Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Existential Crisis





Existential Crisis . How old are you ? 
40. 
Yes I Suffer from Existential Crisis at the age of 40. 

According to wikipedia 

"Existential crises are moments when individuals question whether their lives have meaning, purpose, or value. It may be commonly, but not necessarily, tied to depression or inevitably negative speculations on purpose in life (e.g., "if one day I will be forgotten, what is the point of all of my work?"

So, do you suffer from Depression ? 

Yes I do . And I am on medication from last several years. 

I was on vacation at one of the most beautiful places on earth , in India, ie Kerala last month. I had a beach view facing room and all the beauty in the world didn’t have any effect on me . I was lying on my bed numb  , unable to read books that I had piled up to read during vacation. I was invited as Speaker to be on a panel by NHRD  ( HR body ) which I declined . My confidence was at an all time low.  This is sometimes how depression manifests itself. 

I have a dream life , I choose to do meaningful work  with people I enjoy working with,  mentor IIT & IIM Students, young women, do Public speaking on HR, Digital, Gender Equality - a cause close to my heart,  Travel to offbeat destinations, have loving family and friends who care , yet here I was lying numb , struggling to breathe, questioning the purpose of my existence and thinking what difference does it make even when “ I have it all “ 

After much contemplation, I decided to reach out  and seek help from a friend who is a psychologist and counsellor. 
I shared my ordeal with her. I was having an anxiety attack.  She calmed me down and shared few practical tips to manage Anxiety attack. 

Why I am sharing all of this with Community  ? Because after living for couple of years with guilt and shame of having #MentalIllness , I decided somethings gotta change. Our Society is opening up and there shouldn’t be any  stigma  related to #MentalHealth. Even Bollywood is making movies on the topic ( even though crappy movies like  JudgementalHaiKya which fail to educate or entertain both  ) , I would rather Watch The Beautiful Mind to get educated how Mental Heath affects lives of people. 


 #MentalHealthAwareness is a topic I lend my voice to because it is a topic which strikes reality closer home. If you are suffering in isloation, please dont. Unmute yourself, speak up, seek help. Fortis Healthcare has a 24 by 4 helpline for people in distress. There is app and chatbot that can offer initial help to people in distress called Wysa buddy. 
















Dont be judgemental about people who suffer from #mentalhealth issues. They are people like you and me and sometimes have a bit too much on their plate. 

Lets be kind, offer empathy, hugs to each other . For everyone you know might be fighting a battle you know nothing about. 

Let the world heal one hug, one smile at a time. Amen ! 



2 comments:

  1. Wow! This is so candid and so real. Thanks for putting your emotions in words for ppl like us to learn. While all throughout putting across a brave face is not easy. Kudos to you warrior!

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  2. When I originally commented I clicked the "Notify me when new comments are added" checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove people from that service? Cheers!
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