your meals, not taking baths regularly, and ignoring proper hygiene. The surroundings also start to clutter up with piles of dishes in the sink, clothes in the laundry basket, and an empty fridge. You might find these basic but necessary tasks to be overwhelming or just forget to pay importance to them.

It is necessary to recognize these early signs of emotional well-being deterioration to nub it in the bud and get help before things get worse. You may want to get a self-assessment done to find out more about your mental wellbeing or use the self-help content available. Also, it is always better to seek the help of mental health professionals than wait for the problem to worsen.

#mentalhealth

Toxic Positivity: Keeping the “Good Vibes Only” Approach

This pandemic situation has taken a toll on everyone’s life. Many people lost their jobs, loved ones, and faced long periods of uncertainty. Whenever you expressed any negativity, people kept reminding you to “stay positive or “It could be worse.” It was also asserted that at least you have a job, a roof over your head and still breathing.

#Good vibes, optimistic, toxic positive, validate, social media, outlook, judge, hard times, critical thinking skills, reality

We are HappiMynd, a digital platform that works behind the scenes to give you a better perspective of your emotional wellness | If you have

7 Ways to Bring Happiness in Your Life

Happiness is a positive emotion described by feelings of joy, content, satisfaction, and fulfillment. It is a state of mind in which the person feels calm, relaxed, hopeful, and optimistic about what the future holds for them.

Effective Learning Strategies: Learning More In Less Time

Meaningful learning depends just as much on the learning process as it does on the way teachers teach. Our teachers and parents always ask us to study but have you ever thought about how to study? Many psychologists have found that certain strategies can help students to learn better.

Before digging into each strategy’s specifics, it is essential to note that they are very flexible. They can be used in a lot of different situations. However, this also means that there isn’t a specific prescription provided that will “always work.” Students can infuse their study sessions with these strategies in a way that will foster long-term learning.

Here are few techniques that will make your learning process more manageable:

Be Consistent

Spreading out of the learning material over time improves the learning process. For example, you would learn and retain more if you stay consistent and study for a few hours every day rather than studying the whole night before the exam. This will also help in easing out the burden and sticking to a routine.

Dual Coding

Dual coding includes combining words and visuals. It is a good practice to memorise study material using visuals and link them to the topic by explaining what they mean in your words. When you involve different modalities and senses, you tend to retain more information. This process reinforces the brain’s concepts through two different paths, i.e., words and visuals, making it easier to retrieve later and make things easier during exam time.

Various visuals can be deployed, for example, an infographic, a cartoon strip, a diagram, a graphic organizer, a timeline, anything that works for you.

Utilising Mnemonic techniques

Learning new information can be easier when we connect it with something already familiar to us. This helps in increasing the likelihood of remembering the new material in the future.

There are three main mnemonic strategies: keyword strategy, peg word strategy, and acronyms.

A keyword uses a familiar word that either sounds similar or reminds of the word or idea being taught. One can link prior and new information in the memory through illustration. Example: While learning scientific terms for common frogs, one can memorise it by a helpful keyword, i.e., rain, and can visualise it by seeing a picture of frogs hopping in the rain.

While utilising the Pegword Method, one needs to learn the peg words list. It can be used whenever a list of items needs to be memorised. “Peg” each item to the rhyme by creating a visual image that combines the peg object with whatever phone number or list one is trying to remember.

Acronyms involve taking the first letter from each of a set of words and creating a new word with those letters. For example, if you need to recall the order of the planets from the sun, you might know the planets’ names, but remembering the order and making sure you don’t leave one out is where an acronym helps.

Taking the first letter of each planet’s name in order based on distance from the sun yields M-V-E-M-J-S-U-N. As these letters do not form a word, they can be better memorised by using small sentences. It includes the first letter of each word representing the first letter of each planet which would be :

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos (or Noodles).

Learn to Skip When You Read

Reading is not at all conventional word-by-word studying. When you’re reading a book, you have to read with a purpose. There are different reading strategies to use for different informational outcomes.

Scanning is used when looking for a specific piece of information from a particular reading. It is just looking over the selection quickly to locate the required information.

Skimming is learning the main points. The most straightforward way to skim a given passage is to read the entire first paragraph and the whole last paragraph and read each additional paragraph’s first sentence or subheading. The major themes throughout the passage can be figured out. After skimming, one can decide whether it is required or no, to go back and read the entire thing.

Careful reading or reading in detail is the most commonly used reading strategy. It constitutes a slower reading process. In this strategy, every sentence needs to be read, and it’s not to remember every word on the page but to understand the context.

Retrieval Practice

Recalling information without supporting material helps us learn it much more effectively. It is about bringing back information to mind from long-term memory. To effectively use this strategy, one can just write out what one can remember on a blank sheet of paper or even draw ideas in flowchart form or just keywords. This helps in bringing the information to mind from memory. It is not essential to remember everything, but one can check their notes or course materials after retrieval to fill in gaps. This strategy will help you understand how much you know and where you need to spend extra time.

#effective

Working Women Priorities: Is Mental Well Being a Chore or Self-Care?

