Dr. Nachiketa Sinha, consultant psychiatrist is a dedicated professional working towards breaking stigmas. Working in New Brunswick, Canada since 2006, he has been active in initiating important changes to mental health delivery systems and has a unique ability to bring different stakeholders together for a common goal. He is also known for playing an instrumental role in the introduction of Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) in New Brunswick. Born in Patna and did his schooling at St. Michael’s High School, Dr.Sinha is a proud Bihari. A graduate in Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medicine from Karnatak University, Dharwad, India. At the recently concluded global conference of The International Forum for Advancements in Healthcare, Las Vegas, Nevada, Dr. Sinha was recognized as the top 100 healthcare leader in the world
In this fast paced, new-age lifestyle, we observe a lot of people struggling to cope and maintain that balance between their work and regular life leading to a lot of unhealthy habits and mental issues. Mental health has been stigmatised time and time again and has taken a backseat in today’s society. To counteract these, good routine and healthy habits are needed. Some of these habits include prioritising your time, having set work and entertainment hours, playing to your strengths etc.
Yet, time has been proof that awareness alone isn’t always enough to have people lead a perfectly balanced lifestyle as it takes a lot of courage, discipline and regularity. Adding to the complex matrix of schedules, the pandemic has disrupted a lot of people’s routines by forcing them to stay indoors, skip exercise and other activities. Initially, it was observed that certain expectations about the possibility of working from home, was a positive factor which would promote work-life balance. However, over time, negative tendencies have also been revealed, as employees were only one call or message away from their employers, and uncertainty and leisure time with family often created more stress. Many organisations and individuals were not ready for the shift and thus, many mistakes were made, which further elevated the issue of a healthy balance between our work and our regular day-to-day lives. With such ever-changing circumstances, a middle ground needs to be found so as to maintain the balance and counteract such situations healthily.
To ensure and attain a balance between work and life, people need to have ample breaks to hold oneself accountable to those times when they need rest. Simple acts like eating lunch with the family to unwind from time to time, going on a walk might also help. While on the work front, having a dedicated workplace in the house, trying to finish work during working hours and most importantly letting go of the idea that things will or should be the same before the onset of COVID are some of the steps towards a healthy schedule. Free time should also be used very wisely as these hours directly affect your productivity in a lot of cases. Thus, pursuing something creative and active to make sure you are engaged like any other activity that you pursued before COVID hit is a must.
These coronial times have made us establish social distancing, also affecting the children and millennials of this generation massively. it is only becoming more evident that their mental
wellness is being drained by the passing day, leading to increasing levels of anxiety, panic and
stress, as this age group is accustomed to be out looking for new opportunities, pursuing their passions or having fun in general. Speaking of mental health challenges, one can observe that emotional distress is on the rise, especially after the outbreak of COVID-19. The statistics show a swell in the number of people affected with emotional distress and the situation is not turning better any soon. Thus, their mental health has taken a huge blow and the only way to avoid the negative consequences of these restrictions is to have a systematic approach towards their daily schedules.
Millennials need innovative steps and ideas to keep themselves engaged as they have more energy and need a healthy outlet for it. Thus, recreational activities, playing games with family or friends, talking online with friends about their lives are some of the ways to keep themselves engaged and busy to tire themselves out. Furthermore, any person suffering from anxiety or any other issue should practice having an open conversation with a close family member, friend or psychologist on a regular basis.
With increasing issues related to the complexities of our schedule due to external circumstances, just being aware is not going to be enough and we all need to consciously make amends in our everyday life. We need to replace redundant habits that are toxic to our mental health with credible and healthy ways to tackle our problems. We need to accept that change is the only constant and keep evolving towards a brighter future with a healthy, balanced schedule to avoid mental health issues and other issues that come along with it.