Mental Illness is a scar on the mind which leaves the person emotionally shattered,and drains him or her of all his mental and physical energy.
While we were growing up,as children, we were all taught by our parents and teachers,how to eat well,how to study well,how to speak well,how to sit properly,how to behave well and so on.But no one ever taught us HOW TO THINK well,what to think or how much to think!
We grew up with all our focus on our physical and behavioral well being.As a result our Mental well being was neglected and there in lies the whole story !
Today Stress and Depression have spread like cancer in the society ,and have taken the shape of an epidemic.There is hardly any family or person who ,in his life time,has not been stressed or who has not seen stress or depression in those near and dear to him.There is some more bad news added to this,that stress has some more devious consequences which can lead one to addictions and suicides.
However there is some good news too!With modern technology,knowledge,techniques,medicines and therapy ,collectively or selectively,depending on the severity and type of mental illness,it is now possible to prevent stress,or harness/manage the stress.I emphasize on ‘stress’ because stress is the root cause of all our mental maladies today.Both ,stress and its consequences, like depression and anxiety are hazardous to our mental health.And there is no denying the fact that a good mental health does lead to a good physical health whereas a stressed mind caters to the infamous psychosomatic illnesses of the body.
The keyword to the solution of all these problems is AWARENESS.Adequate Knowledge and psychoeducation,empowers a person and once he learns the art of positive and rational thinking,he is able to say NO to stress and other mental illnesses which may ensue.COPING with stressful conditions adaptively helps in preventing its manifestation in our mind,but if it has managed to invade our mind inspite of all our efforts,it is still possible to MANAGE and do away with it,provided we know the techniques to become stress-free.
Children should be taught the art of positive thinking,‘what to think’, and how much to think,in schools.If schools fail to do so, the parents should be well equipped to teach THE RIGHT THINKING SKILLS to their children.There is no denying the fact that in a stress free mind lies the secret to a happy life,which we all look forward to, and which we all envisage for our children.
PARI FOUNDATION has taken up the formidable challenge of spreading awareness in all sections of society,about the hazards of stress on one’s mental emotional and physical health,and how ,with the right way of thinking one can be prevent being stressed.Management of a person in stress is also taught by us,but our main focus is on prevention,which as we all know is the cure and is also better than the cure in this case.