Amid the current wave of the Covid-19 pandemic a part of grief, pain and suffering has increased in each one of us right now, staying has become an important as staying safe. But the fear, panic and negative thoughts are turning out to be the biggest hurdle in our mental wellbeing.
Hence, what one needs currently is a mental vaccine of love, belief and hope shares many celebrities.
Rapper Raftaar in a recent interview to HT revealed, “Panic and negative self-talk are more dangerous than the virus. It’s not easy [to stay calm], but please don’t fear the virus. In such times, it’s of utmost importance to have faith and trust in the power of the universe.”
Therefore, it is very important to stay connected and lean into the support system. Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh, who himself has struggled with the virus said, “This is the best time to start these conversations and seek help when required. We need to remember that it’s okay to not be okay, but it is not ‘okay’ to not seek assistance.”
Actor Suniel Shetty with similar thoughts shared that “mental nutrition” has become as important as nutrition through food.
In his recent Instagram post he opened up about how important it is to stay mentally fit during this pandemic, “LOCKDOWN or LOCKUP staying mentally and physically fit is the only way out !!”
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“Jaise aapko breakfast, lunch, snacks aur dinner chahiye, ussi tarah mental nutrition bhi chahiye. It’s important to talk to people, counsel and assure them,” he explains.
On the other hand actor Madhuri Dixit Nene is trying to something different and said, “At this point, it’s important to reach out to your friends and family members and just check, if everything is okay, support them, and check if they need any help.”
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Still, there might be days when one feels low and everyone, so one should acknowledge the feeling instead of shrugging it off.
Reflecting on his low days, Raftaar confesses, “I’ve devised self-coping strategies such as diving deeper into my music, doing yoga and meditating. During a phase I thought I was going to break down, these worked out well for me.”
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Opening up about her trigger points, actor Shruti Haasan shares, “It’s not just the news or social media, but also the people you talk to that can make you super anxious. It’s therefore important to deal with these trigger points.”
She admits there are days when she feels she has had enough of watching negative news. “So, you’ve to be able to draw that line for yourself. The one thing which I practice and it has been very helpful for me with anxiety is having gratitude about everything,” Haasan adds.
“Through the pandemic, there have been days when I’ve felt unexplainably low. On such days, I pushed myself to talk to people around me — my wife, my friends, my parents. I utilised a lot of creative distraction in the last one year and took to outlets like art, literature and music to keep my vision board alive and feel a sense of fulfilment,” Nitin Mukesh confesses.
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“Today, it’s very easy to get carried away and go down the rabbit hole where you only panic. You must stay far away from fear,” said Actor Mrinal Dutt, who is meditating his way to calmness.
Many celebs point out various factors, which can affect mental health. All the words left unsaid, feelings unexpressed, plans unfulfilled, meetings undone and final goodbyes — these often leave scars, which might not be visible, but are wreaking havoc with the mental well-being of millions.
Actor Sarah-Jane Dias is planning to do her bit by associating with a medical professional and use social media to raise awareness.
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“People are suffering from depression, anxiety, and various other issues related to mental health amid this pandemic. This month, I’ll be doing guided meditations twice a week, and a Q & A session on how to deal with grief and anxiety,” she tells us.
