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Social media has become an important part of our lives lately. It is surely a boon as it allows you to connect with your friends and family, provides you with useful information and lets you stay updated with latest happenings around the world and trends. It’s a source of income for a lot of social media influencers lately.

But there is a flip side to all this as well. A lot of the latest studies show that social media is becoming a reason for so many mental health illnesses, depression being one of them. Let’s have a look at how this is happening.

Absent from the present

If you look around, it could be at home, a get-together, or a couple out on a date, we all remain glued to our phones. We are more concerned about the activities on social media rather than being where we are. We are constantly thinking about what next to post instead of focusing on the person we are with or eating our lunch.

Loss of Human Connection

When we meet our friends, a lot of times, more than knowing what’s happening in each other’s lives, we are more concerned about clicking a perfect selfie and putting nice hashtags. We are more of friends with our blue light rectangular screen than the people we post pictures with. We would have an idea about their online personality, rather than their real-life personas. This has been one of the reasons for arguments amongst people, as we avoid the person sitting next to us for checking our phones.

Virtual Reality

Most people have an alter ego through their social media accounts. They make their life to appear picture perfect, making other’s envy them. From putting check-ins at expensive restaurants to posting a picture of the top brand clothes, they try every possible way to make their feed look trendy and attractive. It’s like hiding the real-life picture and living it with so many filters.

Self Esteem

People often accept others’ virtual life as their actual. More than concentrating on themselves, they keep updated with others’ trips and relationship status, ending up making comparisons with them. This makes them feel bad about their own life and hence affecting their self-esteem. They feel worthless and start doubting their abilities and approach towards life. We remain unhappy. We become obsessed with trying to post an aesthetically appealing picture just to have a validation that people like us. Our existence is so much hanging on the likes and dislikes on our posts.

Too much information

Kim Kardashian, Hollywood’s famous reality star’s Paris robbery is one of the best examples of this. We make several posts throughout our day, providing the outside world too much information about ourselves, which is not ideal in terms of our safety. The other person knows our location that exact minute.

Procrastination

The concept of Monday Blues has become a cultural belief lately. And most of the time people just mock the situation and laugh things off that are actually bothering them, hiding behind this phenomenon.

We spend more than one-third of a day at our workplace and hence, our outlook towards our job really holds a great deal of importance. If you are passionate about your work, working any day is an opportunity for you. But if that’s not the case, it becomes a burden to spend those 8-9 hours, each day.

By now, we all are aware our state of mind does affect our productivity. If you constantly go through these Monday Blues, it is going to hamper your work quality as well as your interpersonal relationships.

Let’s look at some reasons why people face these situations-

Attitude towards the job

A lot of us get the kind of work we like, but there are others who are unable to figure out our passion. They go for a job for earning a livelihood or for just the heck of doing something. This is also determined by the factor that what a person’s traits are. For example, a person who procrastinates things or is unpunctual would often feel burdened and inefficient in his work, hence developing a negative approach towards work.

Relationship with colleagues

At times, regardless of how much do you like your job role, the people around you often affect your emotions. When we remain surrounded by people who give negativity, for a long duration, this might take a toll on us.

Work-Life Balance

A lot of people often find it difficult to create an optimal balance between our personal and professional life. Neither we are able to impress our boss with our work, nor are we able to satiate our family. All through the week, we work so hard and on weekends lie like a corpse, always living in extremes.

Lack of organization

We have always heard the advice that we should always plan our day in order to manage things in a better way. But this mostly goes in one ear and out the other. Being unable to organize and handle the work efficiently stresses us and messes up our work further.

Social Media Influence

Weekends are often overrated. We all use one or the other social media applications. And lately, there have been a lot of filters where a sad/ disappointed bitmoji (personalized cartoon avatar of oneself) or GIF with the captions like “Monday Blues”. Then there are filters with captions like TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday). The people using these applications gradually develop a strong opinion which is influenced by such social media concepts.

