Young millennials have become more upfront in expressing and discussing these mental health issues diligently, which is a good transformation: Surabhi Dand

Young millennials have become more upfront in expressing and discussing these mental health issues diligently, which is a good transformation: Surabhi Dand

Surabhi Dand is a certified pranic healer and counselling psychotherapist, practicing alternative healing therapies through different Modalities. She helps empower mental and emotional health through her coaching and practicing a range of therapies such as Pranic Healing, Access Consciousness, Bach Flower Therapy, customised meditations, energy reading and healing. She is also trained for ‘Suicide First Aid’ prevention by Safe Space UK.

Surabhi assists people to resolve the effects of conflicts between mind, body, and thoughts. She believes in happy living and has touched people's lives with positivity, by bridging the gap between mental and physical health. She has successfully helped people overcome addictions and many mental as well as emotional issues efficiently. She also mentors relationship issues and kid's wellness through enhancement of memory concentration and other cognitive skills for overall output. She believes in treating the root cause and not just symptoms.

Apeksha Sandesh had an opportunity to interact with alternative healing specialist Surabhi Dand whose expertise in holistic healing has benefited many. Check out the excerpts of the conversation!

What are the mental health issues commonly found in India?

The most common mental health issues in India are depression, anxiety, OCD, and bipolar disorder, including few others. Every 1 out of 5 today suffers among these. The burden of mental health is seen increasingly taking a wide window day-by-day. The dimensions of relationships and emotional well-being have changed dramatically, resulting in mental health for a toss. Moreover, the 2020 year of the pandemic has hit its worst for few inducing uncertainties which many are still battling with. 

You have been working on women’s mental health in India for quite a few years. What is your opinion on the status of women’s fitness in Indian society and how does society view it?

Indian being a conservative society and patriarchy, the role of mental health has given birth to overbearing concerns in past decades in such fast and changing stimulus around. Especially for women, the gender is stereotyped. Everyone's body reacts to stress differently. For women, it has a huge impact on their hormonal health which interferes in all other functions and not least but battle infertility too.

The status of women is commonly believed to be linked and believed to be committed in confines of duties, commitments, relationships playing different roles, and multi-tasking with no assurance of moral returns or values making them go through a roller coaster ride. Hence, any woman must consider these measures in pursuits of happy well-being, which we all deserve irrespectively. Some communities still need to be upfront and sportingly support in breaking the stereotypes. 

Our society does not acknowledge mental illness, rather they do not understand much about it. So, what kind of social acceptance do people who go through it have in India?

Indian society still needs to open and spread the awareness a bit more I feel. Social acceptance occurs on a continuum that has a different range from merely tolerance, social sanctions, rejections, and much more. Mental illness in India is co-related to social acceptance and much of it is the result of individual social-psycho skills and beliefs with speeding self-acquired pressures, judgments, and expectations. However, people need to understand the role of mental health and its impact on physical health drastically.

Especially, when in 2020 fear has played a big gamut bringing more anxieties and deteriorating the mental health of people, thus inviting more physical disorders. A mind that is not at ease is ‘dis-ease’. The metaphysics of every illness is closely associated with thought patterns and feelings when every cell of your body reacts to it. And this definitely affects the overall immune system which we are still battling.

Equal awareness needs to be created as modern science and medicine. Every health institute and hospital should create a room space for it complementing other treatments in order to have faster and long-lasting results, and just not focus on curing the outer symptoms. Counselling of every patient with a history can help treat better with more rewards. 

What still needs to be done to ensure that people facing mental health issues confront their problems and seek help, which is not so often seen in India.

We need to educate society and genders equally in work areas as well.

Molestation, abuse, rape, crime… all these lead to mental health issues too. How they can be dealt with?

Incidents like molestation, abuse, rape, and crime can be worked out by creating more awareness on mental health by working on the trigger elements.

The increasingly competitive environment creates a lot of mental health issues in children and people in general. Can you suggest some ways to deal with it to our readers?

The fast stimulus around and increasingly competitive environment also creates issues for children. Toxic parenting can equally bring in some damage. So, overall awareness from parenting to other measures in terms of taking the right care is very vital for the new generation.

Lots of lifestyle modifications, socio-psychological skills, and other fundamentals can be inculcated to bring the required change. 

Do you think crime can be reduced if the government takes the mental health issues of criminals seriously? Any suggestions to the government?

Of course! Crime can be controlled if the government introduces new norms and policies to promote the required outcomes exclusively. 

Books, art, and films play a huge role in the growth of the country, considering culture, youth, etc. What do you feel that what kind of art/literature/cinema India needs currently?

Anything that is in focus gets more attention. Moreover, knowledge and awareness can be in various forms that are easily accessible and grasped. Books, prints, films, and art forms can well document and deliver the message having a positive impact on the overall social-emotional health, and thus mental-physical health too!

Social media has become an integral part of our lives. Do you think it impacts our mental health? If yes, how? And how can we ensure that it does not do much harm to us?

Social media has seemed to affect both ways - negatively and positively. Moreover, the excessive use of social media is linked to mental health disturbance if uses are not mitigated and aligned properly. It also illusions the mind for a few which can hinder mental health areas, also creeping digital dementia too by excessive use. With no less time like a cancer today, we shall have Alzheimer’s as a second equally pervading disease commonly hitting many.

What main change would you like to see for young girls in the next generation?

Young millennials have become more upfront in expressing and discussing these mental health issues diligently, which is a good transformation. This will enable young generations to be more sorted and baggage-free when they have to intervene, which a lot of adults are unable to still pursue.

Please share few tips for our readers which they can follow as a routine to attain good mental health.

Some of the simple yet effective tips are;

  • Morning walks/exercise/yoga 
  • Deep breathing and meditation 
  • Self-talk once a day or maybe journaling
  • Laugh, watch some comedy 
  • Spend some time with nature
  • Give some time to your hobbies
  • Eat rightly 
  • Good and sound sleep
  • Limit your screen time, instead read book or newspaper 
  • Practice positive affirmations in required areas of your life 
  • Ventilate your thoughts
  • Seek help if required

Is it important to celebrate International Women’s Day?

Yes, it is significantly important to celebrate women's day. Through the years, women and men have been compared based on their income, education among other things. International Women's Day brings attention to gender parity and women's rights. It also glues and rewires the self-esteem which needs to be well-preserved in order to have lively womanhood and resiliency skillfully.

 

Apeksha Sandesh congratulates Surabhi Dand for her contribution and commitment towards the field of alternative medicine with her works, and wishes her all the best for her future endeavours!