Self Awareness Group

How to find meaning in life

ammar — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 13:57:24 +0000

Viktor Frankl, a famous Austrian Holocaust Survivor, and psychiatrist notes in his wildly acclaimed book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’, ‘He who has a why to live for, can endure almost any how’. Frankl himself became the proof of this statement for the hope to be reunited with his family and the imperative task of completing the aforementioned manuscript and sharing it with the world (which contained information pertaining to Logotherapy) is what kept him alive in the darkest hours of his life in Auschwitz – not physical strength or any material possessions.

Since the beginning of time, a question that man has repeatedly asked himself is what his purpose is, and what is the meaning of his life? The answer to this question is crucial for since the advent of humankind, it motivates man to do what he does and what he refuses to do. The answer provides dignity to the life of a man or renders him useless. In the words of Harold. S Kushner: “We have come to know man as he really is. After all, man is the being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord’s Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips”. As a whole and as individuals, we all go through life looking for that meaning that can put our suffering into perspective and on a lighter note, be the reason we can get out of bed on a bad day.

Since we are too idiosyncratic and share unique perspectives and experiences, it is hard to label one life meaning for every human being. We each have to carve out our own meaning and path in life and none can be seen as better or worse. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, “Not everyone can be famous, but everyone can be great because greatness is determined by service.” Aligning our life with our values such as service to others – whatever form that takes, spending time with our family, and living life with dignity and truth, are all things that can grant meaning to our everyday lives. Meaning is not an oasis in a desert we spend our entire lives looking for. Instead, it is unique to each of us and we live by it every hour, every minute of our days. It may be found in a child’s embrace after a long day of work or in a sip of cool water on a particularly hot day that fills our hearts with gratitude.

Conclusively, much like an existentialist would say, our life meaning is completely up to us to decide and decipher. Asking ourselves what we hope from finding it (peace/happiness/ fulfillment) and what we deem important in this short span of life is also helpful when uncovering our life’s meaning. The Latin phrase ‘Memento Mori’ i.e ‘remember you must die’ is also a plausible one when answering this question for it compels us to come to terms with the

urgency of life and living our purpose, stripping us off of any falsities and pressures that keep us away from living our internal truth.

Written by: Khadija Hassan (Content Developer)

References: – Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl (book)

Wu Wei: Effortless Living

ammar — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 13:42:51 +0000

Like thinkers from around the world, Chinese philosophers and thinkers have also made contributions to enlighten their fellow human beings to live a life of solace and integrity. From 475 to 221 BCE, they described the idea of an ever-evolving universe. According to the Daoists, the flow of the universe unfolds naturally through the never-ending fluxes of the Dao (also known as the Way). However, when humans exert their own desires and will onto the natural course of the cosmos, they choose to disrupt their own course of life by becoming stuck on a certain path not truly meant for them.

Wu Wei is a concept that encompasses this idea of being in a state of flow or being ‘in the zone’ where you are one and in alignment with the universe. Being in non-action or effortless action does not mean that one should leave their daily tasks and accomplish them only when they find the innate motivation to do them. It means being so fully present in a moment and coupling that presence with action so that any task can be accomplished effortlessly. The analogy of water can be used to describe this state of flow. Quoting Tao Te Ching:

“That which offers no resistance overcomes the hardest substances; that which offers no resistance can enter where there is no space; few in the world can understand the teaching without words or understand the value of non-action.”

Notably, Wu Wei and its favor of mindfulness and the importance of creativity are in direct contrast with the capitalistic and workaholic environments that are the hub of the Western world. Instead of giving in to such ideals, one should formulate their own and practice being in alignment with the Way instead of fighting against it.

One way to practice this concept is to focus on one’s internal locus of control as opposed to external stimuli or circumstances. For example, one can’t control the time of death or birth but can control what they do with the time that they have been given. To practice wu wei and use it in difficult situations, one must practice its ideas of self-control and mindfulness on an everyday basis.

Written by: Khadija Hassan (Content Developer)

Healthy Mind…Happy Life

ammar — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 21:14:41 +0000

Attitudes and mental health are closely connected. Attitudes are the beliefs and feelings we have about ourselves, others, and the world around us. Our internal locus of control strengthens with positive attitude. The COVID-19 pandemic and the new normal has had a huge impact on our lives. Many of us are left feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and worried about the future.
But you are not alone.

Story time!

