Amy, how is your day going?

Pallavi Verma
Sep 2, 2018 · 3 min read

9.00 AM.

Stifling yawns, Amy presses the 12th floor button of the lift. Two more people enter, animatedly discussing their weekend shenanigans. Hanging on to a few words, and adding a bit of her imagination, she cooks the perfect story to describe her weekend at lunch. After all, she had always been a good story-teller.

The lift beeps, and the doors open. With beads of sweat grazing the back of her neck, and a heavy sigh, she steps out. Murmuring morning greetings along the way she darts to her desk. Switching on her laptop, she opens her inbox.

13 Unread Messages.

As she skims through them, her heart stops. She had been dreading this. Things hadn’t been going well with a project, and she had to redo some work. The mail had a long list of action items and had to be submitted by EOD.

The tasks were straightforward.

But she couldn’t do it.

She could ask for help from her team-mates.

But who would help her and why? They had their own work.

Maybe, she could speak to her manager for guidance.

But, wouldn’t he think she is incompetent?

She had worked on a similar project before, should be doable, right?

Okay, no — it’s too much. She can’t do it.

Heart racing, and with eyes welling up, she finds her way to the loo. Bolting the cubicle door, she drops her composure. After a few minutes, she steps out, wipes her tears, washes her face, and goes back to her desk. With her heartbeat normalized, and mind a bit relaxed, she reads the mail again. Breaking down the problem, she rushes to work, working feverishly. Because, she doesn’t know when the overwhelming feeling would again overpower all she knows about herself.

The mail would be sent out before 5PM. On time, like always.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

(A couple of months back at the convocation of NIMHANS, Ram Nath Kovind remarked that the number of people in India suffering from mental health issues “was greater than the population of Japan.”)

You could have a friend or colleague like Amy or you could be Amy. Struggling to get through work on a few days or finding it difficult to justify being late or absent to work because your fear just couldn’t let you out of bed. And how long do you take off? Common cold takes 3–4 days, Malaria about 2 weeks, fracture — a month, maybe? But, how do you put a number to how long you will take to feel in control of how you feel?

We can all do our bit to help Amy at work. First things first, spend some time reading up — how to identify symptoms (restless, looking worn out, finding it difficult to focus, etc.), and what small steps can you take to calm them and help them structure their work.

It’s important that the team and company create an open environment for discussion to remove the stigma around it. To establish that mental health will be taken as seriously as physical health is. This will help people open up about their issues, which will help them work better. A mental health counselor or support group can do wonders, even if it is an informal one.

Always be mindful about people, their strengths and weaknesses, and while you do challenge them, do take time to understand their limitations. While they aren’t looking to be cut any slack, an extra word of encouragement can do wonders for their progress. It might not be a lot for you, but it’s the little things that count for them.

Be informed, be approachable, and kind, always.

Tomorrow, make sure you ask Amy, how her day is going.

Pallavi Verma

Written by

Dreamy, Indian girl fighting anxiety woes by writing, painting and dreaming of a land full of puppies.