Why Mental Health Is Not Taboo Anymore?

Due to the precautionary measure of maintaining social distancing and self-isolation being advocated to curb Covid 19, I often found myself sitting face to face with the one thing I preferred running away from, My mental health. 

It made me wonder whether it's actually okay to not be okay, or is it really? Before now did we even have the time to think of that, to begin with? I might face some heat for writing this but I still feel it's worth the shot. 

Sadly, in India, Mental health issues are even bigger taboo than in the west. Us, 'proud' millennials constantly boast about how modern, progressive, educated, ambitious and successful we are yet we fail to even acknowledge let alone actually even attempt to understand even the basics of mental health. We sure don't waste a single breath to point fingers when things go wrong.

We often even blame our parents, families, or even society by large for being less sensitive towards such delicate issues but are we even half as kind to ourselves if we fall a victim to it? Honestly, we don't really give a damn about it as long as it doesn't mess with our ability to constantly be in denial and put a brave face on for the world to see. Oh, and dear lord it never would or it's just what we choose to believe in because "We are not MAD!" 

I for one have lost count of the number of times I've heard people say that to a person whose mental health might just be in shambles but they wouldn't want to actually believe that because again, "Get Busy, work harder and trust me you will feel better! Achieving your professional goals will rid you of your mental and emotional misery"

During the lockdown, it came as such a shocker that a lot of supposedly 'successful' Bollywood A-Listers ended up committing suicide. Even though a few of them are open cases as of now but the sad fact is that a person resorted to taking their his/her own life yet a lot of people aren't still willing to admit what a burden poor mental health can be for the person suffering from it or that they even weren't mentally fit for quite some time. 

We never really made stable mental health as a necessity to lead a happy, successful, and balanced life. As long as we are politically and socially conscious, are constantly on our toes and of course future-focused, all is good! In fact, to add to that more the zeros on our paychecks the happier and positive we would feel.  

As if by having the perfect job, the perfect house, and all the bounties and privileges available to mankind we are entitled to feel happier. This Toxic notion and idea of happiness and success are so deeply ingrained within us that we choose, not to believe it. We happen to be so future-focused with the idea of creating our 'Perfect Instagram(able) worthy lives' that we don't even allow ourselves the time to take a breather and just for once have the courage to ask ourselves whether this is the kind of 'perfect' what we truly even wanted in the first place or is this just a way to be a part of the herd?

How about the perfectly imperfect life we might wish to have as long as we feel happy with ourselves and are not constantly weighed down with the escalating pressure to  Look and feel perfect mentally and physically, at all times. To have our head in the game and dare not lose it either.

It's a shame how we wouldn't bat an eyelid at a person who might be unwell or may be physically challenged but readily labels a mentally ill person as "Insane" or simply a hopeless case. Honestly, the world would be such a comforting place to be if only we were taught how to be more loving, supportive, and accepting towards ourselves and others too, Just the way we are. The Good with the bad, the dark parts with the light.