It’s the season of festivities, and the usual pomp and show have begun. As we all know the festival of Dusshera marks the win of good over evil. This festival commemorates the triumph of Lord Rama over the demon king Ravana. It is ideal for us as well to uproot all our mental worries this Dusshera to encourage positive thoughts. You may jot down your fearful thoughts on a piece of paper and burn it to ashes for a more long-lasting and calming effect to improve mental health.
Health Shots reached out to Dr Kamna Chhibber, a clinical psychologist and head of the Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences at Fortis Healthcare, to know about our 10 most common self-defeating thoughts that we need to get rid of this Dusshera.
Kill these worries to improve mental health
1. Fear of non-accomplishment
The solutions to mental health issues lies within ourselves. We all have a set of goals and objectives that we have laid down for our growth. But, sometimes self-limiting thoughts provoke us to give in to self-doubt which further leads to the fear of non-accomplishment. However, it’s about time to bid adieu to those thoughts and start believing in yourself.
2. Overcome doubt about lack of care to improve mental well-being
In the words of Dr Chhibber, we often get thoughts that say, “People around me don’t care about me as much as I care for them.” Well, in reality, if we look around, we might realize that the actual truth is far from the lies our mind tells us. We’ll always have our family and a bunch of good friends backing us in life. It’s time to start cherishing them.
3. Work till you get older before you can enjoy
We all feel that happiness is a destination that we should all work assiduously to reach. We believe that we need to push ourselves till an older age, and it is only then we can relax and enjoy life. However, life is all about the present moment and how we learn to accept and make the most of it.
4. Fearing burden of responsibilities
Dr Chhibber says that most people fear becoming aware of their responsibilities thinking that it will make them burdened and stressed. Hence, they refrain from shouldering their share of the burden. Well, one should never run from one’s responsibilities and instead start accepting them with courage and positive thoughts.
5. Feelings of self-doubt in management
It’s inevitable to feel overwhelmed by so much going on in our lives that we start doubting our coping mechanisms. Self-doubt can be a silent killer. In moments when it all feels too much, breathe, relax, and start from scratch, picking one task after another. This will help you avoid burnout.
6. Lack of self-worth
According to Dr Chhibber, we often say things like, “Others around me are much better at managing things for themselves and those around them”. We should never compare ourselves and always stay aware of our self-worth. We are all unique and good in our ways, so learn to embrace the good parts of you.
7. Comparison
Feelings of envy and comparison do us more harm than good. It sucks away all the joy from our lives if we always feel that the grass is greener on the other side. To improve mental health, we should start learning to stay content in our lives with what we have and learn to make the best out of it for ourselves. That will help us achieve mental well-being. Here are some tips to attract positive vibes in life.
8. Always thinking of the worst can make your mental health worse
Some people have a negative pattern of thinking, and they feel that the worst possible scenario will befall them in every situation. So, they don’t like to plan much about their life ahead. We should always remember that we are what we think. And, planning with a positive mindset will never fail us.
9. Fear of loss
We all fear losing ourselves or a loved one to bad health or illness. We think that we won’t know how to cope with the loss of a loved one. However, we all can rise even from the toughest of circumstances. So, even if life throws something bad at us, we all can grow back from it.
10. A feeling of having no time to relax and enjoy
For the ones for whom life is a constant hustle, they feel they’ll never get time to unwind and enjoy their lives. But we should start embracing the tiny joyful moments that we get. Only then we’ll learn to appreciate the big things in life.