Indian Psychiatric Society now has a Mental Health Calendar for 2023.
An article on Mental Health for each month of the year..
There is a link to download the app and also pdf of the calendar. Do share it around to do your bit for Mental Health Awareness.
February 2023 has a write up, i have pasted here for your read.
App Link
Man Darshika 2023 by IPSWSB https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.creativeent.calender.calender
Thoughts
Self-talk/ thought is our inner chatter, it’s the way you to talk to yourself. It begins from the moment you get up and exists until you fall asleep. Humans have 60,000 thousand thoughts in a day. We may not be aware yet it changes the way we feel and behave.
Function
Self-talk/ thoughts act as a link between external problems and our responses.
PROBLEMS à Self Talk/Thoughts à RESPONSE (Feelings and actions)
For eg; if I receive a negative feedback from a colleague (PROBLEM)
There are two possibilities,
1)If I think, “I’m useless, I won’t get promoted” (SELF TALK)
I’ll feel disappointed and not motivated to work. (RESPONSE)
2)If I think, “I have flaws and will work on them to get promoted.” (SELF TALK)
I’ll feel hopeful and motivated to work. (RESPONSE)
Examples and Management
Being AWARE of your thoughts is the first step.
1) Ram was very busy at work, he couldn’t clean his room. He thought,
“No use of the appreciation at work, I can’t maintain basic standards of living” He felt miserable.
Instead, an alternate way of thinking would be
“I had to prioritise work and neglected household chores, I will try to balance work and chores better next time” With this thought process, he didn’t feel guilty and tried to balance his life better throughout the week.
2)Rupa’s headache persisted despite taking medicines, she began thinking
“Headache is not getting better, is it cancer?” She started getting worried and panicky
Instead, “Do I have any proof that my thought is true?”
Realising that you are treating your thoughts as if they are facts
3) Harshal failed in the Prelim exam and began thinking
“ I will fail the Boards too and never get a good college or job”
What advise would you be giving a friend in a similar situation.
I would be telling them, “ One failure doesn’t decide your entire future and life”
4)Sheela was tired of watching her kids hooked on mobile games
“ I should have never given them the mobile.”
Instead, “What options do I have ‘here and now’ to help the children.”
Focus on the present and not get stuck in what she could have or should have done
5)When Sarah was studying for Board exams and entrance test
“I can’t do this; I don’t have the time”
Instead, “Let me accept the challenges ad re-examine my priorities”
She can try to change negative to positive self talk.
6)Nandini was late for work due to the heavy traffic jam.
“There should be less traffic so I can reach on time.”
Instead, “I can leave home earlier so there is buffer time for me to reach office.”
Here let’s focus on the controllables, one cannot control the traffic, but you can control the time you leave from home
7)Saili called up her husband, his phone was busy, she thought
“He is having an affair”
Instead, “what could be other reasons why he may not have answered the call”
Here, let’s examine all options in a situation before jumping to a conclusion.
The key is to understand that one can choose to think constructively by putting negative thoughts on trial.