Mental Health Issues

It might not be your job or your colleagues that are the reason you feel distressed at your workplace, but maybe your mental health. There could be situations where you are actually more productive and could be going through depression. You have lots of friends and you seem well adjusted to every situation, but there could be things going on at the back of your mind. You could be an organized person and be doing things well but feel hollow on the inside. These could be signs of depression. Feeling low sometimes on Mondays is alright, but the same story every Monday is not.

Following are some quick tips to deal with Monday Blues:

• Organize your weekend beforehand
• Keep Mondays little light
• Avoid checking your work mail during weekends
• Keep fixed and appropriate hours of sleep throughout the week
• Have a good night sleep on Sunday so that you can feel refreshed and energetic the next day
• Keep a relaxing time, maybe 20-30 minutes, for you for each day and not just on weekends
• Keep a post-work hang out for Mondays
• Dress well on a Monday
• Consult a professional if you show signs of any mental health disorder

Do you feel stressed at your workplace or unhappy with your work? Is your work life hampering your personal life? Call us and get 15 minutes free counselling session at +91-9069069069.

We often think of Mental health as a blessing, a gift that is given by birth or that is hereditary but miss out on the environmental and cognitive factors that make us mentally ill.

You might be living in a Posh Locality, in a luxurious home with all the best things that are available in the market but you still spend your 100 percent time all inclusive in a place called your “Mind”. That place also needs some renovation and beautification. Have you ever noticed the beautiful accent tap, that you worked hard for and earned to put up in the bathroom and felt happy seeing it when you had a bad fight with your wife or an argument with your boss? Most people would have “No” as an answer to that question!

If you spend so much of time here, it calls for some thought from your side to make your mind a beautiful Place to stay in.

We could do a few things that could make us Mentally healthy, just like we do a few things for our Physical health:

Surround Yourself with Positive People

Negative people suck all energy out of you and drain you mentally. They find fault in every solution and make an effort to find something that did not go well. While positive people are solution focused. They try to get the good out of everything and make efforts to make things better than before. They do not complain about what went wrong and see what good can be done with the available resources. Research has shown that people who have healthy connections with friends and family are happier than people who lack social support; hence make plans with friends, join a group of your interest, visit a club or a class where you can meet new people.

Give yourself into something

Try to find some time to volunteer some activity by using your time and energy in something that could help someone in need. You do not have to be a millionaire like Bill Gates to do a good deed for someone, and the reward you will get out of this is the feeling of contribution and happiness for doing it. You could start with sharing a good thought with a friend who is going through an emotional breakdown and let them know you are there, donate your used clothes to the random kids that come begging to you for money at the signal (You do not need to be associated with an NGO to do these ) or teach the kids of your house-help for an hour free on the weekends. Get creative, do something that you can do by just existing right now!

Manage and deal with your stress

With all that you have to deal with in today’s life, stress is as inevitable as Death. Life has become easier with technology, but to deal with technology in an effective way is a stress. It’s like a circle, it gets back from where it started. Hence, learn to deal with stress by being mindful, meditating, learning Tai-chi, walk in the garden, write in your journal about whatever is concerning you etc.  Bring humor in life and try to see things in an easier way rather than being uptight about everything. Research says, that a good laughter can ease your pain, boost your immune system and, reduce stress and relax your body.

Be Realistic in Goal-setting

Write down all your personal, professional or academic goals and divide them into steps that need to be taken, immediately, in the next five years and ten years to achieve them. Aim big but always assess your capabilities realistically and keep in mind your weaknesses along with your strengths to achieve these goals. Do not aim to trek to the Himalayas in a month after joining a trekking club. This kind of unrealistic goal-setting will only make you feel like a failure and eventually, you will quit your goal. Like they say, Assess the strength of your legs before you decide to Run and win a race!

