Tanya Mohapatra spoke to therapists on the right way to combat anxiety and depression in the face of growing social unrest.

Scientific philosopher Albert Schweitzer once said that the only way to be truly happy is to seek and find a way to serve others. Yet, at a juncture of history as we are in currently, mayhem comes in all forms. Be it physical, emotional, psychological or social. During such times, our health, mostly, our mental health is almost overlooked. Over the course of time, with such socio-political changes, our minds are most staidly impacted. Be it the constant bombardment of information from multiple sources or our inner agitations—our minds become battlefields, combating and connecting intricate details of our lives to our forces of resistance.

Mental health-advocate and peer counselor, Komal , emphasises on the susceptibility of protest-related mental health vulnerabilities as ‘psycho social disabilities.’ According to her it is normal for our existing mental health vulnerabilities to get exasperated in times of political and social turmoil. She says that they tend to worsen specifically in times of protests as they lead to intense mental and sometimes physical labour in the participants. Komal says, most of the people who have reached out to her have been anxiety laden protesters, who are unable to cope with the instability around them, along with explaining the phenomenon to their parents.

Take for instance, 19-year-old Aarushi who was triggered with anxiety when she realised that her political beliefs didn’t align with the people closest to her. “Being the emotional person that I am, I was deeply affected with everything that is/was going on and it started with abrogation of Section 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. This escalated with the introduction of CAB and its combination with NRC. Then the violence against students in their own campuses was a tipping point for my mental health and I was just dumbfounded by people who were still justifying everything. And it was extremely triggering when those people were your close family. All of this made my mental health otherwise seem unimportant”, she says.

Image Courtesy: Contextual Camouflage

Most often, the nature of information that is consumed easily triggers anxiety attacks. For another 19-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous, such content became stimuli to another breakdown, which became almost impossible to control. “News channels blaring at home would trigger me, I couldn’t stay around friends at college, I just wanted to stay alone in my room all day. I wanted to go out on the streets and protest(I had a close friend who always asked me to) but my mental state was too fragile, I was barely holding on, having crying fits. Seeing policemen in metros during my daily travel would also make me uncomfortable because of the police brutality”, she says, who followed Assamese news channels while making attempts to contact a friend who was stuck in Assam amidst the communication blackout.

Prachi Akhavi, a psychotherapist says, “for the last two months, we have all suddenly been exposed to surplus information. Information which is unfiltered and uncensored, images that are explicitly violent have been exposed to all and that can easily aggravate people. Their natural response will be either be fear or anger.”

In times when you feel overwhelmed, communication becomes an important tool to navigate your way through. “For a month since the abrogation of Article 370 from Kashmir, I did not speak to my parents. My sister was not in Delhi and my parents were in Kashmir, most of my loved ones were in Kashmir. At that time I just wanted to speak to someone, who would empathise with me and could relate to my plight. In the meantime, it broke my heart to see people in favour of the communication black-out., I questioned the kind of world we lived in. I just wanted to know if my parents are safe while I was hearing news about the number of deaths in Kashmir. I called my parents 70 times, just to hear a voice from the other end of the phone to know that they were alive”, says a 21 year old Mahir, a Kashmiri student living in Delhi.

According to him, the communication blackout was the worst experience. He also mentioned that during such times of uncertainty, one tends to build up different scenarios or narratives inside their heads that aggravates their psyche even more.

21 year old Rishabh from Assam emphasised on how he cluttered himself mentally with different kinds of thought whilst the communication blackout. “The oscillation of adding more information and not adding to the clutter of information on social media tarnished me mentally.  I was in a very bad place mentally, I was not able to concentrate or prepare for an exam I had to appear for. My mind was flooded with all kinds of thoughts, I was thinking about what was happening outside the house, and it all spiraled into another form of thought where I started questioning everything, my education, my degree, I was thinking if all of this is worth it. I started questioning the idea of productivity.  It affected me so much mentally, that happened because I wasn’t connected to anyone. On a regular day I can vent out these thoughts to anyone, but these thoughts were trapped inside my head because I couldn’t communicate them to my friends.” 

Here are few things to remember to keep yourself mentally healthy.

It is okay to withdraw from protesting for some time
You are not alone in combating vulnerabilities. Do not feel that you are not strong enough to overcome the trauma. According to Prachi Akahavi, at this point of time one must remember to recharge and refresh. It is pivotal to take some time off and follow the principle of self-preservation. It is absolutely fine to revive and come back stronger. It is important to know how much your body and mind can take in, since their capacity is limited. “I just uninstalled Instagram (main source of anxiety regarding this) and sometimes switch off my phone. Taking a break from it all definitely helps. I make sure to always come back and update myself on what’s happening but I can’t be in constant contact. Spending time with family especially my mother would help. Feeding cats would help. Talking to select few friends would help. Mostly a clean break from the digital space would help”, says the 19-year-old student choosing to be anonymous. “After two weeks of ranting I deleted all my news apps. I felt that I was digressing from my work and studies so I watched a new TV series and stopped discussing Kashmir altogether. It may be selfish but I feel like that really helped me get myself out of a really bad phase”, added Mahir.

Look for different forms of expression
It is important to demarcate different ways in which one can contribute to the resistance. “There are various forms of displaying dissent. It can be through art, poetry, cooking for the demonstrators, singing or anything else. Not everybody can be out on the roads and protesting everyday. One can find their niche and use it to express resistance and be an avid part of the movement”, said Akhavi.

Image Courtesy: @Teyfunpekdemir

Find that balance between personal and political
During such times, there is always a conflict of interest. Polarisation is natural. Intimate spaces with friends, family and our loved ones at such a phase may get volatile. There is often a conflict of becoming a good citizen and a good friend/partner/ child. A line has to be drawn and such parallels have to be balanced. Look for ways of healthy discussions and receptivity, rather than aggressive or heated arguments. Do not feel guilty about taking a different political stand or not raising your voice enough.  During such a movement of resistance, do not forget your own narrative or what you have stood for. Stay true to yourself and stand by what the protest means to you. At such a point of time you are often made to feel guilty, especially on social media for not voicing your dissent enough by posting stories, updates, photos, etc. Most of us are susceptible to feel this way when everyone is constantly updating their social media accounts with information and updates of all kinds. 

Look for safe spaces of expression and prioritise self care
There are many peer groups, community gatherings that are safe spaces for expression and interaction.  Where there are plethora of opportunities to have verbose discussions..  “Hope is a form of resistance”, said Komal by putting great emphasis on the importance of such spaces where one can seek support. Calling a friend or venting out to someone who understands can also ease that mental burden. Stay hydrated, eat well, sleep well and maintain a healthy routine. Make sure that you exercise but don’t strain or exhaust yourself. Journaling or reading may work well for some. Taking a stroll or going out with friends may work for others.