Today’s blog is about Mr. Steve (An imaginary name but a true story).
This man inspired me so much that I was compelled to share his story with all those who are struggling somehow in their lives. Every life is precious so cherish it to the fullest.

Let’s talk about the connection of your attitudes and mental health. I know a person who faced lot of challenges and tough times but remain consistent towards his responsibilities and didn’t give up.

It’s the time of COVID when people not only lost their lives but faced real hard times financially as well. People with good mental health managed to survive with courage, however those with negative mindsets went through a lot.

Mr. Steve was one of the survivors who was living an upscale life before the pandemic. His kids were studying in a renowned school, life was well-settled, everything was perfectly outstanding and then came the COVID season…. TO SHATTER EVERYTHING.

He suffered loss in business, His transportation business got defaulted and he left all alone to face all these challenges. Alas! Seems everything finished and devastated!
If he possessed a negative mindset, he would have thought the same but hats off to his positive aptitude that he didn’t think that way.

Instead, he started doing odd jobs. No one at home knows still that he has started multiple ordinary jobs to meet bread and butter of the family. He didn’t change the life style of his loved ones. In fact he sacrificed all good comforts to give a good, healthy life style to people dearest to him.

I am much more surprised to hear that even after a hectic routine in the week days, he has already asked his women at home that he will take care of the cleaning and cooking chores on the weekends.
When asked why, he didn’t take rest on weekends even? He said, this way we can spend a good quality time with each other, showing love and care to the people who are most important to me gives me extreme joy.

I simply love making good memories, since life is too short to be wasted otherwise.
His words gave me a jerk and a lot of inspiration that how he is managing to give a perfectly healthy environment at home, even after spending a lot of hard time outside.

It’s just one story. Like him, there are thousands of souls, who are working with a positive attitude to create healthy mindsets around. The way we are struggling to earn a healthy living for our loved ones, likewise we need to make them feel valued and protected mentally as well. Just earning smart is not enough, we should equally pay attention to earn respect and love of the family as well.

If you dig it down deeply, you can easily ponder on and realize that it’s all about healthy minds. If Mr. Steve had lost hopes and didn’t show courage in his hard times, he surely wouldn’t be leading a happy life today. If he didn’t stand firm, he not only have disintegrated his own life but also have ruined precious others lives around him. So change your mindset that would change your lifestyle.
Happy reading

Written by: Hareem Khizar (Writer and Educationist)

#kindness #stressrelief #Mentalillness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #Mindfulness #anxietyrelief #linkedin #depressionhelp #bselfaware #stopthestigma #suicideprevention #help #experience #Beselfaware #selfstigma #helpinghand #benice #Iamlistening #stress #people #sleep #Talk #listen #changelives #teaching #iamlistening #selfawarrenessgroup #future #depression #stress #psychology #psychologist #psychiatry #psychiatrist #therapist #suicideprevention

Parents’ Behavior and Mental Health of Children

ammar — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 20:56:51 +0000

Parents behavior and mental health of children – what is the connection? Let’s dig it more in this write-up, so stay connected.

You plant a seed, take care of it, water it daily, ensure proper sunlight and air reaching the soil and after some days the leaves appear. Wow great! Someone else in your neighbor also plant a tree but didn’t bother to take enough care of them and they didn’t grow at all. In both the scenarios, seeds are at fault or the one who planted them?

You bought a car, maintain it well, get it serviced frequently and it didn’t give you hard time on long drives as well. Your friend took a brand-new car instead drove it harsh, didn’t take it for weekly maintenance and one day it refused to get started. Again, whom to blame for this?

I am sure, my smart audience must have found the connection already. Yes! The better we treat things or plants, the best their performance or growth would be.

Coming towards the children! Do you have any idea when parenting is supposed to be started? First let me explain, parenting here. Parenting is an art; it is a skill that every parent should learn from the very first day. Yes, the very first day, when a mother conceives and not the birthday. Being a parent, it is your utmost responsibility to provide basic life needs to your child such as clothing, shelter, food, and protection from all kinds of harmful things & acts.

Unfortunately, most of the parents forget the last part, “Protection from harmful acts”. Anything that can hurt your children is harmful. It is not only the hand raising only, but it can also be your words even that can hurt your child upbringing. Just like a gardener or the car owner, you need to be as protective and caring as possible towards your little ones.

