Stress management

What’s common between John Wick’s character from New York and Sumit, a writer from Goa? They both deeply adore their pets. "When Helen died, I lost everything. Until that dog arrived on my doorstep. A final gift from my wife. In that moment, I received some semblance of hope. An opportunity to grieve un-alone.” There’s...

"Are you okay?" Someone's at her desk. Her colleague. "Are you okay?" he repeats. She smiles. Mask on. “Yeah… just thinking.” “Let’s take a break,” he smiles. “We can get coffee.” He had noticed. Aliya* had been staring at the same email for 30 minutes now, her vision blurring and her heart pounding louder than...

YourDOST, one of India’s leading mental and emotional wellness organizations, has released its latest report, Emotional Wellness State of Employees in 2024, revealing that workplace stress is at an all-time high, with over 62% of employees reporting high stress levels. The study, based on responses from over 5,000 employees across industries, highlights that stress is...

“One time, I downed several bottles of Eltroxin [a thyroid medicine], hoping I’d die. I really just wanted to escape it all.” Lopamudra Roy doesn’t have a mental illness. Her late husband did, and so does her son. Both of them have Bipolar Disorder. For the last 27 years, Lopamudra has been the sole caregiver...

Feeling overwhelmed? Stressed? Immersing yourself in nature can be one of the simplest yet most rejuvenating ways to recharge. This Saturday, February 22nd, from 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM, the serene Cooperage Bandstand Garden on Madame Cama Road, Mantralaya, Fort, South Mumbai, will host a Nature Picnic designed to help participants reconnect with themselves and the natural...

“I had frequent epileptic seizures, panic attacks, brain fog, body aches, hormonal imbalance, and several other systematic issues,” says Hely Kansara, a psychologist, sharing her experience with emotional distress in early adulthood. Kansara identifies a dysfunctional school environment, compassion fatigue at work, and family separation as some of the causes of her emotional distress. “It...

We often hear the saying, “Take a deep breath, listen to some music, have your food on time, and everything will be fine.” While it's correct that the above-mentioned remedies could help destress, they might not be effective in every case. Every individual goes through different causes of stress that lead to varied experiences. The...

Music! That balm for our troubled souls. Music has the unique ability to evoke emotions when words fail us. Music has long been recognized as a therapeutic tool that significantly impacts mental health, offering relief from stress, anxiety, depression, and more. Recent research conducted by the University of Vienna found that music effectively reduces stress....

Anger is often portrayed as a negative emotion and we try to suppress it. However, when you tend to suppress your emotions for too long, it's only natural that it bursts like a volcano. Bottling up emotions can lead to severe consequences like developing depression, anxiety, and other health issues. Learning to channel your anger...

Every day, we find ourselves grappling with unresolved emotions, past experiences, and triggers. Sometimes, we can cope. Sometimes it's enough to send us into a whirlwind of anxiety and panic. In the inaugural episode of The Therapy Room podcast series, Smitha Murthy talks to Sanchita Agrawal, a licensed Clinical Psychologist at DocVita, about managing anxiety,...

Journaling is one of the most effective forms of self-care. Research by the Anthropology Department, University of Connecticut, shows that journaling can help improve our emotional and psychological well-being. It can promote personal growth, healing, stress reduction, and inner peace. It can be your little odyssey of self-discovery or the means to mindfulness, gratitude, and...

Bhilai-based startup, Brahmansh, has unveiled a wearable device for migraine, stress, and sleep issues. Named Migraelief, the device is purported to be India's first wearable option to treat migraine and accompanying issues like sleep disorders and stress. In a process called neuromodulation, the device uses sound waves or electric pulses to stimulate and calm the...

"We work too long and too intensely. We feel a pressure from within to work and help and we feel a pressure from the outside to give". These words are of Herbert Freudenberger, a psychologist in New York who suffered from a mental breakdown in the early 1970s. He came up with the word 'burnout'...

Throughout the course of life, we go through illnesses and diseases which necessitates multiple visits to the doctor. Mental health works exactly how our physical health does, it’s just a little intangible at times. But is it really? Now, more than ever, people and organizations together are talking about mental health. But is it enough? ...

An outreach program aimed at supporting and improving the mental health of Chennai's police force has been set in motion. The city police have partnered with the M.S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation (MSCTRF) and other institutions like NIMHANS to run the program. This initiative is part of the Tamil Nadu government's program named “Magizhchi”...

In November 2022, Neelima Agarwal joined Meta in Canada after leaving her job with Microsoft in Hyderabad. She went through a lengthy visa and joining procedure, only to be laid off within a few days. Many people have shared their experiences of getting laid off since the tech layoffs began in 2022. 417 tech companies...

Ridicule. Annoyance. Dismissal. Denial. Stigma. If you have ever been diagnosed with a mental illness, you may be familiar with these keywords. Keywords that form the fabric of everyday existence when living with a mental illness. When it comes to mental illness, stigma looms around us like a shadow, a constant companion that never leaves,...

Feel that your stress levels have gone up post-COVID 19? The 2022-23 GoQii India Fit Report surveyed over 10,000 Indians to understand the primary causes for stress. The results revealed that workplace dynamics and financial instability are two of the top stress factors. Overall, 24% of Indians are struggling to manage some type of stress,...

Stressed at work? Would you rather be in a job that didn't pay as much but gave you less stress? You're not alone. A global survey from UKG, a US-based workforce management firm, has revealed that 88% of Indians surveyed would gladly take a job that paid less if it meant more mental peace. Worldwide,...

Exam time is perhaps one of the most stressful times in a student’s life. The fear of not doing well enough, of not doing better than your peers, of not fulfilling your parent’s expectations, or of not standing up to your own high standards can be gripping and all-consuming. A 2022 NCERT survey has found...