Editor
October 10 marks World Mental Health Day. Do we know the state of our mental health? All of us pay attention to physical health only. Most of us are unaware that we also need to take care of our mental health and because we pay little or no attention to our mental health, we are seeing an epic rise in mental illness affecting our social and family life as well as putting stress on our lives. the existing one. medical infrastructure. Most of the underdeveloped and developing countries, like India, do not have the minimum infrastructure needed to deal with mental health challenges. We do not have enough qualified and experienced psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, trained mental health nurses, or medical staff to meet the challenges of patients and prospective patients.
In the last two years we have been through the global pandemic and many were affected due to acute isolation for months at a time. We not only experience social, cultural, economic and physical challenges; but we have also been severely impacted emotionally. This has been a challenging time for all of us; even more so for our numerous defenseless elderly and countless babies and young children who lost their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. Although the graph of COVID-19 infections is now going downhill, mental health cases have grown rapidly around the planet as a long-term impact of this devastating pandemic. This has affected people of all ages and genders. I am sure that many of us would have understood and learned lessons about mental health.
Psychologists have warned of the long-term impacts of human mental health in both developed and developing countries. But we have not taken the appropriate measures because we were too focused on the physical side of the disease and its treatment. But effective mental health treatment remains a distant goal.
Without a doubt, the pandemic has brought many positive changes and people have started to cultivate good habits. To be mentally healthy we must participate in positive activities and have a circle of friends or be part of a peer support group. To do this we need good social and communication skills to interact with other people outside of our comfort zone. It is very important to physically meet and greet other people; And not just virtually. It is also important to know our close and distant relatives and neighbors. Helping others in need is good for mental health, as studies have shown.
There are people all around us who are looking for companionship and a listening ear. We can be your comfort by lending a listening ear. An active life that includes some hands-free exercises, yoga, pranayama, and brisk walking can bring positive changes to our mental health if we suffer from anxiety, depression, frustrations, anger, emotional outbursts, irritability, and melancholy. A daily meditation cycle of at least 5 minutes in the morning when we wake up or before we go to sleep can start to show positive impacts on our mental health. A regular lifestyle with foods low in carbohydrates but rich in seasonal fruits and green leafy vegetables are very helpful. Let us also avoid the addition to tobacco products, hard and carbonated drinks, tea and coffee or addiction to television, smartphones and laptops. Instead, let’s take reading books as a habit. It will help us sleep better.
It is very important to have a hobby that engages us mentally, physically and intellectually, such as watching good movies, reading quality books, traveling or any type of sport or writing a diary, poems, stories or novels or whatever else we like to do. Those will vary from individual to individual. When we feel low or depressed, it is good to seek help from a qualified mental health professional. Let’s not neglect mental health issues. We owe it to each other!
yours etc.
Saikat Kumar Basu
Calcutta – 45
Alarming increase in stray dogs and a complacent municipality
Editor,
The recently published letter with the subtitle: “Raging Dogs in Laitumkhrah” (ST, Oct 13, 2022) by an 11-year-old boy, Kian Peter Pde, should put the Shillong Township office and the so-called ‘Dog Lovers’ to shame. animals’. This playful boy made all Shillongites aware of how even small children are regularly bitten by stray dogs and the subsequent pain and trauma. Perhaps Master Pde has become the youngest contributor to The Shillong Times. This also shows the “desperation” of the parents who must have asked their son to write to The Shillong Times to reveal the fundamental realities. Now the question is, has this letter awakened the Shillong Municipality from its slumber? Nothing has been heard so far.
Well, Master Pde might pay for rabies vaccinations, but what about the children of day laborers/vendors who don’t even have Rs 500 in their pockets? This is the practical reality. On a daily basis, they become victims of hordes of canines. Will Shillong continue to turn a deaf ear to this growing threat? People often raise money locally to help poor victims get vaccinated.
Similar anguish and anger have also been expressed by another resident, Adrialli Lyngdoh, through her letter: “Animal lives over human lives” (ST, Oct 10, 2022). She underlined how alarming the situation has become due to the increasing number of stray dogs and how animal lovers never bother to press the alarm bell when people fall prey to stray dogs. Of course, she apparently sounds hypocritical.
One man replies: “Why do those animal lovers shed tears only for dogs and not for other animals? It’s completely illogical and unethical too. I believe that goats, cows, sheep, horses, birds and dogs should be treated with equal sympathy and compassion. Even environmentalists say that. I don’t subscribe to non-vegetarian animal lovers (pun intended).” It is very clear that we need to have more foster homes. Animal lovers should put constant pressure on the government for that.
I think it is worth quoting what a concerned mother, Mona Lyngdoh, said in her letter (ST, Oct 12, 2022). She erupted in anger: “To all interested dog lovers, if my daughter is the victim of a dog bite (God forbid!) or any other human being, for that matter, will they come to empathize with us emotionally? /financially? ? My humble request to all dog lovers/dog owners: if you love them, keep them grounded within the prescribed limits!”
Of course, public safety has become a serious concern in the city. Parents cringe in fear when their children are left homeless these days. In many localities, people have to risk their lives to get home at night, as packs of dogs can attack them on the way. About three months ago, in a week in Upper Mawprem and Jhalupara, more than twenty people were bitten by stray dogs, especially at night. The situation is absolutely terrifying.
At this critical time, if Shillong Township still slacks off and continues to be complacent, the authorities running it will be entirely to blame. Then their incompetence will be questionable and they will need to be replaced by competent officers who have a sense of responsibility, humanity and compassion.
Also, appropriate action should be taken against pet owners who leave their fearsome pets outside. Owners must be severely punished if their dogs bite others. Let us love human beings as much as we (pretend) to love animals.
yours etc
Salil Gewali,
(Member of the International Commission on Human Rights), Shillong