Get out of the Monotony

Routines make you more secure and efficient in your work but when it gets very tedious, perk up your schedule a little. Change the usual jogging route you take, take a trip by road, walk in a different park in some other locality, Hang out different pictures in your living room, try a different cuisine in a restaurant or talk to someone who is totally opposite to your way of thinking and has different goals in life. This kind of change not only breaks your monotony but also makes your mind a little more flexible and accepting towards different views of life.

Value yourself

Be kind to yourself and respect your life. Avoid negative-self talk at all cost and try to build a positive self-esteem by doing things that matter to you. If you do not love yourself you will not be able to appreciate anything around yourself. Make time to practice your hobbies, spend money on yourself, go to a Spa, upgrade your knowledge, read books, forgive others when they hurt you and more importantly forgive yourself for letting them hurt you.

Don’t do drugs

Alchohol, cigarettes, weed, heroin whatever level of drugs you do to get pleasure, just get rid of it. Try to get the stimulation that you need from something creative and pro-Life. Seek help if it is difficult for you to quit!

Get Help

When you feel that things are not manageable at your level, seek help! It is a sign of strength, a decision to change the things that are no longer working for you and move ahead in life. Your weaknesses become your limitations only when you choose not to work on them! An expert can help you see your old problems in an entirely new perspective based on the kind of Personality and unique situations you are in.

Talking about sex or the sexual disorders has been a big taboo. People are hesitant to discuss it, especially when it comes to disorders. People with sexual dysfunction often feel embarrassed and are afraid to talk about it to others or even avoid seeking help.

There could various physical as well as psychological reasons that could cause sexual disorders. A few of them are:

• Neurological disorders
• Alcoholism
• Drug Abuse
• Heart diseases
• Diabetes
• Liver or kidney failure
• Intake of medication like antidepressants
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Strained relationship
• Sexual abuse
• Child Sexual Abuse
• Trauma
• Mental health disorders like depression
• Pressure to perform sexually

These disorders are common and it is always better to take proper treatment before things go out of hands. Some of the common disorders in men are:

Erectile Dysfunction

Inability to get an erection or to maintain the same is what erectile dysfunction refers to. Apart from the narrowing of blood vessels in the penis, diabetes or hormonal imbalances, there could be various mental health issues that could cause this problem. The stress to please the partner or maybe the lack of interest in sex could also the add-on.

The therapy would focus on how to reduce the anxiety of the intercourse. A past incident could continue to impact the person. The therapist would encourage the person to deal with the stress of the same.

Ejaculation Problems

When it comes to ejaculation problems in men, there could be three scenarios. First, where there the ejaculation is too quick during the intercourse, like before or within one minute of penetration. The average time for the same is around 5 minutes.

Second, when there is a delay or being unable to ejaculate during intercourse.

And lastly, retrograde ejaculation, where the sperms instead of passing through urethra go back inside the bladder. There would be either no or less semen, but the orgasm would be still experienced.

The therapy would focus on behaviour alteration. The partner could also be involved, who would help the man to stretch the stimulation for the longer duration. The major reasons for ejaculation problems are psychological factors like stress and trauma. In certain cases, there could other medical conditions.

Loss of interest in Sex

The person could be losing interest in sex or any kind of sexual fantasies. It could be due to stress, anxiety or an unstable relationship.

During the therapy, the therapist would make the client focus on their approach towards the sex and would try to help them figure out how and why it started. If there is any relationship problem, that would also be discussed through couple counselling. Apart from that keeping a journal of the sexual thoughts or fantasies could also be suggested.

Dyspareunia

The person is basically experiencing pain or facing difficulty during intercourse. It is caused due to the physical problem in males and consulting other medical professionals like a urologist is preferred.

Sexual intimacy is an important part of building a relationship and developing a bond between two people. Its lack may lead to an unhealthy relationship and distancing two people. There are signs where you would need to look into the matter seriously and seek professional help. One of you might be dissatisfied with your sex life and you both are losing the touch because of the same. Your sex life might be causing arguments and causing disappointment.