Physical health threat and isolation with restrictions hampering mental health; COVID-19 is like a double-edged sword. Statistics from various sources have indicated that women are facing major burnouts and increased stress that negatively impact mental wellbeing. There is a juggle to balance household chores and professional life with the continuous blurring of balance.

More than 41% of the working population cited issues with the delineation between personal and work life. Women are struggling furthermore as work from home is becoming the norm and there are no schedules or routines, leading to additional chores and responsibilities.

“I am meant to cater to everyone’s needs and also complete my work deadlines” – a traditional Indian woman.

This is the dialogue that plays in the head and defines the life of women in India. They are the prime carers and are mostly overloaded with work and societal pressure. They need to take care of the family’s physical needs, nutrition, and daily chores with the added need to now maintain a professional environment for everyone working at home. While other realities and needs become her schedule, her well-being is usually on the back burner or completely ignored.

“If I take time out for myself, it's selfish. It will disrupt everything, and everyone will be unhappy” – a dutiful working mother.

This is what surrounds a working woman who is trying to not only balance work and chores but also support her child through their growth. Women believe that they need to be tending to the needs of their children always, and a little “me time” is a betrayal from her responsibilities of womanhood.

“I am exhausted, I don’t know if I will make it. I should rather take a break or quit my job”- a burnt-out women employee.

This could become or has become the theme of working women’s life since the pandemic and its shifts. However, being aware, changing how we think, and working out our schedules can help us balance and prioritize our mental well-being.

Knowing how to do and what to do for oneself can help cope better:

Firstly, believe and know that your mental wellbeing is a priority! It is essential and it will help prevent any unwarranted health issues, burnouts and aid in increasing or sustaining your productivity.

It is vital to believe and let go of the need to be perfect and have everything be perfect. We as women can rethink, be flexible and let certain things pass when it comes to household chores. For example, it’s okay when others are helping and aren’t doing it the way you do it. Accept the help and learn to not overburden yourself with doing it all by yourself. These little steps add to your future well being. This will help you against avoidable exhaustion.

Be assertive about segregation and delegation of certain duties among family members. This will help release the unwanted pressure of unsurmountable chores and disputes due to duties. For example, your kids or younger family members can set up the table or clear dishes, the older adults can contribute with cleaning the house or help with cooking.

Set time aside for yourself and make it a routine. Having a certain amount of time and break can help you recharge and refresh. Meditate, talk to your friends or scroll through your social media or watch your favourite show/movie.

Do something you enjoy/relish and de-stress through dancing or taking a nap or any other activity. This will help regulate your mood and give you a break from the daily schedule. Meditation and yoga have proven to help with de-stressing and promote better mental health. Research indicates that Yoga provides an overall holistic health improvement. It suspends the fluctuations of the mind and by acting consciously, we live better and suffer less.

Build a schedule and routine so you are mentally prepared and can be reminded of your self-care time/activities. Schedules can help to keep the essentials of the day well-planned; everyone is aware of what is scheduled for the day and hence least confusion or last-minute issues. Fixed schedules and duties can help deal with the chores with ease.

Try and set up a professional area and environment in a certain part of the house. Dress up as you would for work and try to create boundaries with others regarding the work hours and meeting schedules. All of these add to maintaining the work-life balance.

Finally, take time to meet your friends and socialize when you are allowed or try virtual parties.

In the end, we are the creators of our fate and managers of our health. Hence, women should be encouraged not only by other women but also by their families to promote their mental health and indulge in self-care without guilt or shame. You can avail services like chat support where one can simply vent out or even offer a mental health assessment that helps understand one's needs which redirects to the correct steps towards one’s self-care and mental wellbeing. Finally, being aware that when things go out of control, professional help can always help bring you back on your feet is an important memo! It needs to be added to all women’s to-do lists!

Know Yourself, Inside and Out with HappiLIFE

Socrates said it so well, “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”

However, we all are so occupied with our daily routine that we gradually stop spending time with ourselves and lose sight of our true identity. It is indeed quite common and we perceive it to be the conventional way to lead life. This often leads to:

Personality crisis

Emotional problems

Psychological issues

Low self-esteem and more

We still prefer turning a blind eye to all of this due to prevalent stereotypes, financial constraints, and unawareness. When was the last time you sat down for introspection and talked to yourself? When was the last time you gave priority to yourself overwork, your family or what society thinks?

The ideal way to lead life is to know who you truly are and achieve your highest potential. Self-awareness is highly underestimated, though is it one of the major factors that determine your personality, emotions and intellect.

In fact, according to an organizational psychologist and the author of ‘Insight’, Tasha Eurich revealed that 95 per cent of people believed that they are self-aware but the real number is 12 to 15 per cent. There is a huge gap in our perception of ourselves.

Consider HappiLIFE as the first step in bridging this gap and enhancing self-awareness. It is a simple screening exercise that will give you a detailed overview of different facets of your personality, strengths and weaknesses.

What is HappiLIFE?

