We're living in a day and age when mental health has become the buzzword. The equity the term carries today is quite something. It is said that mental health is as important as physical health. What one must understand is that poor mental health impacts physical health too. Anxiety, mood swings, nervous breakdown, overthinking - all this has a bearing on our immune system and different organs too. Even though a lot of chatter is happening around mental health with many people advocating for it, there's still ignorance and taboo around the subject. One good thing is a lot of people these days, especially Gen Z and millennials, talk about their mental health and how they're taking therapy quite openly and candidly. For many, therapists and psychologists have become their go-to people for everything big and small.
This World Mental Health day, a day being celebrated since 1992 on October 10 every year, we're going to dwell on therapists and psychologists' mental health. How do they ensure to keep their mental well-being in check? How to cope when they subject themselves to listening to their clients' ordeals on a day-to-day basis? After all, even they're human and it is natural for them to feel overwhelmed from time to time.
Moneycontrol spoke to three psychologists to understand their way of keeping their mental health in best shape when they feel low.
Dr. Jyoti Mishra, Senior Consulting Psychologist
A day in the life of a psychologist can never be predicted really, says Dr. Jyoti, a senior consulting psychologist at Apollo Spectra Hospital, Delhi. "I want to share a very personal and transformative experience from my practice. A client of mine was a hopeless chain smoker who had tried to quit many times. I would give him a pep talk on chucking the habit of smoking, he would promise me to do so, but eventually fail to deliver on his word. One day he broke down in tears and told me how he feels depleted from within. His words were 'Maybe I'll die with this bad habit'. When I heard him say that, I felt helpless too. It seemed to me then that I had failed too," the doctor shared.
From not being able to sleep properly, feeling emotionally drained out to replaying her client's words in her head on loop, Dr. Jyoti had a difficult time in trying to snap out of her mindset. "I felt bad. I felt I had failed as a professional and I lived with these feelings for quite some days. My own mental health was getting affected in some ways," she shared.
Also read: Mental health: 10 healthy lifestyle habits to lower the risk of depression
Realising that she needed to speak to someone to get the load off her chest, Dr. Jyoti confided in about her feelings to a senior psychologist. It eventually helped her feel at ease. "As psychologists, sometimes some words of clients can have a deep impact on one's psyche. Some things just happen to stay with you for long even though you try to remind yourself to keep professional and personal life separate," shares the doctor.
To keep her mental health in good shape, Dr. Jyoti incorporated some breathing exercises in her routine. She also practices mindfulness to calm her mind.
Dr. Pavithra Shankar, Associate Consultant Psychiatry
"I was just beginning my career when I came across a patient with chronic schizophrenia. She was 48, but she looked as if she was 65. Just imagine she was suffering from schizophrenia for more than 2 decades. She was malnourished and there were marks on her body that suggested she was kept in mental chains. She would bite people, threaten to hit them, behave in erratic and deranged ways. She would poop and urinate in full public view. Even though I knew about such cases, but seeing her in such a situation made me feel sick," shares Dr. Pavithra Shankar, Associate Consultant- Psychiatry, Aakash Healthcare.
The experience took a toll on doctor's mental health. She felt she wouldn't be able to save her patient. "I even lost my appetite. I would face difficulty in sleeping at night. People had started telling me that I look different and not in a good way," explains Dr. Pavithra. To regulate her emotions in a better way, the doctor decided to speak to one of her mentors. "I took therapy sessions. Around 3 to 4. I poured my heart out and I started to feel better. As specialists, sometimes we forget that even we need to speak to someone who can give us a patient hearing without any judgement," she shares.
After that experience, Dr. Pavithra found her calming force and anchoring ground in yoga. She does yoga on a daily basis and feels that has made a huge difference.
Also read: Mental wellness: Reduce stress, improve mental health with these 6 daily habits
Jasmine Arora, Consultant, Clinical Psychologist
What happens when as a psychologist your client shares with you something deeply troubling that you've experienced yourself, asks Jasmine, a consulting clinical psychologist from Artemis Hospitals. “One of my clients had lost a parent suddenly just like I had years ago. Hearing about her pain and trauma brought back memories that I was not prepared to revisit. At one hand, you have the responsibility to hear out your patient. On the other hand, you feel overwhelmed yourself to deal with your emotions. What does one really do?" shares Jasmine.
"We tell our patients to confront every emotion, process it and express it. So, how could I push my feelings aside? Although it was hard, I decided to channelise what I was feeling by keeping a journal. After every session with the client, I would go back and write down what I was feeling. I also confided in a colleague who I trusted. This particular experience taught me that being a psychologist doesn't mean you don't feel pain. Instead you learn how to deal with it better and in a holistic way so that you can come out stronger both for yourself and the people you help.”
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
