Refrain the Brain to Drain

When I was asked to write about mental health, I thought, "Hey, that's what I've been studying for the past three years. It shouldn’t be hard to come up with a few words on it." I thought wrong. Surprisingly, it took me a while to pick a trajectory because there is no shortage of angles through which one can talk about mental health.

I will not define mental health for you or write about the dire need for awareness around it. The adorable bots on the website can help you with that. Instead, I will focus on why it is so difficult to talk about mental health. Your mental health.

What drew me to psychology was the mystery of how and why humans behave the way they do. It wouldn't be wrong to assume that many people run away from discussions around mental health, because of how much our brain remains a mystery, to this day. We, as a species, are not very fond of the unknown. So we tell ourselves stories that fit our beliefs and values.

Talking about mental health is a source of discomfort for many people because it takes courage and vulnerability to talk about the "ugly" parts of being human. How many of us are okay with shedding a tear or talking about our emotional state in front of our friends or family? I often find myself apologising for "getting too emo" in front of others. Many of us cannot find the words to express what is going on with us, which is why our usual response to how we are doing is limited to synonyms of the word fine. How often do we mean it? Do we prefer to respond vaguely or just lack the vocabulary to express what is happening? I think words fail us when we have to talk about how we feel because we have been conditioned to contain ourselves to avoid "uncomfortable" topics of conversation to ensure a sense of false harmony.

Let me ask you this: Do you really want to know how the other person is doing? Do you have the time and energy to lend an ear and a shoulder?

We all need a lesson on expressing ourselves and holding space while others do the same. I think that would be one of the more basic steps we can take to change the narrative of our mental health. Because when we are able to put into words or express in any other form how we feel, and are comfortable doing so, it eventually becomes routine, like brushing our teeth, the result of which would be a world where we can redefine what it means to be a fully-functioning human.