Apart from physical examination, there could be relationship counselling or psychosexual therapy that could help you deal with a problem as well as come out of it.

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, has affected approximately 57 million people in our country. This is equal to 18 % of the people affected by depression across the globe, according to WHO.
Recently, a lot of celebrities have opened about their mental health struggles and have shared ups and downs of their journey. And this has encouraged common people to come out and talk about the issues they are facing.
But still, a lot of myths prevail about the illness.

Everyone suffers through depression at some or the other point in life

A lot of people, still, take depression as a normal situation, whereas it is a proper clinical disorder. They often compare it with sadness or circumstantial stress, which is not the case. A lot of studies show that depression is not only the disproportion of the chemicals in our brain, but it also has other components like hormonal imbalances, shrinking and inappropriate wiring of brain cells, etc.

Only trauma causes depression

Certain awful and excruciating events often cause depression. A breakup or a divorce, loss of job, death of a loved one may leave you sad and empty for some time, but anything more than two weeks needs to be checked with a professional. You may require medication or counselling or a combination of two to improve your mental health. A depressed person often loses interest in daily life activities, there is the decrease in self-esteem and an increase in the feeling of worthlessness. In situations of post-partum depression or high functioning depression, there is no negative or traumatic event around the victim.

Depression is genetic

There are studies that show that there are chances that if your parents had a history of depression you are more likely to get it. But the significance of the same hasn’t yet been proved. You can always concentrate on the factors that you can manage, instead of worrying.

Pills will solve the problem

Depression does not get cured in a day. It’s not as simple as popping a pill one day and the next day life would turn into rainbow and butterflies. It takes a few weeks before the antidepressant starts showing its effect. Moreover, it totally depends on the professional if he feels the need to prescribe the medicine or not. There are people who opt for psychotherapies to deal with depression. Also, a combination of medicine and psychotherapy is considered to be most effective, when it comes to curing depression.

Exercise and a good diet will cure depression

Surely, a good diet and a regular workout session are beneficial for a good mental health. But believing that including a balanced nutrition diet and a 30 minutes running could cure depression is false.

Medications continue throughout life

A treatment for depression varies from person to person. First of all, not every person going through depression needs medicine. Secondly, it totally depends on your customized treatment plan, that for how long you need to consume the pills.

A depressed person is always negative

When people think about a depressed person, they imagine a person totally confused and crying. They could never imagine a person with favourable situations in life, who looks organized and in control of emotions could be going through depression. Dysthymia or as we know it high functioning depression is a situation where a person could have a great career, perfect relationship and posts happy Instagram pictures and could be the most popular amongst friends. This is a kind of persistent situation which could later lead to major depression if remain untreated.

Talking about depression still continues to be a stigma in our society. Just like any other illness, this can also be cured if sought help at the right time. Talk about your mental health and encourage people around you to talk about theirs.

Do you think you or anyone you know is depressed? Do you need help for the same? Get in touch with us!

Call us at +91-9069069069 for 15 minutes of free counselling.

Sleep and productivity go hand in hand. If the person is unable to sleep at night, there is a rapid decrease in productivity at work. Sleep recharges a person’s mind and increases energy levels. A good sleep helps the person to be more active and productive.

But, if a person isn’t able to get a good night’s sleep then they face a lot of problems. Due to workload or stress, there are disturbances in a person’s sleep cycle. Constant engagement in work can also lead to loss of sleep. This can lead to workplace conflicts and depression.

Hence, below are few tips to sleep better after work:

Keep a Schedule:

Due to work, the person is unable to sleep. Constant change in time to sleep disturbs the body and mind. Hence, it’s important to keep a schedule. There should be a specific time for you every day to fall asleep and wake up. Also, it’s very important to adhere to the schedule.