HappiLIFE is a science and research-based screening consisting of about 120 multiple choice questions and answers. It is customized as per the user’s profile and a summary is generated that is relatable and apt.

Your responses to the questions in screening help us in detailing your personality’s summary. This simple but efficient exercise will introduce you to your truest self and facts that you didn’t know about yourself.

At the end of the screening, you will get a summary based on ten parameters like your happiness, work satisfaction, self-esteem, etc. It will be a reflection of your personality, identity, emotions and mood.

You can either read the summary yourself or opt for assisted screening summary reading.

Benefits of Assisted Screening Summary Reading

There are various benefits of opting for assisted report reading. Some of them are as follows:

Our experts who will read it to you have years of schooling and advanced degrees in human behaviour, relationships and effective interventions

It is different from simply you reading the summary. You might miss out on various important aspects when it comes to emotions and psychology

Assisted summary reading will give an in-depth review of who you are, your hidden traits and details that you might have missed on

It will encourage independent thinking, self-reflection, and highlight the blind spots

The experts will help you to know the areas where you can thrive and areas that you really need to work on

It is like a test you show to a doctor for a diagnosis. It is imperative that you take your emotional health as seriously as you take your physiological health

You will be able to decide the next steps with much more confidence and knowledge

Who Should Use HappiLIFE?

Everyone must consider attempting HappiLIFE screening. Each of us has hidden potential that must be explored. HappiLIFE screening summary will bring all the details to the forefront. It will help you meet every aspect of yourself. You should especially consider HappiLIFE if you:

Feel stuck and are unable to untangle your thoughts

Want to know more about yourself and discover hidden potential

Wish to know your psychological well-being status

Want to start your journey towards mental well-being

Feel unhappy or dissatisfied

Unable to connect to people or feel distant

Want a safe and secure environment for exploring yourself

What are the advantages of HappiLIFE?

HappiLIFE is unlike any other psychological assessment and has various advantages like:

It is customized as per the user’s profile because one size doesn’t fit all

The information provided you will be confidential and won’t be shared with anyone

The screening summary can be easily understood by a layman. Expert intervention is suggested so that you can go deeper in understanding yourself

It gives a synopsis on day-to-day and relatable feelings and emotions like stress, internet addiction, job satisfaction, etc.

The summary is user friendly and designed in a way that is appealing and easy to understand

You can refer to the HappiMynd wheel for a glance at your emotional and psychological well-being

Our experts who have designed the screening are proficient and come from a solid psychology and psychiatry background

#mentalhealth

Career Choice Dilemma: Job Satisfaction or Life Satisfaction

There comes a time in our lives, where we all need to choose a line of career, or a life-long goal to pursue, as a means of earning a living or living through your earning. There’s a major difference between these two. This article will attempt to define the differences between these two concepts and help in understanding the crucial role they play in our lives.

When we are little, we’re asked- “what do you want to become when you get older?”, and our answers used to be things that most intrigue us as children or we had seen most people do around us. That’s just how a child’s mind works. But as we get older, we put all these filters, because our mind grows enough to think logically. There’s nothing wrong with that. Except, we forget that the child in us still exists somewhere, and may have a say in his/her life-long dream.

So now, when someone asks us, what we want to do in life, we think long and hard and consider multiple factors, coming down to one single convergent thought. This may be defined by your motivation and interest. Your motivation may be to earn a living, i.e., earn well enough to become wealthy and afford a rich and fulfilling lifestyle. Or, your motivation could be to live your earnings. This means, choosing a career path that interests you and fulfills your basic needs at the same time. But the primary goal should be to prioritize interest over your wishes for a certain lifestyle.

However, these two do not determine how satisfied you are with your job. Job satisfaction is defined as:

An emotional response defining the degree to which people like their jobs

The perceived satisfaction on the job is reflected by the need for a sense of fulfillment and expectation for the job to be interesting, challenging, and personally satisfying.

Job satisfaction is also an achievement indicator in career developmental tasks.

Essentially, job satisfaction or the perception of your job bringing you satisfaction, happiness, and closer towards your goals, elicits motivation to work better and be more productive. If you’re not satisfied with your job, you may not be motivated enough to work or be productive at your job, even if you’re most interested in it.

According to a study published by Rain, et al. in 1991, “job satisfaction is a key indicator of workers' well-being and therefore can also influence life satisfaction. Indeed, research has consistently found that higher job satisfaction is associated with higher life satisfaction.”

Life satisfaction is defined as the judgment that a person makes about his/her life in several domains, and it is the most extended construct for assessing subjective well-being.

Job satisfaction can be determined by various factors, such as-

Wages,

Work environment,

Job content,

Opportunities for growth/promotion,

Nature of work,

Level of organization,

Workgroup, and

Leadership styles

These factors may affect the evaluation an individual may make when asked if they’re satisfied with their jobs or not. Personal or psychological factors also play an important role in determining the same. Like personality traits of an individual, gender differences, age, and educational qualifications. Feeling intrigued to find out if you’re satisfied with your job or not? You can always take a screening test that can help you assess the level of satisfaction you may be experiencing regarding your current job/career.

