Today's blog might as well be considered a continuation of yesterday's blog. As I mentioned yesterday, negative thoughts are prohibited and a positive attitude is encouraged towards life in Islam. "Positive vibes" as Superwoman might say. Sometimes it so happens that darkness descends upon life in various forms. One of the forms can be depression. Good news is that depression can be cured! I'm so glad we live in an era where more and more awareness is being spread about depression and other mental illnesses. The transition of it from a taboo topic to a normal one is taking place as more and more sessions, talks and group therapies are held about how to deal with it. The aim of this blog for me right now is that someone depressed would come across it and feel like it helped them.
I had the fortune of attending one such seminar, "M.I.N.D"- Mental illness not a delusion at Jinnah Sindh Medical University. The seminar started off with showing the audience Live Laugh Love Foundation's video on a projector. Which basically emphasized on communication with each other. Communication is key in knowing what's up with the other person and getting a step closer to solving their problems. The seminar comprised of talks from two speakers, first one was a psychologist and the other a psychiatrist at Jinnah. And here's what they had to say.
In the first talk, Dr.Rozeena talked about how sometimes depressed individuals are mistaken for being shy or being the family's favorite who's socially awkward or not able to get out of their comfort zones when really they are suffering from depression. It was said sometimes we are often depressed because we start comparing.
To address one's depression there are certain questions that one should ask each day.
Don't fret! There are strategies/ solution for your depression and you can get through this. Write down your worries, the troubles at the back of your head erking you. Set out to make solutions for them so they can be solved. Challenge your negative thoughts. Not everything is going to be perfect, this is life, there will be some ups and downs. Hence, accept uncertainty. You can try group therapies as psychotherapy is majorly used to cure mentally ill patients. Psychotherapy is basically talk therapy. Walks can also help.
If it is your friend that is depressed, don't be angry at them for their depression. Or try to minimize their issues. Instead talk to them. There are certain things to avoid in order to avoid depression. Don't stress out emotionally. Don't take up too many tasks that in the end you find yourself unable to complete them and eventually worsen your depression by feeling like you failed yourself. Remember, it's important to make yourself happy. **AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, LEARN TO LET GO! **
This is perhaps the most important trick and I cannot emphasize it enough. Trust that some things that exit your life are no longer there because they were of no benefit to you. Then at the end of each day, see where you stand.
The second talk was given by Dr. Iqbal. Here's what he had to say. Roughly, 350 million people are diagnosed with depression.
Mental health is broader than a lack of mental disorder >
What effects depression is thought (cognition), emotion (affect), and lastly behavior (action).
Ironically enough the mnemonic DIE can be used to diagnose depression.
D: Diet loss
I: Interest loss
E: Energy loss
He said ways of helping the mentally ill were through psychotherapies, support groups and medication. He also taught ways of getting rid of stress and tension building up in the body.
To sum it up in PMR, you are to contract your muscle and take a deep breath in. And when you exhale, you're to relax your muscle. Make sure each duration of inhaling and exhaling differs by a few seconds such as 5 or 10 seconds so that your mind is focused on the exercise and is not diverted. This will completely absorb your mind and take it off from other pressing matters and help you relax!
He also talked about how to improve memory.
He also talked about phobias, amnesia and types of stress. There are two types internal and external.
Tips on how to keep your cool at workplace. I think those with cranky bosses can definitely find this of help.
I took a lot home from this seminar! And similarly, I hope this blog helps many illuminate the darkness of their depression and that it was helpful in some way.