Aids for Self

As we herald the new year, I thought it prudent to draw our attention to the Self. This is a time for promises, resolutions and self- betterment. Here’s a vital first aid tool for the Self.

My friend’s father has hiccups, which recur often and last for a long time. Since he is aged and in advanced years, our friend immediately admitted him, and the doctors started a series of tests. It was new for me because hiccups were never a serious concern or a health hazard as per me. Hiccups come, we drink water or endure them for some time, and they recede. What is so serious about hiccups that one needs to run tests, find the root cause and a remedy, I wondered! Similarly, most of us don’t go knocking on a doctor’s door for diarrhea, headache or a common cold. We simply allow it to run its course, or try home remedies, take a Paracetamol or do steaming and regain our health.

Hiccups, if recurring and continuous can be dangerous to health. It can lead to shortness of breath, interfere with your sleep, make eating difficult. A recurring cold is a warning signal that there some underlying deeper malaise and someone needs to pay attention.

We ignore mood swings, emotional outbursts, mental challenges we face in our daily life. We don’t talk about them for fear of being judged as weak. We shrug them off thinking, the same happens with many, and its nothing new, I need to learn to lump it and get on with life. A death in the family, we shut out everyone, shy away and isolate ourselves. These are not small or irrelevant issues, and if ignored or brushed under the carpet, out of the blue, our life spirals out of control.

One may ignore the physical ailments like cold or cough, but I sincerely recommend that we pay closer heed to emotional concerns. Almost all physical ailments reflect some underlying mental concern, which has been ignored and is trying to express physically. Recurring fever, cold, flu are signs of stress, anxiety or working in an environment which is not conducive or contributing to your peace of mind. A cold is congestion, a lack of expression, a sign that one needs to talk to someone.

Therapy is not when situation spirals out of control, and we are unable to manage our emotions or when we are caught in an unsurmountable life crisis. CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Therapy is to help us cope with the incessant challenges which come without warning. Therapy is to reach out for help, so we don’t recurringly live with the agony of a migraine, flu, ulcers…