BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO REACH OUT TO HELP - A FOUR-STEP MODEL TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO OTHERS‘ MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS

Mental health is an important condition of human existence, and before we can all sit down and highlight the numerous policies that the government or private institutions should adopt to generate greater investment and access, we first and foremost need to focus on what we as individuals are contributing to the understanding and awareness about these issues. We need to question whether we even know what is going on with our own state of well-being, as well as that of the other. 

 

Imagine you switch on the television and the first thing you see is a red, hot, raging wall of fire consuming half of the wildlife to ashes. You transition to another channel, you see farmers on the roads, protesting against the atrocities of capitalism. You see antigovernmental marches; you see a world engulfed in chaos. You realize that while you are aware of certain events, you don’t know the background of others. You open your phone and search on Google. You gather the knowledge and feel illuminated. You feel equipped enough to shower your acquaintances with all the information on “current affairs” you have got.

Now imagine you are walking up to your home, and every day, you meet a neighbor of a cheery disposition. They smile at you and ask after your well-being, and you reciprocate the feelings. A few days back, their greeting was with a smile, but their eyes betrayed the feeling. The next day, you get an even weaker response: their smile is fragile, and their face is exhausted. Days go on, you are tired with your own load, you don’t notice, and their face goes missing. You think about it for a moment, and then blame it on health issues. “They might be busy,” you tell yourself, “we’re all caught up with our work,” you add. Months pass by and that neighbor looks like a wisp of smoke, their face a shell of what they were. You feel a tinge of pity, and move on. You do not open your phone and search on Google. You do not gather knowledge. You tell yourself that something might be wrong, but you don’t inquire. You don’t feel the need to gather information about what may be going on so that you can tell others.

Mental health is an important condition of human existence, and before we can all sit down and highlight the numerous policies that the government or private institutions should adopt to generate greater investment and access, we first and foremost need to focus on what we as individuals are contributing to the understanding and awareness about these issues. We need to question whether we even know what is going on with our own state of well-being, as well as that of the other. To know what’s going on inside the metaphorical “heads” of people might turn to be a herculean task even for mental health professionals. However, to be a person who understands the feelings, emotions, and the ups and the downs of his fellow people is just as important as knowing what sort of food you need to avoid in diabetes and what the government is doing wrong with their policies.

Achieving this task is complicated and difficult, but it is not impossible. Here’s a simple four-step procedure that we can integrate in our lives to become more aware, thereby more accessible to others for help:

   1.   Introspect about your values and beliefs:

        Our values and beliefs are important in shaping how we understand ourselves as well as others. Before we take an initiative to be a well-informed person who is there to understand the feelings and tribulations of others, we first need to question what mental health means to us. We need to question how we perceive those who are struggling with mental health issues: Do we brush them off and accuse them for being weak-minded? Do we feel that they are taking everything too seriously? We need to assess where our beliefs about mental health lie, so as to understand what needs to be done. We need to re-evaluate our biases and transform misinformed myths into something rooted in facts.

 

    2.    Educate yourself:

        Don’t be scared by this proposition, we do not want you to crack huge tomes on psychology to gain information! Given the current age of technology, all the information lies under your finger tips! Watch movies related to mental health issues! There are a lot of movies and TV shows which represent mental health issues in a very positive manner, be it It’s Kind of a Funny Story, The Silver Linings Playbook, To the Bone, or All the Bright Places. Not every movie dealing with psychological issues has to be bleak and dark like The Shutter Island, or Split. Watch documentaries, read books! There are a variety of fictional, non-fictional, and even poetry collections that delve into the matters and experiences of those who struggle with mental health issues, be it something as popular as John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down, something as simple as Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, or something literary like Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. The list is endless, and when you start the path will unfold right in front of you.

 

    3.    Be empathetic:

        When we become aware of where our beliefs lie, and when we become aware of mental health issues by exposure to information, empathy is inevitable. Trying to let your rigid walls of stereotypical beliefs shatter, and attempting to become more inclusive and open is a feat unto itself. When you choose to gain information and question your beliefs, you begin to equip yourself to be a better listener, and a better helper. Exposure to the stories and experiences of other people struggling with mental health issues helps unite the world and create a sense of purpose. Your awareness would make you mindful, and when you become mindful, you become ready to help the other person. If not right away, but at least it is a step in the right direction.

4.    Don’t hesitate to act:

        To be an active helper, you have to put yourself out there. You cannot read books/articles, watch movies, and get informed as much as you can just to be enclosed within the four walls of your comfort zone. You need to be active and helpful. You need to show others that you are there for them without being intrusive. Be an active and non-judgmental listener. Be aware and mindful of the feelings of others without draining yourself. Be concerned, just like you choose to be concerned about world politics and the plight of the poor. Engage with NGOs that provide mental health services, follow pages which disseminate related information. Actively participate with these services, volunteer! The world is your oyster.

 

     When we speak of mental health issues, we follow it with a complaint that we do not have access to it, that the system has failed us in this regard. We complain of stigma. We say hospitals are not so open, clinics are costly, that teachers don’t utilize their training in education and psychology, and that somehow the organizational sector is more focused on the output rather than on the psyche of individuals who process the input. But when we, as an individual, personally fail to recognize and understand what our sibling, friend, neighbor, or colleague is going through, we somehow forfeit our right to accuse the system. This is where the record freezes. Therefore, to be an active and aware individual, and be a person who’s there when the help is needed, we need to take an initiative. It is hard, it is riddled with a lot of difficulties, but one step made is one step ahead in the journey, and I wish you the best of luck!

Written by Afifa Afreen