According to a study called Michael Page's 'Job Confidence Index Q1 2017', the three main reasons why people in India seek jobs are to acquire new skills (48% of respondents), better work-life balance (39%), and higher-income (34%). Contrary to common perception, less income and stressful jobs are not why people look for better opportunities.

Job satisfaction is an important determinant of life satisfaction and also affects the psyche of an individual. It can have a major impact on your personal, social, and work life.

However, there are various ways to deal with this. So, no need to worry. It’s never too late to realize your feelings about your career and making changes in your life. It’s not necessary to switch jobs to be happy. You may be happy with your job, but there may be other factors that may be digressing your relationship with your feelings about the job. So, the first step is to take a screening about your level of job satisfaction and then learning ways on how to improve on it.

Life satisfaction is more than just being happy. A well-rounded and holistic life is what you should be aiming for. And that includes ruminating over all parts and aspects of your life. A holistic life does not only include a healthy body but also includes a peaceful and healthy mind. Peace to the mind can only be attained through making choices that you believe in from your heart, and are your calling, to be precise. Are you ready to take that journey towards self-fulfillment and making your inner-child happy?

#mental health #health & fitness #motivation #job satisfaction #depressing poem #stress solution #therapy

HappiAPP – A Healthy Ritual for Your Emotional Well-Being

Small changes lead to significant changes in life. These changes may lead to better or worse depending on the choices you make. A daily dose of happiness will lead to a happier you in the longer run, however, if you tend to stay stressed in your day-to-day life that might lead to various psychological issues like:

Anxiety,

Self-esteem issues,

Blood pressure,

Palpitations,

Headache, etc.

At HappiMynd, we want all the good things for you. Consider HappiAPP as one of our efforts to keep you healthy, happy and stress-free.

What is HappiAPP?

HappiApp powered by Thrive is a self-help app that has the potential to enhance your emotional and psychological well-being by engaging you in brief activities and recommending mind soothing content daily. Even if you have a busy schedule, you can do these activities and enjoy the content in your free time. Sometimes all you need is a nudge to make healthy practices a habit.

HappiAPP will also help you to set goals and develop healthy rituals for emotional resilience and mindfulness.

In fact, mental wellness mobile apps are proven to be efficient in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Source

Who Should Use HappiAPP?

Self-care is for everyone and due to the high penetration of smartphones and the internet, self-help apps are an ideal way to start taking care of emotional wellness. HappiAPP can be useful for:

People who are aware of their emotional health status and know what needs to be done. If you are unaware of your emotional health status, we would advise you to take HappiLIFE screening and talk to an expert.

If you are always on the go, then it is for you. The mobile app can seamlessly fit in your busy schedule. All you have to do is engage in brief activities daily.

If you are suffering mild and moderate symptoms of emotional health issues, HappiAPP can help you manage that.

People who thrive on daily affirmations.

Why Choose HappiAPP?

HappiAPP powered by Thrive is a unique mobile application that is easily accessible, user friendly and well-researched. Features that make it stand out are:

The application is based on a five-stage solution around Awareness, Prevention, Early Detection, Self-Management and Therapeutic Treatment. The product is designed to holistically look at emotional wellness than only focusing on the problematic areas

The application is currently being used by 2800+ organizations and 3.8+ million users globally

It is the only NHS approved mental wellness app supporting prevention and early detection of emotional and psychological issues

HappiAPP has also been accredited by ISO270001

It is completely confidential and has internationally recognised security standards

HappiAPP is the ideal way to start your journey towards emotional and psychological wellness. One small positive change every day will lead to a bigger, better and happier change in the future.

Do not take your emotional health for granted. It is as important as your physical health. Your body depends on both for ideal functioning. HappiAPP can be your partner in this journey. It will fuel you up with motivation and zeal to do more. You will have something positive to look forward to every day. When surrounded with positivity, high self-esteem and confidence, you will perform better, achieve more and handle your emotions well.

When are you starting your journey towards holistic wellness?

Guide To Helping Your Loved One Coping With Mental Health Issues

Identifying that your loved one is struggling is seen as the first step to help them. As one knows them inside out, one may be able to figure out how they behave differently. Are they distancing themselves socially? Do they no longer enjoy the things they used to? Have their sleeping or eating habits changed? After noticing something offbeat with them — now what is the next essential step?

Though it may be difficult, showing your loved one support is the key to recovery. Here’s what you can to do help:

Communication is the key

One has to keep in mind that maybe they won’t accept that they require professional help and might push away. They might say they are completely okay and there is nothing to worry about. Make multiple attempts, and try to infer more subtly.

Ask them how are they doing? Have honest conversations with them. One can always start by opening up and telling them how things can be figured out and made easier for them. Ask them open-ended questions like “How are you feeling?” rather than being very direct like “I can see you are feeling very low.” Give the person time to answer without pestering them with too many questions.

Avoid giving advice

It often feels like we need to ‘fix’ them and try to do anything on the earth to make them feel better. It is important to realise that they are not broken, and they do not require any fixing. Secondly, if one indulges in giving them advice, it seems like one is diminishing their struggle and does not believe in their capabilities.

