Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality

The Daily Star and Moner Bondhu are jointly organising a campaign for World Mental Health Day 2021. This year's World Mental Health Day slogan is, "Mental health care for all: let's make it a reality". The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected most people's mental health, especially frontline workers, people with pre-existing mental health disorders, people living alone and students. Mental health services have also been difficult to access during the pandemic, causing even more people to suffer from worsened mental health issues. However, we can't lose hope for a world with better mental health management. As such, during this year's World Mental Health Day campaign, we will highlight five stories of people working through their mental health issues in hopes to inspire others to seek help and embark on their journey towards healing. 

The people who can be satisfied with the small things in life are the ones who are the happiest.

Toma Alam

I've always felt as if there's this invisible line between being an introvert and an extrovert. Crossing this invisible line has always been a struggle for me, as in general, I am a very quiet person. I inherited this part of my personality from my mother.

As a result, I am rarely able to open up about my mental struggles with anyone. Only when someone approaches me to talk about these things can I openly confide my problem to them.

My husband was one of these people. After nine years together, we ended up getting married. In total, we spent over 12 years together, living in Bangladesh and overseas. It was after these 12 and a half years that I lost my life partner to cancer.

After his passing, I feel like I have nothing. Even after nine long months without him, I still cannot come to terms with losing him from my life. Rarely had a moment gone by when we were not talking to each other. Even during arguments, we would rarely stop talking to each other for more than a few days. Yet, I now have to sleep in this house all alone, with nothing but the lights to comfort me.

Writing has always been a challenge for me. Whenever I sit down to write, my entire life flashes before my eyes. But I still sit down to write whatever is on my mind, and, every time, I see the clouds in the sky start to stir.

I think the people who can be satisfied with the small things in life are the ones who are the happiest. That's why I've also started to do small things every now and then to manage my mental health.

Whether it's going to my favourite coffee shop or buying a bunch of flowers when I'm stuck in traffic, or sometimes something as simple as walking through a familiar street wearing my favourite saree, are all it takes to give me some joy.

I try and do these little things to keep myself happy. To better understand my own mental state and take care of my own mental health. Because, after all, if the mind dies, then how can a person continue to live?

One of the most important things is to cherish the people who are there during your worst days. Never push these people away, and remember to be there for them when they need you. Take care of them when they are struggling, just like they took care of you.

I cherish these people with all my heart because they are my Moner Bondhu. Every time I stumble and fall, these are the people who are always there to pick me up.

I want to tell all the Moner Bondhus out there to stay by the sides of the people you care about. Because they help light up the melancholic days, and they deserve all our love.

I look for the positive side to everything

Nawshaba Hridita

On a rainy Monsoon morning, I went to university for admission. I carried some coconut water along with the necessary paperwork since I hadn't been feeling well for quite some time. I had almost lost all willpower. I joined my first day at university, holding my sister's hand. She gave me so many instructions while on our way. Since I got admission during the COVID-19 pandemic, my classes were and still are online. I'm experiencing something great – virtual classrooms, teachers' directives, online classmates. It's like a new world, a new experience, outside of the conventional rules.

I've learned a lot through online classes and have become more tech-savvy. It's a new environment, but the word "environment" isn't accurate for this situation. I'm not sure what word to use to describe it. This is where I started to feel lonely since I couldn't meet anyone in online classes. I didn't know what style everyone spoke in or what facial expressions they used. So, it was a bit difficult to understand everyone.

This one time, a classmate spoke to me in a loud voice in front of everyone. Perhaps their intentions were good, but their tone did not come off as friendly. I felt upset. The first day I had such an experience, I cried a lot, wondering why they spoke to me like this in front of everyone. They could have explained the matter to me calmly instead.

I found it challenging to cope with online classes. The word "cope" is so simple, yet it has caused so much anxiety in real life. I used to think about how I shared mental health awareness content on Facebook every day to keep millions of people's mental health in check. But did I take care of my own mental health?

I have taken some steps to maintain good mental health:

I have started to make time for myself outside of classes and assignments. This time is only for me and I determine what I do with it. I do not necessarily always have to be productive during this time either.

•           I set goals for myself depending on what I want.

•           I set boundaries for myself and for others with whom I interact.

•           I look for the positive side to everything. I think positivity is a blessing in our lives. Being positive also makes many complex tasks easier. So, spread positivity.

•           I like spending time with my family. So, I have started to take special care of my family members.

•           I do breathing exercises to reduce anxiety.

•           And I do whatever I enjoy.

In the end, I want to say, to keep the body healthy, you must take care of the mind.

Life doesn't end if I fail to achieve something

Shawon Bhuiyan Topu

I learned that mental health is as important as physical health after facing the harsh reality of life. It was the time when I came to Dhaka for university admission coaching purposes after finishing my higher secondary examination. I was adamant about achieving my dream. Thus, I was dedicated and focused on my studies. But I couldn't find my name in any result sheet as I hadn't passed any of my exams. I was depressed and shattered after failing every exam. I couldn't even face myself in the mirror. I hadn't seen sunlight for a long time. I couldn't even read aloud a phone number in fear that I might be wrong. Later my parents suggested I see a doctor. It was a long process, and after many sessions, I was becoming normal again. The journey wasn't easy at all, but I found myself again. I started to believe that life doesn't end if I fail to achieve something. I realised that I was unique. So I began to find my mistakes, worked on them, and finally, I was able to get admission to a public university.

Anyway, I have learnt to bear with my life.  

Name Withheld

In 2019, when I couldn't get admission into any desired institution it felt like that was the end of my dreams. Although no one scolded me, I was having an eerie feeling. The pain of frustrating my parents was slowly chipping me away. I couldn't laugh or cry anymore. My world came to a standstill. I am still trying to get through the tough time.

When I was preparing for the second chance my father got a heart attack while my mother was diagnosed with cancer. I couldn't appear at the exam. I was caught in the storm of life.

Now, I am fine with the blessings of almighty. However, those decisions taken at the moment of frustration are still haunting me. I am repeating the same mistakes. I haven't share it to anyone that I am not fine. I could have finished myself if I didn't have the responsibilities of my parents. Anyway, I have learnt to bear with my life.  

Music was my companion when I needed someone to talk to

Munim Chowdhury

Music has a healing power that very few get to experience. There were times when the day started dull, afternoons seemed slow, evenings felt cold, and I never wanted the nights to fade away. My father, being a workaholic, was never found around; my mother always occupied herself by taking care of my grandmother and our family. I felt lost as I woke up, passing each day that felt like an eternity.

Mental health and wellness used to be considered "taboo" terms. Telling someone that you are going through a lot was never an option. Family members tend to think keeping oneself occupied with activities is the solution; friends believe alcohol and drugs are the way to finding peace.

Many of my friends played games in their Play Station to spend their leisure time. In my case, asking for a basic phone was too much of a privilege. I saved up for a year to buy myself an iPod Nano. With a storage capacity of 4GB, I synced my favourite tracks in it. I used to listen to a wide variety of genres of songs. I had an acoustic playlist for the cold nights, band music for the busy times, and party music for when I wanted a boost of mood.

Music was my companion when I needed someone to talk to. When all turned their backs on me, I put my earphones on and shuffled through my playlist. I am in a better state of life now, and when someone approaches me asking for mental support, I try my best to be by their side. I listen to them and advise them accordingly. I realised that you don't need to have a certificate in psychology to help a person when you have already faced problems that you overcame solely with self-help.

Let mental wellness be normalised like physical health and wellness, because when the core is strong, and the power comes from within, you are limitless. Bump a tune and enjoy the moments you are living in since they won't last forever.