Amid Coronavirus pandemic it’s normal for people to feel low and face difficulty in carrying on the same routine almost every day with little contact with the outside world.
It is even more difficult for people who were fighting mental health issues even before the pandemic.
Inner engineering or working on your inner self could come a long way in the pandemic situation as it can help one lead a more meaningful, joyful and satisfied life.
Inner engineer and motivational speaker Shivang Mathur spoke to Top Lead India about how one can take care of their mental health issues in lockdown and otherwise.
What is inner engineering?
Inner Engineering is a process or a module through which one works on the inner self to change the processing of an outer situation. It is a process of transformation from within.
“The objective of inner engineering is to explore the highest potential of an individual through powerful processes of self-transformation. It’s an opportunity for self-exploration and leading a life of fulfilment and joy. Inner engineering is a process of finding the required balance between the challenges of your day-to-day life and inner longing for well-being and peace through yoga or meditation practices. It’s a tool to take charge of mind and emotions,” says Shivang Mathur.
Beating the blues
While there will always be situations to overwhelm you and make you lose your sense of control, there are always ways to overcome the mental barrier.
“Meditation and Yoga are one of the best tools to improve depressed state of mind, it helps the practitioners merge their mind and intellect in their supreme soul, which in turn enables them to experience the divine power of their mind. Mantra chanting and deep breathing exercises helps to calm your body and makes it easier to find that unidentifiable inner peace,” adds the motivational speaker.
The need of the hour
Inner engineering is especially important in today’s times. While we are programmed to pay attention to the outside world, we have forgotten to look within and hence comes the suffering.
It is not the outside comforts that bring us joy, it is much more than that.
“We can claim about the developments we have done in the external world but cannot claim about our peacefulness, blissfulness and joyfulness. Somehow comfort and convenience have drastically failed to give us happiness,” says Mr Mathur.
“Inner engineering brings forward the whole plan of action in alliance to your mind, body and soul, eventually all working harmoniously. It empowers people to embrace a feeling of positivity in their lives. A better understanding of the science of inner engineering will help the masses achieve strong tools to deal with depression and manage the hectic pace of modern life. Just like the science and technology involved in creating a better external environment, a whole of tools and engineering are perfectly blended in creating an improved inner well-being to deal with depression effectively. Life has so much to offer you if you will welcome it with open arms once you embrace Inner Engineering,” he adds.
Coping with mental health issues
While ups and downs are the part of our life, these feelings don’t last for long. However, clinical depression or a depressive disorder is different which is basically a mood disorder that causes distressing symptoms that changes the way how you feel, think and handle daily activities.
“To cope with these issues firstly we need to look after ourselves and our wellbeing, it will reduce stress and it’s crucial in enabling us to take calm and effective actions during this crisis. When there is an uncertainty and things are out of control, one of the most effective ways we can manage stress, anxiety is to focus on the actions that are in our control. Take intentional steps to look after your physical and emotional wellbeing. When you are depressed it is particularly important to acknowledge your feelings. Understand, whatever you are feeling right now, know that its ok to feel that way. Allow yourself to notice and express. Channelize your emotions into creative work. One can also opt for meditation exercises which will keep you grounded in an emotional storm. Apart from your routine go back to basics, eating healthy, physical exercise, getting enough sleep,” says Mathur.
Healing through forgiveness
“Practice of forgiveness is one important aspect in life. It is the contribution to the healing of the world. Understand angry people cannot create a peaceful planet. Find you own peace and ensure you are never the problem in your life. We need to understand the concept of hardships and sufferings. Hardships are mostly situational, but sufferings are unfortunate psychological situation and its consequence, a whole lot of human being create because of no control over psychological space,” says the inner engineer.
In order to be sane, one needs to be connected with their people—their friends, family members among others.
It is important to set limit to the news and social media, because constantly reading, watching or listening to upsetting media coverage can unnecessarily intensify worry and agitation. Talk about other topics like sports, technology. Live your hobbies. Discover your own space and learn to handle your loneliness.
How to help people who show suicidal tendencies
“When someone says he or she is thinking about suicide or says things that sound if the person is considering suicide, it can be very upsetting. You may not be sure what to do to help, or whether you should intervene. Well acting is always the best choice. In these kind of cases one should always start by asking questions like how are you coping with what has been happening in your life?
Asking about suicidal thoughts or feelings won’t push someone into doing someone self-destructive. In fact, offering an opportunity to talk about feelings may reduce the risk of acting on suicidal feelings. It is important for near and dear ones to look for warning signs, offer support, encourage the other person to communicate with you. One should encourage a person to seek treatment because a suicidal or severely depressed person may not have the energy or motivation to find help. One should be respectful and acknowledge the person’s feelings. Do not be patronizing or judgemental. Never promise to keep someone’s suicidal feelings a secret.
One should always offer reassurance that things can get better. Encourage the person to avoid alcohol and any kind of drug use. One should remove potentially dangerous items from the person’s home if possible. Remember do not play it down or ignore the situation. Do not worry about straining your relationship when someone’s life is at stake,” says the expert.
Tips to take care of your mental well being.
1. To remain joyful, blissful and happy one must focus on creating a balance between the inner and outer world. Yoga and meditation are the powerful tools to access the source of creation within, so that your life and destiny is determined by you.
2. One must understand that there is effect of food on the mind; the quality of food we eat and how we eat it is more important than anything else. Choose your food carefully.
3. Work on small things like exercising, eating a healthy and balanced meals, opening up to other people in your life. One should always try and connect with friends and family; it will provide you emotional support. Face to face connection is especially important.
4. Staying active is as good for the brain as it is for body. The mind and body are intrinsically linked. When you improve your physical health, you will automatically experience greater mental and emotional wellbeing. Physical activity releases endorphins, chemicals that lift your mood and provide energy.
5. Learn to keep your stress level in check is important. Stress takes a heavy toll on mental and emotional health, so it’s important to keep it under control. Stress management strategies can help you brings things back into balance. Make leisure time a priority and make time for contemplation and appreciation; think about the things you are grateful for.
6. Taking a break from your routine is particularly important. If you lead a busy life, then getting enough sleep is a necessity not luxury. Skipping even a few hours here and there can take a toll on your mood, energy and productivity.
7. Lastly, find a purpose in life. In biological terms, finding meaning and purpose is essential to brain health as it can help generate new cells and create new neural pathways in brain.