Let me share few ways to maintain a positive and healthy environment at home. The very first thing is a strong bond between parents and children. Being parents, you should understand that you don’t need to be judgmental and criticizing at all. Whenever, your children comes to you to discuss something, please listen to them carefully. Don’t stop them, no matter how busy you are, after all children are most important and you need to make them feel so. When they feel their importance, they will develop a different kind of prestige and special feelings for themselves that would increase their confidence level and love for one own self.

Explain them that failure is not a destination, but a part of every effort or process before you succeed.

Always talk positive about your children. Don’t discourage them at any phase of life. Give them the required confidence from home and you will see your kids doing miracles in the outside world.

Don’t forget to read bed-time stories to your children and the most important bed-time hugs. These practices will have a magical impact on your children’s overall personality for sure.

Being parents, when you actually execute these tips, you will feel an exceptionally positive change in their mental health. This way you will be raising good, positive souls that finally creates a peaceful environment at home and for surroundings.

Yes, what a beautiful way to pay back society by giving them positive, healthy minds that can play their part in grooming others as well.

Written by: Hareem Khizar (Writer and Educationist)

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Mental Health for Children and Teenagers

ammar — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 22:20:35 +0000

Health – for most of us, is physical fitness. People understand that everyone is different in terms of height, weight, built and so on but we are unable to accept that people may vary in their mental abilities as well. If someone specifically talks about Mental Fitness, people in our region become offensive for no reason. Why? What’s wrong?

Let’s discuss what’s mental health actually? Mental health refers to a person’s overall psychological well-being. It encompasses their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors and how they interact with the world around them. Good mental health allows a person to feel good about themselves, have healthy relationships, and cope with the challenges of life.

What happens basically is, from an early age we start labeling a child as Active or Lazy. When we being the parents or teachers start criticizing a child with negative remarks, it is the time when all the negative thoughts start cultivating.

When we being the role models, shout and say DON’T SHOUT; when we finds the solution of everything in strictness and hand raising then what else we should expect from the kids to do when they grow up.

Basically on the roads what do you think adults are doing when they accidently hit their vehicles? They all of a sudden raise their hands to each other. But why? Because they have been taught throughout their lives that solution is shouting at and hitting each other.

Do you think such people are mentally sick? To some extent yes because someone with good mental health will always come to dialogue. Unfortunately, we haven’t been taught this way. It’s been ages this system is going this way.

Another reason for depression and anxiety in students can be the continuous comparison of students at school. We should know that every child is a star and teacher/educator’s job is to make them shine with their continuous efforts. Teachers should not be comparing students, it is just like comparing one’s DNA with other. Obviously, this makes no sense, just likely comparing students with each other is senseless as well.

However, we need to be polite as a caregiver or educator and should teach with patience. We need to maintain a good balance between leniency and discipline. We need to communicate with our students and make them learn that solution lies in positive discussions and communication only.

It can be the other way as well, instead of parents or educators it can be school fellows as well. These days bullying is one of many reasons that is creating depression, anxiety and stress in students at early age.

Solution to all such depressive behaviors lies only in good mental health. People with good mental health always give respect to each other because they have been given respect throughout their lives from their educators and family.

Now how can we achieve or ensure good mental health in our children and teenagers?

There are many ways that parents, caregivers, and educators can promote good mental health for children and teenagers. Here are some tips:

Encourage physical activity: Physical activity is crucial for good mental health. Encourage children and teenagers to engage in regular physical activity, whether it’s through sports, or other activities.
Ensure a positive home environment: A positive home environment is essential for good mental health. Create a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment for your children and teenagers. Here parents and all immediate family members have to play their role positively.
Teach healthy coping mechanisms: Teach children and teenagers healthy coping mechanisms to deal with stress and anxiety, such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga.
Monitor screen time: Excessive screen time can be detrimental to mental health. Monitor children and teenagers’ screen time and encourage them to engage in other activities.
Encourage social interaction: Social interaction is crucial for good mental health. Encourage children and teenagers to spend time with friends and family. Again parents need to keep a check on friends as well.
Seek professional help: If you suspect that your child or teenager is struggling with mental health issues, seek professional help. Mental health professionals can provide support and treatment for a range of mental health conditions.

Good mental health is crucial for children and teenagers to lead happy and healthy lives. As parents, caregivers, and educators, it is our responsibility to prioritize their mental well-being and provide them with the support and resources they need to thrive. By fostering a positive home environment, encouraging physical activity and social interaction, and seeking professional help when needed, we can promote good mental health for children and teenagers.

Written by: Hareem Khizar (Writer and Educationist)

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