Loneliness epidemic & need for ‘mind spa’ | Lucknow News

Lucknow: In a world where social media friendships outnumber real-life connections, the mental health of India’s youth and adults hangs in the balance. With frequent breakups, loneliness, and academic and professional pressures mounting, the need for a ‘mind spa’ has never been more pressing. Otherwise, the number of people suffering from poor mental health will cross 50% of the total population in no time.These are the findings from the counselling sessions conducted by renowned psychologist Manju Agarwal, who is also a professor at a private university. She highlighted that unresolved conflicts, long-held guilt, or suppressed anger not only remain in the mind but also disturb the mental and physical well-being. Agarwal also published a book to draw the attention of the masses to the issue and provide solutions for rising mental health challenges.“Mind spa means to indulge in activities that enhance mental and emotional well-being. We live in a world where we are taught everything about caring for our bodies — what to eat, how to exercise, which doctor to visit for every symptom. Yet, no one teaches us how to care for our minds. Persistent anger, shame, guilt, and feelings of inadequacy silently eat away at mental well-being, ultimately disturbing physical health,” said Agarwal.She said suicide rates, especially among the youth, are rising alarmingly. Recent data paints a stark picture — between 2018 and 2022, suicides linked to mental health issues in India rose by 44%, with the majority of cases among people aged 18–45. The main reason behind this is that people don’t have a friend with whom they can share everything and anything. There are more friends on social media and almost none in real life. Also, loneliness with nuclear families, being a single child, and academic and workplace pressure have put our mental health at stake.“Science now proves what we often ignore — our thoughts and emotions directly influence our body chemistry. Even lifestyle disorders like hypertension, diabetes, and heart diseases are unknowingly the outcome of our thoughts and emotions because every thought and every emotion is neuroscience and chemistry,” said Agarwal.She said that the secretion of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and epinephrine is influenced by our thoughts and feelings. Similarly, each thought affects the chemistry and physiology of the body through the secretion of hormones. “When you are stressed, adrenaline is released to prepare the body by giving energy for the fight or flight response. The unused energy is converted into chemicals, which causes all kinds of diseases, including diabetes and blood pressure. Our thoughts and emotions are lived in our self-talk for months and years,” she added.