March 7, 2022

Anxiety in Children

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories anxiety Depression health mental health professional help psychotherapy therapy

In today’s millennial lifestyle and fast paced world,children often feel abandoned and neglected, stemming from feelings of dissatisfaction, fear and loneliness in them, which can adversely affect their individual development, growth and interpersonal relationships. The fear of being left behind and absolute solitude at a premature age, devoid of the warmth and shelter of parents can assume lethal forms as anxiety and depression. 

Anxiety refers to a chronic fear, worry or deep stress that repeatedly manifests itself in the thoughts and expressions of an individual and interferes in the regular day to day activities of that individual, hampering normal physiological and psychological function. In the case of a child, this includes hindrances in his school activities,playground activities as well as academics. 

Anxiety can be of various forms in a child. It can manifest itself as a sudden, deep-standing phobia including that of water, insects, spiders, dogs, cats or even closed spaces. It can also be expressed in the form of extreme craving or yearning for parents or loved ones and the fear of being left alone at home. This can also gradually develop over a period of time. This is also called separation anxiety in children. This can be also be manifested as bouts of physical illnesses and symptoms such as headache or migraine, abdominal pain, stomach upset, untimely fits of drowsiness, breathlessness, restlessness, nausea, dizziness, profuse sweating, shakiness and even panic attacks in severe cases. 

Anxiety can also be manifested in the form of social anxiety where the child fears any form of social interaction and communication including an increasing aversion towards going to school and places of gathering with a lot of people. The child loses interest in friends and mates and starts living in a recluse. The child also starts fearing the future and its uncertainty and looks at all prospects with dread and suspicion. The child feels helpless and is unable to handle situations which were once easily tackled by him/her. The child discontinues all hobbies and pastimes and feels lethargic, lazy and exhausted, with negative thoughts persistently clouding his mind. This suspends physical, mental, vital as well as emotional growth.

March 5, 2022

Understanding Clinical Depression

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories Depression health individual counseling mental health professional help psychotherapy therapy

We often hear people talking about depression but do we actually make an effort in understanding what it exactly is? It is very important to understand what clinical depression is if we want to help someone come out of it, or just spread awareness in general. Depression, or major depressive disorder is a mood disorder that can result in persistent sadness or disinterest. The sadness that we’re talking about is not short-lived and cannot be treated by small gestures. There’s a feeling of helplessness, hopelessness associated with this sadness and it can last for weeks and months or even more, if not treated properly. Clinically depressed individuals often lose their will to live. Waking up everyday feels like a mammoth task for them. Feeling pessimistic, losing appetite, fatigue, aggressiveness, and self-harming tendencies are some common symptoms of depression. Some factors that might cause depression are mentioned below. 

  • Hormone Levels 

Alterations in female hormones like progesterone and estrogen during different points of time such as during menstruation, menopause, postpartum period, etc, might increase the chances of depression for menstruators. 

  • Brain Chemistry 

More often than not, there are certain chemical imbalances found in the brains of those who suffer from depression. These imbalances might be in areas that deal with our moods, thoughts, appetite, behavior, etc. 

  • Medical Conditions 

If you’re suffering from certain medical illnesses, you would be at a higher risk of being clinically depressed. Some of these are Parkinson’s disease, heart attack, cancer, insomnia, etc. 

  • Brain Structure

The structure of the brain is not the same for everyone. This plays a major role in determining whether we are prone to depression or not. It has been found out that if the frontal lobe of your brain is less active, there would be a greater risk of you being depressed. 

  • Family History 

If you’ve a family history of depression, you should be more careful because there are chances that you might develop mental illnesses as well. People who have a family history of depression should make additional efforts in taking care of their mental health. 

  • Childhood Trauma 

More often than not, our depression is the result of a past trauma that we are unable to let go of. The trauma becomes more intense if the incident takes place in our childhood. Disturbing memories from our childhood are extremely hard to get over. Sometimes, it might take years of therapy to come out of a childhood trauma. 

March 1, 2022

What Is Wellness Coaching?

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories coach coaching counseling health mental health professional help therapy wellness coaching

Health coaching or wellness coaching is an interdisciplinary practice that encompasses credentialed coaches clinically engaging with an individual referred to as the patient or client, aiming for personal, ethical, social and/or spiritual welfare on a voluntary approach. In view of today’s immensely mechanistic world with cut-throat competition, it has been found to be an effective practice for moral upliftment, replenishment and individual development. It  includes the skillful usage of a host of tools such as clinical mentoring, motivational interviewing, reiterating confidence, etc. 

The key concept that plays the most crucial role in health or wellness coaching is the coach-patient relationship. A positive rapport between the coach and the client brings about positive consequences for the sessions. A sharp and skillful coach devotes special attention towards building this comfort and familiarity in the professional relationship, that makes it easier for the individual to open up, let go of inhibitions and address the issue at hand with complete transparency and honesty. It helps the patient to feel at ease and connect with his or her healer at a non-superficial level. However, healers and coaches avoid or resist emotional relationships or personal attachment with their clients in order to prevent complications in the course of treatment and issues that can negatively impact the client’s progress. 

Tools of Wellness Coaching:

  • Clinical Mentoring

Clinical mentoring includes listing the patient’s strengths and weaknesses and actively guiding him in identifying and addressing both. It encompasses mentoring him or her to strengthen the strengths and to gradually work on the weaknesses and not feel bogged down by momentary success or failure. It includes professional understanding of the patient’s psyche and realistic solutions that have practical significance. 

  • Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing includes the effective usage of oration and articulation to morally uplift the client and aid in his holistic rejuvenation. It includes the unhindered audition of his insecurities, issues, worries and anxieties and to provide accurate and contextual advice on methods to alleviate them. Motivational interviewing is an umbrella term that consists of social, spiritual, vital and psychic aspects of healing. 

  • Reiterating Confidence and Refashioning Goals

In wellness coaching sessions, reiterating confidence and re-encouraging aspirations also holds prime relevance. The wellness coach refuels the client’s desire to work towards his goals and artfully refashions his haywire plans of getting closer to them. The healer rebuilds his broken foundation and works towards making him realise his full potential and the importance of those inherent abilities to attain self-sufficiency.

February 28, 2022

How To Deal With A Burnout?

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories burnout exhaustion mental health psychotherapy taking breaks therapy

With the pandemic creating havoc in our lives and companies trying hard to restructure their employees and work strategies, more and more people are facing burnout. Burnout is a situation of extreme physical and mental exhaustion that happens while you’re at work, affecting your productivity and performance in general. Burnouts can be caused due to several reasons, work stress being one. Feeling burnt out is quite common these days but there are ways to treat it. 

  • Recognising The Burnout 

The first step of solving any problem is to acknowledge its presence and if you’re aware that you’re feeling burnt out, that’s going to be the first step towards your progress. To be able to determine, you’ve got to notice some symptoms in your body. According to feeling burnt out on reddit, you would feel extremely tired all the time, irrespective of whether you have a huge workload or not. Lack of focus, short temper, anger, depression, etc, are some other symptoms that might help you understand the same. 

  • Talking To Someone 

Not talking about your burnout would only result in making things worse. You have to open up and be frank with someone from work. Talk to your colleague, your boss, or your HR manager and let them know that you’re feeling burnt out at work and you need some changes in your work routine. You could ask them to let you look at newer avenues, free you from a shift, or just change your schedules a bit. The best way to go about making things better for yourself is to speak the truth and ask for what you need. If your employer is good, you’re going to be heard and it’s going to be a smooth shift. Remember, it’s not going to be easy talking about your momentary inabilities to someone from work but you would still have to do it if you want to make things better. 

  • Being Practical 

The key to having a successful work-life and preventing feeling burnt out is practicality. You’ve got to be aware of your limits instead of pushing harder. It’s true that a driving force is important to bring out the best in you but that works only until your work doesn’t hamper your mental health. You have to learn to say no, in circumstances that demand more from you than you’ll be able to give. You shouldn’t ever commit to unrealistic goals and aspirations, while at work. Set realistic deadlines and complete your work accordingly, so that you’re able to manage your time well. It’s vital to keep your work away from your personal time and this can be done only if you’re practical enough. 

  • Seeking Help 

Work can get really overwhelming at times followed by feeling burnt out and depressed. If you cannot solve your issues on your own, you should seek professional help to get back to the grind again. Talking to a professional can go a long way in making you realize the loopholes that you’ve not been paying adequate attention to. Try regular therapy to feel and function better with time. 

February 26, 2022

Why Are Women More Depressed Than Men?

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories Depression individual counseling mental health professional help psychotherapy therapy

The awareness about mental illnesses is still quite scant throughout the globe, and especially in countries like India. The taboo associated with mental disorders is way harder to overcome than curing the actual disease. According to conventional thinking, men face more mental health issues than women since the suicide rates are higher than women. However, deep study and detailed statistics reveal that the scenario is quite opposite. The mental health burdens of women are way more than what men go through, in their lifetime.  

Gender plays a very important role in mental health. While mental health issues are important in both men and women, certain factors cannot be denied which lead to a great divide as far as one’s well-being is concerned. WHO or the World Health Organization confirms that the leading mental health problems that are seen in adults are essentially a greater mental health burden on women. These problems include dementia, depression, organic brain syndromes, etc. Several reasons lead to women having more mental health issues such as medical factors, patriarchy, physical abuse, etc.

  • Social Reasons 

The mental health burden on women is major because of the social factors that differentiate between a man and a woman on parameters other than the biological ones. Women have always been oppressed and have not been allowed to live a life of free will. Their aspirations have been ignored and their actions restricted. They have always been dependent on their male counterparts for their financial requirements since they were unable to sustain their livelihood. 

  • Medical Reasons 

The medical factors might include the lower secretion of serotonin in women, which can lead to signs of depression when the circumstances are conducive. Moreover, health conditions like menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, etc, result in a lot of hormonal changes in a woman’s body. Therefore, a wide plethora of leading mental health diseases are quite common in women, when their body goes through such conditions. 

  • Sexual Abuse 

Molestation and rape need to be mentioned in this regard as well. A major mental health burden in women throughout their lives is the burden of sexual abuse. Statistics show that 1 in 5 women in the world go through rape attempts or are rape survivors. Such people often suffer from PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health disorder that occurs due to the trauma attached to such incidents. With numbers as heartbreaking as these, it’s not surprising that mental health illnesses are more commonly found in women. 

It’s time we start acknowledging these issues and treat them effectively, instead of brushing them off and normalizing them. Mental health is as important as one’s physical health if not more and it needs to be catered to. Not everybody is comfortable talking about their issues and whenever you feel you can help someone simply by listening to them or being there for them, don’t step back.

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