MIND AND BODY
MIND AND BODY
I come from a long line of ancestors who battled depression all their lives and eventually succumbed to it.So this topic today is like hitting a home run for me.
Recently i had bad news regarding a celebrity whom i have adored ,he committed suicide at a tender age of 32 no one knew he was battling depression nor he showed any signs till the day he decided he cant take it anymore.I have been listening to lot of stories like this recently as us human beings are a social race and we dont do well with social distancing or lock downs or quarantines .
It has been hard for me and my son too the only thing that kept me going was my hobby of soap making which i fortunately converted into business .So today i thought i should share few tips with you all what helped me battle my genetic predisposition to depression and suicide and my fight being a mother to a autistic child.
The first thing that helped me to overcome my strong depressive thoughts was reading about real life strong men and women and how they overcome their life battles. the books that particularly helped me were
1. Swami Vivekananda his call to the nation
This book gave me strength when i was drowning and everything felt pointless,I was in my teens and everything seemed like caving in on me but this book taught me to fight and stand on my feet it literally pulled me out a rabbit hole.
2 . Rachel carson silent spring
I first read this book after many years hearing about the author from my father he was a great advocate of saving the oceans and wildlife , Finally i decided to read it and it made me sad how much struggle one lady went to fight the whole system of american lobbying but it gave me huge goodwill towards american judicial system and its eternal strength to fight for its citizens.
3. Friedrich Nietzsche Thus Spoke Zarathustra
This book helped me to realise how self worth and confidence makes us different from others it is a controversial book but i believe in thinking that its all in the perspective .
4. The communist manifesto by karl marx and Friedrich Engels
My father was a strong supporter of communism back in india and i grew up hearing a lot about karl marx and leon trotsky though trotsky was his favourite.This book helped me understand why communism failed after some time as it has its own fundamental flaws like all other doctrines .I was at a cross roads then feeling sad about the all the poverty and inequality in the world.
Depression comes in many phases it doesn't stem out from the problems we face or we have or what we endure it can trigger from anything sometimes what triggers it may seem silly for the outsiders but the pain with which the actual person feels is unbearable .
5. Karen Armstrong A history of God
This book is a revelation to me being born hindu i was always a believer in god but when i used to see the conflicts within several religions like Catholics and protestants and sunni and shia i was not able to understand the depth of belief one lives in and how far we go to fight for our beliefs humans have this extraordinary strength of fighting when we actually believe in something in some way depression is also like that the person who actually lives it strongly believes in it and fights to be in it rather than come out of it we all need help to come out of that state of mind we need a hand to pull us out or else we just keep digging ourselves and burying deep.
This book taught me on how to shake the beliefs we live in and start seeing the bigger picture which is endurance and struggles we have to face and the simple answer i found is its life its never gonna be easy ..yes some people find it easy but its all in the perspective and thinking and luck.
I am gonna stop writing about books now and tell other things which helped.
Exercise is one thing that helped me a lot i struggled with weight all my life and it caused one level of depression in me my constant battle to fit into clothes and look good and not embrace my body made it worse that when i found exercise I started it as means to reduce weight but the after effects of endorphins was amazing to my mental health too thats when my perspective towards exercise changed and i stopped seeing it as a punishment it has become my solace and companion in my life journey . I now enjoy my daily walks as the gyms are closed and i feel a sense of belonging when i walk through the neighbourhood and random people smiling at you really boosts me up.
Thats why i always make it a point to smile at people even when i dont know them we might accidentally brighten up someones life and its not a bad thing right.
HOBBY
I started soap making few years ago as a hobby to keep myself busy and i saw it as a accomplishment in my journey towards sustainability too .I had to stop working few years ago to be a full time carer for my son who is autistic i lead the initial years of the diagnosis chasing autism and crying and trying to cure my son as if he was having a disease i didnt enjoy any bit of my sons growing up i was constantly comparing him with other children and kept asking myself why me god why me ...After few years i was tired beaten up but being a mother is what kept me going thats when i decided that i was having a unhealthy relation with my son my whole life is revolving around him and its not helping either of us so i decided i need to have a hobby and it should have a end product which will make me feel a sense of accomplishment thats when i came across this soap making class run by a local lady and from that day i never looked back i feel like i found my calling.
Now i am much more happy and content person this journey with my son taught me that every human being need to have some kind of self worth and purpose to feel alive we are not just simply mother daughter wife or sister we should have a role for our self when we take away the worldly relationships we should have something to define us and for me my hobbys do that.
And finally and most importantly i changed the way i live i started being more responsible towards nature and environment i started being mindful and not create unnecessary waste as when i see effects of global warming or the humans destroying the Eco systems for our selfishness sadness me a lot .
We are yet see more destruction and disease and suffering as a result of the imbalance we created in the Eco system we opened the Pandora box and now every demon is out to get us .Be it the effects on our body and mind by eating chemical loaded hormonal food or drinking water filled with chemical waste or the impure air we breathe everything factors to our well being.
So friends please be strong and start changing your ways on how you see the world lets start our journey to a healthy mind and body and its in your hands even small step towards right direction matters .
Be mindful stop creating waste .
Lets be healthy body and soul.