No Caffeine:

Caffeine doesn’t help in work productivity. If you are having trouble falling asleep then it’s best to avoid caffeine. Caffeine helps your mind work faster, hence it becomes a stimulant. Thus, intake of caffeine makes you more active rather than sleepy.

Exercise:

The best way to tire out your body is to exercise. When the body is tired, it is easier for anyone to fall asleep. But, make sure you are not working before going to bed. Working-out before going to bed will over-stimulate the brain. This might cause more trouble in sleeping.

The Environment:

It’s important to keep the environment comfortable. A bedroom should usually comprise of very dim lights, so when the lights go off it should be dark. A ray of light will cause the brain to stimulate. Hence, it is important to keep the environment as sleep-conducive. Also, you can add a white noise in your room if there is too much noise from outside. White noise helps the mind to relax.

Don’t Work in Bed:

Your bedroom and bed should be a place to relax. If you bring your work to your bed then the work stress also comes to bed. Hence, it is important to keep segregation between your work and rest. The bed should only be used for sleeping and resting.

No Gadgets:

Avoid using gadgets in your bed. It is advisable that you should switch off your phone, laptop or your tablet. The light emitted by these devices interrupts sleep. The lights constantly bombard our mind and hence making it difficult to fall asleep.

Avoid Bringing Work:

As mentioned earlier, it is best not to bring your work at home. Bringing work at home means bringing your stress at home. Thus, by not bringing your work at home, you are converting your house in a stress-free environment.

If you constantly have trouble sleeping, the above tips can help you sleep better. But, if the problem still continues, then it is advisable that you visit a professional.

Depression, the illness itself depletes your energy. As the mind is constantly processing things, it becomes difficult for the mind to concentrate. The lack of sleep and appetite adds to the stress hence worsening the situation. Waking up from the bed and getting ready becomes a huge task.

In the face of depression, it feels like a burden to go to work. Hence, not being able to perform becomes an additional stressor. Thus, there are few things to do when you are facing depression and have to work:

Getting Help:

Knowing you are suffering from depression is a step forward. It helps you understand your situation. The next step should be getting help. The need for professional help is very important. They can help you understand your situation better, as well as they can help you cure your depression. Also, they can help you in sorting out your work-life stress.

Many companies provide employee assistance program. You can actually take help of these programs. They provide subsidized rates for counseling sessions. Hence, it won’t even cost much to seek professional help.

Support:

A workplace can become very lonely. Hence, finding support is one of the most important factors. This period itself becomes very lonely. Thus, it is important to find a support in the workplace. Someone, who can understand your situation and listen to you. In this period, there will be very tough times, hence it is a necessity to have a support.

Setting up Goals:

While suffering from depression, it is very hard to work. As mentioned above, even getting up from bed becomes tiresome. Thus, it is important to set daily goals. These goals need not be big goals, but something small something achievable. So, when you accomplish a goal, you tick mark it from your checklist. It always makes someone happy, when they achieve something, be it big or little.

Talk to others:

As we all know, there is a stigma concerning mental health. Thus, making it more difficult and lonely experience. So, don’t be shy to express your mental health to your employer. The employer should know the reason because of the change in your behavior and productivity. If necessary, you should take some time off from work. Certain days can really have a toll, and hence this period needs to be conveyed.

Taking Care of Self:

We always have a tendency to escape our emotions. Thus, resulting in, we ignoring the symptoms of depression. It is necessary for you to take care of yourself. Constant care and support are needed during this period. If you feel like, do take a few days off from work. It helps in relaxing the mind. Burying yourself in work actually worsens the situation.

Remember, through constant support and love, you can get through this period. It will be an experience where you will learn about yourself. You can learn and improve yourself a lot from this experience. Thus, being more productive in work.

Stress and work go hand in hand. In any workplace, be it big or small, they will create stress for the employees. A certain amount of stress is necessary, for the employees to create a productive environment. But, if the stress is too much, the productivity level decreases and the employee is unable to cope up.