Remember that they are struggling to find a solution, or maybe they are just tired of already trying many things.

Acknowledge their feelings and offer them reassurance

This is one of the most important aspects when talking to loved ones. They need assurance as they feel very overwhelmed. Even if one doesn’t understand why they are feeling this way and what is wrong, don’t question them for what they are feeling. Try to empathise and understand their struggle.

Don’t compare

Many times one starts to talk about personal struggles or someone else who has faced similar situations and how they dealt with them. This might feel like belittling their issues and make them feel like you do not understand. Everyone has different struggles when it comes to mental health. People do not experience anxiety in the same way. Yes, the symptoms are the same, but how one handles it is entirely different.

The experience that you had cannot be compared to the experience that they are having and vice versa. This is why it is vital to acknowledge what they are feeling. One has to try to understand them as different individuals rather than connecting their experience to someone else.

Don’t try to diagnose or second guess their feelings

Don’t try to take matters personally and start googling symptoms and label them without any medical supervision. Try not to make assumptions about what is wrong or jump in too quickly with the diagnosis or solutions.

Read up and gather knowledge about the same

It is okay not to understand what they are going through. Try to read up on the struggles they are facing, not to label them but to figure out a way to be more supportive. Having the support of loved ones during the healing process makes things easier.

Read articles, blogs, listen to videos and podcasts from sources that are credible. If the loved one wants to talk about how they are feeling, what they are experiencing, try to learn from them.

Judgement-free zone

The bottom line is, we all just want to be heard without judgment. Offering them a judgment-free space will help them fully express how they feel. Try to understand their feelings without any judgement and as a new perspective.

When someone is struggling, be there for them, sit with them, listen, do nothing with them, but support them no matter what. Talk out different ways of de-stressing or practising self-care and figure out what they would find helpful. Help them access self-help tools or offer them help in seeking professional support and provide the relevant information on ways to do this. But remember this, do not take control. Allow them to make these decisions.

Keywords: Mental health, safe space, communication, reassurance, professional support, diagnose, decisions, reach out, support, seek help, de-stressing, self-care, validate, support system, advice, diagnosis, cope

Happy Hormones: Guide to a Good Life

How to live a happy life? How to stay happy in our day-to-day lives? These are questions we ask ourselves almost daily. We keep trying to find ways on how to elevate our mood and more than that, how to sustain it. We’re always advised to exercise, watch something funny, hang out with our friends or family, but we completely brush these tips off, because we think – “Huh! That’s not going to work. It can’t be that easy.” Well, it is this easy.

There is a scientific reason behind why and what activities induce happiness. It’s the “happiness hormones”.

Hormones and neurotransmitters are involved in lots of essential processes, like heart rate and digestion, and also your moods and feelings. They are the body’s chemical messengers, and some of them are known for their ability to help people bond, feel joy, and experience pleasure. These hormones lift and fall throughout the day in our bodies. The four most known types of happiness-inducing hormones are-

serotonin,

dopamine,

endorphins, and

oxytocin.

What is less known is that happiness hormones are a reflection of your environment, relationships, diet, exercise regime, and, in some cases, even our gut microbes. This means that we hold the key to our happiness in our own hands, through the lifestyle choices we make.

It is also important to note that all these hormones need to be functioning together in our body, for us to feel happy. So, let’s try and understand the function of these hormones.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin, is also known as the cuddle hormone, because it is induced by indulging in close relationships. These may be romantic relationships, friendships, or familial relationships. It’s been pinpointed in human bonding, generosity, and establishing trust, while other studies show that it might be what makes some romantic relationships work. Indeed, higher blood oxytocin levels have been linked to greater perceived love, responsiveness, and gratitude in couples.

So, the next time you’re feeling sad, just go ahead and hug a friend, partner, a family member, or even your furry little pet. It will considerably heighten your oxytocin levels.

Dopamine

Dopamine, also known as the motivational molecule, is a chemical messenger between neurons. It is released when our brain is expecting a reward. When we associate a certain activity with pleasure, even mere anticipation of it is enough to raise dopamine levels. For example, if you feel that eating your favourite cookie will make your period pain go away, then even if you smell those cookies being baked, or anticipating that you’re going to eat that cookie somewhere during the day- will release dopamine in your body. And when you finally do consume it, your dopamine levels will rush and make you even more sure that it acted as a painkiller. Hence, every time you experience period pain, you will crave this cookie.

Dopamine is mostly produced in the gut. This means that taking care of our gut microbiome can help our mental well-being and even life longevity. It is even involved in other bodily functions such as blood flow, digestion, executive functioning, memory, and focus, etc. This hormone can function through foods as the body can turn tyrosine — an amino acid — into dopamine via a complex chain of reactions. Tyrosine can be found in foods like milk, cheese, yogurt, Omega-3 rich foods, meat, eggs, etc.

