Mental Musings: Accepting Mental Health as a part of your story.

 The term "mental health" describes a person's emotional and psychological well-being. It includes a person's cognitive, emotional, and social functioning and is extremely important to how that person thinks, feels, behaves, and engages with others. A happy attitude, the capacity to deal with obstacles in life, and the maintenance of fulfilling relationships are all components of good mental health, which goes beyond the mere absence of mental illness.

Why is noticing mental health important?

It is more crucial than ever to look after our mental health in a world rife with incessant demands and expectations. The complexity of the human mind is like a labyrinth, with twists and turns and secret passageways. Understanding and promoting our mental health are crucial for leading a healthy and satisfying life because every person's path through this maze is different.

My “No longer human” days: 

As there was no one to tuck me in bed with ghost stories , I never really grew up learning how fear felt.I was alone at home most of my childhood as my parents were out of the country.  Resulting in , me not  learning to communicate freely. I only told everyone the tip of the iceberg of what’s bothering me. And I made myself believe that this behaviour is normal. Growing up, I often told people to grow up when they told me anything related to their mental state such as sadness, loneliness, inferiority etc. I believed that mental health is just a hoax . But it all changed when I lost my best friend to her own poisonous thoughts .

The five stages of grief are– denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I skipped all 4 and reached acceptance . I accepted the fact that she murdered herself because she was weak. Well I had to accept because I couldn’t accept that all I had to do to save her was hear her thoughts. Instead I just said,” Grow Up and deal with it.” A few days after her death, I knew something was wrong with me. No runny nose .No headache. No fever. Still I was sick. I was sick of everything and everyone. I was hurting people. I used to let my fist decide my days. Only emotion working inside me was rage. I just wanted calmness. At a point my own home felt full of anguish. I used to run away from home at times. Just in search of some quiet place . Where my mind doesn’t ask me questions. Where I can’t talk to myself. And whenever I looked in the mirror, that reflection was not of a human. It was of a void of anger with the tendency to rage against every living thing just to satisfy it’s guilt. And I at last learned to fear . Even though, It was me who I was afraid of.

Metamorphosing into human:

It’s not easy to be a human again. And I got to know it the hard way. I was found unconscious by police 5 kms away from my home. When I woke up the next day , I saw my mom’s face . In that instance , I knew I needed help. So I seeked it . I started attending group therapy sessions. I took some personal consultations . Started reading some books about human psychology, mind enlightment , healthy thoughts and positive mindset . And another thing i practiced is communicating with people more. Sharing my thoughts. Hearing out others. I still don’t know if I am well or not but I know I am better than what I was. And it’s a never ending journey of seeking peace for mind. So I am gonna keep moving forward.

Taking the Stigma Off:

For far too long, mental health was kept in the background and discussed in whispers. However, the tide is shifting. We are dismantling the barriers of stigma and preconceptions to enable open dialogue about mental health. The first step to leading a healthier, happier life is realising how essential mental health is in addition to physical health.

Looking for Expert Advice:

It's important to seek expert assistance when dealing with mental health issues, just as we would when dealing with physical diseases. We can use trained advisors like therapists, counsellors, and psychiatrists to help us understand the intricacies of our thoughts. Asking for assistance is not a sign of weakness; rather, it shows our dedication to enhancing our mental health.

Things that might help with the trip of mental health:

Books: The bell Jar, Reasons to stay alive, All the Bright Places, An Unquiet Mind, Every last word, This is depression. 

Courses:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/psychological-first-aid

https://www.coursera.org/learn/positive-psychiatry

https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being

Seeking mental help is still a taboo in our society .We often associate mental help with suffering from mental illness and seeing therapists with going to asylums. I shared a very vulnerable phase of my life in this blog for you guys read. Because I want you guys to feel at ease. I want you guys to know you are not alone. You just need to reach out your hand. And someone will help you to get out for sure. If anyone of you going through a similar or a different scenario that’s harming you and you feel lost, then reach out to me.

Here is my mail: mushfiqurrahmanrafin903@gmail.com

My Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mushfiqur.rahman.313924?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Or

Reach out to me in Discord.

ID : conflicted_frog

At last I would like to thank my faculty of ENG101 course for giving me this opportunity to talk about this important subject.

Thank you for reading this everyone. Take care. Ciao.

Autobiography:

 This blog was written by a student of BRAC University named Mushfiqur Rahman Rafin. The young author was born in 2005,originally from Gopalgonj who grew up in Dhaka. He completed his SSC from Monipur High School & College, HSC from BMARPC and is currently an undergraduate in the CSE department. This was his first ever blog called " Mindful Musings: Accepting Mental Health as a Part of Your Story " where he wanted to show the readers that mental health is a major factor to live a proper healthy and happy life.