Hence, the employees start suffering from various mental health issues. The HR of the company doesn’t realize what to do, and how to provide proper guidance to the employee. Thus, there is a need for a counselor in the workplace.

Below are few benefits of a Workplace Counselling:

Generate Insight:

The basic worry of an employee is to take right decisions and the right time. They don’t understand what to do and hence experience a lot of stress. So, a counselor helps the employee to generate insight. By which, they start understanding themselves. Which then later helps them take quick decisions.

Understanding a Situation:

Employees are always troubled if they are stuck at a specific junction. That can be a work decision or decisions at home. This becomes a major factor in the imbalance of one’s mental health balance. The decisions seem clouded to them. Now, a workplace counselor provides a different understanding of the situation. They look the situation from a new purview and provide helpful different solutions.

Stress Management:

As mentioned above, stress is faced by an employee on daily basis. But, most of them can’t handle stress. Due to poor stress management, they start facing mental health issues. Hence, a counselor in the workplace helps the employees managing their stress, and give tips about stress management.

Curing Mental Health Illness:

Apart from stress, there are many other reasons which an employee can face. Depression, Bipolar disorder, OCD are to name a few. Hence, a workplace counselor can address these issues. Hence, curing the issues.

Deal Conflicts:

Any workplace will have conflicts. Whether interpersonal or personal conflicts. These conflicts tend to create hindrance in the workplace. Thus, a counselor tends to these conflicts and try and create a dialogue between the parties involved. Which leads to resolution of the conflicts.

Increase Productivity:

With different hindrance and stressors, the productivity of the employee goes down a lot. The counselor present, attend to these issues and try to solve them. Hence, leading to an increase in the levels of productivity.

Conclusion

Workplace counselor present in the company can help a person a lot. As mentioned above, they take care of different issues and problems. Due to the rise of various mental health issues, including bullying and discrimination, the employee is exposed to a lot of stress. Thus, a workplace counselor becomes a necessity.

It’s very difficult to work while having an unstable mental health. Difficulty in concentrating, productivity in work gets affected. Facing all these issues while working, and yet trying to hide from everyone else becomes very tiring. It adds up extra pressure and increases your levels of stress.

It creates a dilemma within you, whether you should discuss these problems with your employer or not. As it is being reflected in your work, there is an added concern of losing your job.

Hence, below are few pointers which can help you decide whether you should discuss your mental health with your employer:

Supportiveness of the Person:

It’s always a good thing to first understand whether the person is supportive or not. Many times, the person starts making judgments about your situation. Hence, you don’t receive the required support. Thus, it is important to know first, how supportive the person is.

The Environment:

It’s always good to approach a boss who is open. The work environment affects anyone’s mood or behavior. If the environment is an open environment then it’s easier to approach your boss. But, if the environment is a closed one then it becomes very difficult to even have a conversation.

Your Relationship:

If you have a good relationship with your employer then it is easier to approach them. But, if you have a track record of work irregularities or constant conflicts with your boss, then it becomes difficult. Hence, it’s important to take your relationship with your boss in consideration.

Happening’s in The Society:

There is a time to reveal your mental health. It’s always good to know what’s happening in the society. If you approach your employer right after a big incident, then the first thing is judgment. They will automatically connect your situation to what is going on in the society. Also, they might end up saying, “it will go away”, without really listening or understanding your situation.

Amount of Disclosure:

It’s not always necessary that you have to be transparent. You should always understand how much to disclose and what to disclose. There is always a tendency to feel vulnerable if you disclose your condition completely.

Conclusion

If the response from the opposite person is positive, it is always a good feeling. It takes the weight off your chest. Sometimes, it even helps you to find your direction and solution to your problem. They can also help you in finding a suitable professional help. Also, it gives you space where you can actually express yourself and not hide behind your mask.

In conclusion, it is very difficult to work with a mental illness. But, if you find immediate support, it goes a long way.