Serotonin

Serotonin, also known as the feel-good hormone, is essential for mood, digestion, sleep, brain function, and circadian rhythm. It is produced in the gut. Hence, we can produce these hormones through our diet, as this hormone is directly associated with certain foods. A balanced whole food diet and a high-fiber diet including mushrooms, onions, oranges, etc.

Several findings based on research have shown that serotonin does not only affect our mood, but also our physical health. And it has a direct relationship with the feeling of happiness. A healthy fitness regime also promotes the health of your gut; hence it should not be a shock that exercise also promotes good mental health and elevated moods.

Endorphins

Endorphins are hormones and neuro-signaling molecules that function as painkillers. They don’t exactly block the transmission of pain signals, as is famously known, but they induce euphoria. The “runner’s high” or people who perform cardiovascular exercises get hooked to it and we wonder, “how can someone be addicted to running?”. It’s because of the big rush of endorphins, and the function of dopamine in combination with this is what certainly helps.

According to research, scientists have found that regular participation in aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, improve sleep, and self-esteem. Even five minutes of aerobic exercise can stimulate anti-anxiety effects and promote feelings of happiness.

The next time you’re feeling low, just go ahead and make some little lifestyle changes. Go and hug someone, eat some healthy food, or, indulge yourself in some sort of physical activity. A happy and holistic life can be maintained by very simple things if combined with an embracing positive attitude. Some days can be very hard and pull you down, but remember, you have the power to influence your mood and body. You’re the leader of your mind and body.

There are always ways to manage your life by learning tactics that you can acquire to lead a rounded and positive life. To understand how our hormones or biological system affects our mood and mental health, you can read up on blogs, talk to a professional and get more personalized tips, look for psycho-education, and a lot more.

Guide To Helping Your Loved One Coping With Mental Health Issues

Identifying that your loved one is struggling is seen as the first step to help them. As one knows them inside out, one may be able to figure out how they behave differently. Are they distancing themselves socially? Do they no longer enjoy the things they used to? Have their sleeping or eating habits changed? After noticing something offbeat with them - now what is the next essential step?

Though it may be difficult, showing your loved one support is the key to recovery. Here’s what you can to do help:

Communication is the key

One has to keep in mind that maybe they won’t accept that they require professional help and might push away. They might say they are completely okay and there is nothing to worry about. Make multiple attempts, and try to infer more subtly.

Ask them how are they doing? Have honest conversations with them. One can always start by opening up and telling them how things can be figured out and made easier for them. Ask them open-ended questions like "How are you feeling?" rather than being very direct like "I can see you are feeling very low.” Give the person time to answer without pestering them with too many questions.

Avoid giving advice

It often feels like we need to ‘fix’ them and try to do anything on the earth to make them feel better. It is important to realise that they are not broken, and they do not require any fixing. Secondly, if one indulges in giving them advice, it seems like one is diminishing their struggle and does not believe in their capabilities.

Remember that they are struggling to find a solution, or maybe they are just tired of already trying many things.

Acknowledge their feelings and offer them reassurance

This is one of the most important aspects when talking to loved ones. They need assurance as they feel very overwhelmed. Even if one doesn’t understand why they are feeling this way and what is wrong, don’t question them for what they are feeling. Try to empathise and understand their struggle.

Don’t compare

Many times one starts to talk about personal struggles or someone else who has faced similar situations and how they dealt with them. This might feel like belittling their issues and make them feel like you do not understand. Everyone has different struggles when it comes to mental health. People do not experience anxiety in the same way. Yes, the symptoms are the same, but how one handles it is entirely different.

The experience that you had cannot be compared to the experience that they are having and vice versa. This is why it is vital to acknowledge what they are feeling. One has to try to understand them as different individuals rather than connecting their experience to someone else.

Don't try to diagnose or second guess their feelings

Don’t try to take matters personally and start googling symptoms and label them without any medical supervision. Try not to make assumptions about what is wrong or jump in too quickly with the diagnosis or solutions.

Read up and gather knowledge about the same

It is okay not to understand what they are going through. Try to read up on the struggles they are facing, not to label them but to figure out a way to be more supportive. Having the support of loved ones during the healing process makes things easier.

Read articles, blogs, listen to videos and podcasts from sources that are credible. If the loved one wants to talk about how they are feeling, what they are experiencing, try to learn from them.

Judgement-free zone

The bottom line is, we all just want to be heard without judgment. Offering them a judgment-free space will help them fully express how they feel. Try to understand their feelings without any judgement and as a new perspective.

When someone is struggling, be there for them, sit with them, listen, do nothing with them, but support them no matter what. Talk out different ways of de-stressing or practising self-care and figure out what they would find helpful. Help them access self-help tools or offer them help in seeking professional support and provide the relevant information on ways to do this. But remember this, do not take control. Allow them to make these decisions.

How Poor Mental Health Can Affect Your Physical Health?

