As the world keeps on getting more populated, and the physical spaces between humans keep shrinking, the emotional distance we all share somehow keeps increasing. In a world that is so well-connected through technology, our hearts seem to be more disconnected than ever. We are all running. Either towards something or away from something. And never do we stop to let our hearts and brains catch their breath.
I have grown up in a family which does not openly express its feelings or emotions, whether positive or negative. And for the longest time it seemed like we were all doing a decent job at dealing with things on our own and not overwhelming each other in any way. Fast forward to when we are all adults and I realized how unhealthy that has been at times. Because even though we all love each other deeply, we also love each other too much to let our problems become anyone else’s, to voice out our struggles to the people we are surrounded by. We grew up to be people who had so much love in their hearts that we never let it take the form of words.
We are living in an age where everyone is struggling in their own way, and everyone is also trying to save their loved ones. In our desperate attempts to look after people that we love, we forget to look after ourselves, or reach out for help when we need to be saved. In order to not be selfish, we have become selfless to the extent where we end up with our own baggage and other people’s baggage at the end of the day. Or even worse, each of us end up with only our own baggage, not knowing how much burden the person next to us is walking with.
A lot of us are growing sensitive towards mental well-being, but we need to realize that emotional well-being goes hand in hand with mental health. And in order to be truly healthy, we need to address our mental and emotional needs as a whole. This means conversing with each other, being raw and honest about our emotions, reaching out for a shoulder when we need to cry, acting as a punching bag when a friend needs to let out anger, going in for a hug when we see someone we love. It also means trusting other people to be able to carry us when our feet fail, and getting right back up to help the person falling behind us. It means speaking our minds and not being afraid of telling people how they make us feel, whether good or bad. And most importantly, it means realizing that we are not alone. We never have to be alone.
The author Farheen is currently working as a content writer at The Dawood Foundation, but wishes to remain connected to the world of mental health, and spread awareness about the stigmas attached to it. Having struggled with mental health herself, Farheen found her refuge in words and hopes that others may find inspiration in those words also.