The recent news that shook the country should have definitely made us all understand the importance of taking care of mental health.
I was shocked and I do not intend to support the mother who went to the extent of killing her own child but what I take a stand on in this case is that definitely there should be more light thrown on mental health. She was recognised as one of the “100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics for 2021”, you see the irony, don’t you?
In our country, we should be ashamed that despite being progressive, we still look down at the mental health of the citizens in our country.
Corporates have the provision for programmes meant for mental well being of their employees but how much of it is being actually executed thoroughly?
It is usually for namesake such programmes are conducted so that it is shown in the activity column of the company but do the employers genuinely care for the mental well being of their employees?
This ghastly incident of a mother killing her own child despite the fact that she was a top brilliant woman in her career shocks most of us. What we fail to see is that what the woman must have been going through in her personal life and not seeking help at the right time has led her to this painful and unforgivable action of hers.
She failed as a human being because she failed to seek help. Sometimes the biggest strength is required to seek help. Seeking help makes a person feel vulnerable and especially for someone in the top leadership position. They seem to forget that they are human beings too. Trust me, when I say that humans cannot accept failure if they are doing great at another sphere of their life. Her success in her career made her feel incompetent and miserable in her failing personal life.
It has surpassed the time to change the narrative.
Normalising conversations about mental health is not as easy as it is put down here.
The real fact is that people still think of mental health as a taboo in our country.
If the company does not promote mental health sessions and workshops for their employees, you can expect more of such horrific crimes that can leave you dumbstruck. Mental health professionals try their level best to spread awareness and try to normalise talking about it but unless and until the big corporates bring in the change, the change isn’t going to happen drastically.
Let us take an oath to ourselves, that we should teach ourselves to accept that we cannot be mentally fit all the time. We will have days when mentally we are down, struggling and in worst cases even at the edge of killing ourselves or someone close to us but if we do not seek help and think that things will get better and this too shall pass, then you and I are wrong. At times like these, we need the help and support of a professional to heal and grow into a better person.
The mind can be a dark place, you either let the sun shine through it or leave the dark blinds on- the choice is YOURS!