Conversation on mental health must continue

This picture has been used for representational purpose

At the start of the lockdown, experts had shined a light on an oft-neglected aspect of our lives, which is mental health.

The government had also in a good move, provided a helpline number for victims of domestic violence who could seek redressal, since, during the lockdown, targets were effectively trapped in the same space with their abuser.

There were many other aspects discussed from loneliness, to fear and depression. We saw professionals addressing these through webinars and zoom calls.

This may still need much more impetus but it certainly showed us that the mind was getting attention and that we actually became emboldened enough to speak directly about the tremendous impact on our mental health and the support we needed while it ravaged us emotionally and psychologically.

As we careen into a new phase with the vaccine here, it is important we keep up the tempo about mental health awareness. A report in this paper cited a recent webinar where a top psychiatrist spoke about the shifting sands of the pandemic and the new landscape that lies ahead of us now. A time for many to deal with possible losses, longing for normalcy and fear of the future.

This newspaper aims not to enumerate solutions for the same, but to emphasise that in this new normal or whatever we call it, mental health should stay on the radar. We are bound to see a spike in mental issues, as we come to terms with a new way of living, with the outbreak on its last legs.

The upside is that the mind-body connection made it to the mainstream. Let us factor it in, into our daily lives. This is one of the more beneficial changes brought about by the crisis, so it is important we keep talking about it.