A REAL AWARENESS
Growing numbers of young people in India are turning to spirituality or religion for solace as a result of the survival-of-the-fittest principle, fierce academic rivalry, and peer pressure on lifestyle choices. Religious meetings were typically reserved for elder generations a decade ago, but these days, the youth liberally sprinkle terms like inner power, self-discovery, and religion into their chats. This is primarily due to the high rates of depression and ongoing academic stress among children. Their entire existence is devoted to earning degrees, applying for admittance, and then worrying about finding employment. Young people today are frequently anxious since their whole attention is outside, on their devices, academics, or relationships. They are perpetually thinking about the past or the future. While putting up with all of this, they are feeling the desire for some mental tranquilly. It is hardly unexpected that more of them are starting to practise meditation. It has become essential for them to use breathing practices that promote present-moment awareness.
Many psychologists and medical professionals agree that unresolved difficulties might trigger suicidal behaviour. Stress levels have increased since the beginning of school and have continued into old age. The main causes of depression include high expectations for achievement, societal pressures, and discontentment with one’s life as it is. The issue is exacerbated by Indians’ lack of concern for and resistance to seeking treatment for their mental health. Mental health and wellbeing are subject to many stigmas and misunderstandings. People avoid seeing a psychologist because they believe that a psychiatric disorder is their own fault and something they should be embarrassed of, in contrast to how they would run to the doctor for a typical cold or the flu. One cannot overstate the importance of early detection and diagnosis of such illnesses. Few individuals are aware that mental health is physiological in nature and that it is thus strongly correlated with hormone imbalance or chemical changes or imbalances. All of these misconceptions make it such that individuals can’t tell the difference between normal anxiety, sadness, and severe depression that has to be treated.
According to experts, the age range most frequently associated with suicide thoughts worldwide is between 15 and 45. People over 60 make up the age group that is second most at risk. For the first age group, the biggest trigger is typically a breakup, the death of a loved one, or a general loss, whereas, for the second age group, the triggers can include loneliness, chronic illnesses, coping with the absence of loved ones, accepting retirement, and switching to a sedentary lifestyle. Exams, especially the time between exams and the announcement of the results, are when students are most at risk. In more recent years, depression has also been linked to unemployment, poor financial standing, and marital problems. Experts attribute the surge in depression rates and resultant suicides to the shifting social landscape. Since the last 15 to 20 years, India has been going through a period of transition due to a shifting value and support system. Herein lies the role of spirituality.