There is a definite link between mental health and physical health that we often fail to understand. It is often told to us that our physical health is important to maintain a healthy body but no one tells us about the importance of mental health. When was the last time that you did something about your mental health? It is crucial to understand that physical health and mental health work together for our overall well-being. WHO defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” A lot of us are unaware of the proneness and potency of mental illnesses. According to industry research, about one in five adults has mental health issues in any given year. Depression is not the only problem. There are a lot of issues spanning from ones that affect the mood to those that affect behavior and cognition. Few examples are: Anxiety Eating Disorders Schizophrenia Addictive Behaviors Autism How does Mind Affect the Body? You might be wondering how does mental health affect physiological health? Neglecting your mental health can lead to serious complications like: High blood pressure Heart diseases Asthma Obesity Compromised immune system Poor mental health can also affect the ability to make informed and healthy decisions and fight off serious illnesses. In fact, depression alone can cause insomnia, fatigues and increase sensitivity to aches and pains due to abnormal brain function. Taking care of mental health is crucial. Tips on Maintaining Healthy Mind and Body Mental health and physical health work in synergy. Hence, taking care of one won’t benefit much. You need to take care of both. If physical health is not up to the mark, then mental health will suffer and vice versa. Below are few tips to take care of your overall well-being: Exercise Exercising is a foolproof way to enhance your mental health and physical health. It releases good hormones in the body like endorphins and serotonin, which can help you to feel good and ease anxiety and depression. These hormones have the potential to make you work for a higher purpose. HIIT or yoga, the choice is yours.

Keeping Track of Your Mental Health Like we keep track of our BMI, cholesterol levels, vitamin levels etc. It is important to regularly assess our mental health. There are various screening tools available online. There’s one website called HappiMynd. They offer customized screenings, which is great because it is exactly what you need. If there’s an issue, you will get to know and therefore, take immediate action.

Using Self-Improvement and Management Tools Self-improvement and management tools can help you take care of your mental health daily. We all work on thriving and getting better each day but do not how much progress have we made. Such tools are a great way to keep track and manage mental health anywhere and anytime.

Maintain a Schedule Maintaining a daily schedule is very important, especially with the commencement of lockdown. We all are home and without a schedule, it is easy to feel aimless. Hence, it is crucial to do daily activities on time, like eating, working, exercising, sleeping, etc. Sleeping well for seven or more hours is recommended. Not getting enough sleep can lead to depression, stress and anxiety. Avoid using the phone one hour before sleeping and after waking up. It can affect your sleep quality.

Don’t Wait to Get Help In a lot of cases, people start seeking help once the crisis has occurred. According to a study by the Columbia University Medical Center, less than a third of American adults who screened positive for depression received treatment for their symptoms. Getting help as soon as you sense something wrong can prevent serious conditions. HappiMynd provides affordable, reliable and confidential services for various emotional health conditions. They offer self-improvement and management tool that can help you thrive and maintain your emotional health. It’s a safe and secure place where you can also vent your feelings and seek help from a team of experienced psychologists as per your need. It is a great option for people who are seeking emotional support without compromising on their confidentiality.

How to Increase Productivity and Make The Most Out Of Yourself

As a student, there is a lot to do in what can feel like very little time. Alongside attaining good grades, it is essential to get plenty of rest, remain social, and take care of your health. One can get overwhelmed, but what is essential is working smartly. Here are a few tips which would help you in increasing your efficiency and maximizing your output.

Track and allocate time

There are days when you have a heavy workload, and the list is never-ending. Allocate time blocks to all the tasks in hand and note exactly how much time it takes to complete each task. A time tracking app can be beneficial. Every time you need a break, stand up, get a snack, or let your mind wander.

Gradually, you will learn to predict how long a task is likely to take. It will allow you to plan your week accordingly. By using this method, you’ll minimize time wastage and feel more certain about your study habits. Time tracking is essential and will bring drastic changes in your life.

Break large tasks into small ones for ease

There are times when you face trouble getting started on an enormous task, as some tasks are more extensive than others. You can increase your efficiency by breaking an assignment into small, manageable chunks. Then put those chunks on a well-managed checklist so that the motivation to complete tasks increases. Tick off the task from the list. This can work as a motivating reward.

Try to Eliminate Distractions

Distractions include cell phone buzzing, Instagram notifications, email notifications, and multiple web browsers open on the desktop. Distractions should be avoided to improve the quality of work. Sometimes a bit of music in the background can help you focus. Of course, it doesn’t have to be heavy rock music, but a bit of white music for concentration would be good.

Group Similar Tasks into a Single Batch

Tasks like phone calls, email, and errands can be grouped into a single batch. You will save time by completing similar tasks in one session. Set reminders, and group all of your most essential tasks in a convenient spot.

Figure out your Productive Hours

Everyone has a specific time of the day in which they are more productive. For some, it’s morning hours; and for some, it’s after midnight. Figure out what works for you, optimise your work schedule when your prime time is for enhanced productivity.

Plan in advance

Utilize a calendar, diary, or planner to plan for the upcoming weeks and months. It is part and parcel of life as a student. Know when the submissions are due, and give yourself plenty of time to plan to work on it. These practices will help in maintaining work/life balance. Plan your tasks in chunks based on importance and urgency.

