Draw a line : Alive or Living?

Hey, do you think we can define life? OK, we have formal definitions of “life”, I need to start using the dictionary one of these days. What a stupid question. Is it though? I mean, I am just in my twenties and I can without a second thought say that life is pretty uncertain. How can we accurately define something so erratic? Well, we can assuredly define life as unpredictable.

Often these randomly philosophical questions ping my head and strangely, I answer them for myself in some or the other way. Writing, for instance, answers a lot of them. I wrote about life in terms of happiness and sadness-

Life, as we know it tends to challenge our mental well being, gives us a hard time. Typically we manage to get past it but once in a while, it goes beyond the threshold to which our mind can withstand. Consequently, we suffer from anxiety disorders or depressive disorders and in some cases even both.

When was the first time you got anxious about something that you have a memory of? For me, it was the entrance exam for a transfer from State Board to CBSE affiliated school in Kg 2(Kindergarten class 2). Well, it was a big deal for me then and I did feel the anxiety, now that I have some idea of what it is. That experience surely raised the threshold of the mind to accept challenges. But that anxiousness won’t be called a disorder. Similarly, having negative thoughts about something, for the time being, it certainly won’t be termed as depression. So, draw a line: mere emotions or illness?

As stated by the American Psychiatric Association, Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and home.

On the other hand, Anxiety disorders are mental health disorders characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities.

Anxiety and depression share a biological basis, thus we often fail to grasp the difference between these terms and they seem to be synonymous, as a consequence of which we use them interchangeably.

The Symptoms

How do you know if you have a disease or a health issue? Symptoms right? But what if these Symptoms manage to camouflage the normal emotions like anger, irritation, sadness? These symptoms develop gradually and you just avoid them thinking they are normal. So, to figure out if there is something different far from usual, take a flashback to around 10 to 15 days. You will know if its just general anxiety or is it a problem.

Common Symptoms

• Panic, uneasiness.
• Sleep issues- too much or too little.
• heart palpitations.
• fatigue.
• constant feeling of giving u everything, pessimistic behavior.
• altered appetite.
• Anger(most common)

When it comes to curing an illness, patience plays an important role. Patience is important in every aspect of life. How often do you hear someone saying “yeah, I tried working out to lose weight but didn’t get results”. Well, everything comes with a price. And that price is inclusive of the currency of time.

We hear that anxiety and depression are common. Why is that so if we have a cure? Simply because we don’t want to talk about it. And I know, we are all tired of hearing that seeing a shrink does not mean you are crazy. And yet, here we are with the fear that we will be called crazy. How does it matter if its getting cured? The whole concept of counseling was to make us feel more comfortable sharing about our life with someone who is officially appointed to keep it confidential. So, what exactly is the cure? A shrink or sharing? Opening up to someone, whether it be a person you are close to a professional who you hope will show you a way out of your misery.

So, start talking, because it does help. I know it because I have experienced it. So, one day after realizing how my anger pumps up over little things. I asked my mom and dad if my anger was noticeable. They were affirmative. We saw a General practitioner, and it turned out to be depression. But, here I am, writing this article, cured. Meditation was a great help too and it did wonders for my concentration power.

The popular saying is -”Channel your anger into something productive”. So, why not work out? Physical and mental fitness go hand in hand. A healthy mind will suggest you stay fit, and a healthy body will benefit your mental being.

How Physical Fitness helps?

The answer is simple, it gives you confidence. How many times does it happen that you just don’t participate in a physical activity thinking about the pain it might cause the next day? After a long break from working out and lifting weights, when you head back to the gym, there is this constant fear of not being able to do the reps without support let alone lifting heavy weights. Physical Fitness doesn’t just mean a lean aesthetic body. No no, Modelling is different. Being physically fit simply means that you can rely on your dear muscles for some physical activity with no fear of cramps. Being physically fit won’t stop you from hitting that dance floor if the beats of the music get the vibrations in the body going.

Say hello to Nature once in a while

Get some fresh air. Meet up with your buddies in person in an open environment for a change instead of that virtual “staying in touch”. Put those earphones aside and give your phone some sleep. Go out, take a nice walk. Music in ears is not a compulsion every time you go out for a run.

It is funny how over these years I found this technique of playing meditations music(alpha waves) on YouTube to help me relax and chill or concentrate while I am studying. We are practically searching for traces of the beautiful nature in the virtual world mainly because we hardly have time for the real one. Fair enough. But I believe it’s possible to take some time out occasionally for this beautiful yet sometimes scary world we live in. Start feeling alive than just merely living for a change.

Life and Death

Do you remember being born? How does that feel like? I don’t have a memory of it but I am sure my parents were filled with joy at that moment.

So did you have a choice to be born or not? Me neither. Well, that certainly means that there is a big loophole here. If we don’t get the choice of being born, then why do we have a choice to die? It’s fine, the system made a mistake. Be a bigger person, forgive the system of life. Let’s not misuse this loophole and punish life by choosing to die before death calls.

Concluding this article with these lines by Clay Jensen in his Graduation speech from 13 Reasons Why which hit me hard-

Whatever happens, keep moving. Get through it. Choose to live. Cause even on the worst day, life is a pretty spectacular thing

Clay Jensen(13 Reasons Why — Season 4)

Originally published at http://mindcanopy.wordpress.com on June 22, 2020.