Take screen breaks

Taking breaks doesn't mean switching from reading an article online or scrolling Instagram. By 'break,’ we mean break – pull yourself away from your computer and do something unrelated for a few minutes. Go for a run, have a cup of tea, or chat with your roommate, basically doing whatever it takes to help you switch off for a bit.

You need to give yourself time to unwind throughout the day. It can be easy to forget when you're knee-deep in the study that even you have limits (you're only human). Taking breaks will help you avoid burnout. It's not about how much time you spend studying, but how effectively you use that time.

It is okay to feel that you’re not doing enough and not working according to your calibre. You may feel like you’re the only one, but most people think the same way. Remember that you are important, and taking good care of your emotional well-being will enhance your overall well-being. Getting help for practical understanding about yourself through screening summary, using self-help tools, and availing yourself the option of talking to our experts for more support without compromising on your confidentiality is available.

An Exhaustive Guide on How To Take a Mental Health Day Off

Everyone deals with varying levels of stress. It can get challenging to function and manage everything if you have a lot on your plate. Research shows that mental health can significantly impact academic life.

Burnout can leave one feeling exhausted, irritable, empty, and unable to cope with daily life demands. It may lead to one experiencing a variety of mental and physical health symptoms as well. If one doesn’t address burnout and fatigue, it can make it very difficult for individuals to perform well in their daily lives and lead to declining productivity. Naturally, we all ask for leave for sick days for physical health, but the practice of taking leave for addressing our mental health is more of a grey area.

Have you taken a day off for your mental health?

Sometimes taking a mental health day — a day off that’s geared towards stress relief, self-work, and burnout prevention — is the best thing you can do for yourself and gain that lost energy back. One day might not solve serious underlying problems that lead to burnout, yet it can provide a much-needed break to rest and come back with greater energy levels and a less-stressed perspective.

Here are some tips that can help you take a mental health day and make the most out of your day off:

Deciding What You Need the Most

If one is fatigued, the body will be screaming that it needs to rest and sleep. It could be because of deadlines, or one just feels that he/she can’t face another day of hard work. It not only requires a day off but also requires some fun. However, if you’re feeling confused, you may not be as aware of your needs.

Take a minute and introspect: Would it benefit if you take some time off? Would a day off with friends recharge you? Do you need to spend some quality time with yourself alone? Or do you need a day of doing nothing?

How To Spend Your Mental Health Day

Just like you’d treat any sick day, indulge in the things that would make you feel better. It is a day for yourself. Don’t confuse it with a ‘running errands day.’ Design a mental health day for self-care so that you feel refreshed. Just make sure whatever is being done makes you feel more at ease and relaxed.

You can take time out and binge watch some Netflix series or movies, or indulge in your favourite hobby like drawing, painting, cooking, baking, reading a good book, or go out with friends for a coffee or dinner, spend time with family, go for a walk. You can also spend time decluttering, organizing and cleaning if that is therapeutic for you!

The key is to spend valuable time doing an activity that you find relaxing and rejuvenating.

Decide whether you need to make some fundamental changes

Sometimes, self-care is realising that you need to make changes to your lifestyle. Take the day off to restructure and sort things out. You won’t be able to eliminate all the ongoing stressors in a day. Still, you might be capable enough to make a significant change in various domains, which would create an enduring impact in the long term.

You can start to eliminate stress by:

Figuring out what is wrong by reflecting and analysing

Creating a list of things that drain energy and how changes can be brought into that sphere of life

Formulating to-do lists and planning in advance

Reflecting on all your strengths and coping mechanisms that you already have or need to develop

Things to Avoid on Your Mental Health Day

Spending your day in self-care does not mean spending time in loneliness. It is a day to help you refresh and recharge. Even if you want to stay home and sleep all day, make sure that it is for the right reasons and you are not just doing it to avoid people.

Things one should avoid:

Indulging in smoking or drinking

Overeating or binge eating junk and unhealthy foods

Ruminating or crying

Spend all day on the phone, reading posts on social media or memes

Being socially distan

It is essential to fill your Mental Health day with activities that boost your physical and mental wellness.

Reflect on the Day

Once you’ve spent the day on yourself, set aside some time to reflect on the day’s events, make it a habit to practice the GLAD technique.

GLAD is a gratitude exercise that will improve the mood and help you with an added dose of positivity. It strengthens one’s ability to be grateful for what life has in store for you. It is:

Gratitude

Learning

Achievement or accomplishment

Delight

It puts you in a better emotional place right before bed and prepares you for the next hectic day.

Don’t expect to be able to decide about all of this in a single go. If you want to make a radical change in your life, use the mental day off as a chance to do long-term planning, evaluation, and get ready to work on those changes for long-term impact. It may feel awkward at first to do things like spending a day with your loved ones or doing your hobby that you’d otherwise spend working. But these activities can go a long way toward helping you feel better, relaxed, and revived.

A mental health day can be beneficial on occasion, but in the current times, we must also strive to make mental health a priority every day. Gaining a detailed report into the areas you need to work on is a fundamental step on the journey of mental wellness. You can avail yourself of the option of self-management tools or book a session with a therapist for more support without compromising on your confidentiality.

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