Care First: Emotional crisis is a universal experience

Prof. T K Thomas   Apr 7, 2020, Today [7thApril] is World Health Day. This year’s observation of the Day has heightened significance as the whole world is combating the deadly coronavirus. It was only on Sunday that the nation heeded to the appeal of our Prime Minister and at 9PM, for 9 minutes switched off lights in homes and lit candles, ‘diyas’ and switched on mobile torches. There was an overwhelming response and we witnessed the Deepawali illumination in April. This was the second instalment of a nation in unison highlighting people’s resolve to be united in their determination to fight the deadly virus despite the usual dissenting voices. It is another matter that people in some areas, including where I stay in Delhi, in their over enthusiasm added the sounds of Diwali also, bursting crackers and raising slogans. Fortunately, everyone, with the exception of some in-disciplined ones, is following the lockout norms which hopefully would yield th...

What Is Parent Abuse? We have all heard of child abuse and how children are damaged by this terrible behavior, and you only have to Google "child abuse" to find page after page of information, support groups, and advice on this subject, but, how many people have heard of parent abuse? Especially at the hands of teenage children with serious social interaction and violence issues? Google it. You won't find much, except on a few support sites. Parent abuse occurs when the child commits an act or acts against the parent through manipulation, control, and intimidation in order to exert control and have power over the parent. According to Barbara Cottrell in the book When Teens Abuse Their Parents, parent abuse can be defined as "any harmful act of a teenage child intended to gain power and control over a parent." Though it should be noted that children of any age (whether pre-teen or adult) can commit parent abuse, not just teenagers. It's a growing problem...

MOST OF US KNOW SOMEONE who is a caregiver. Many of us (40 million, in fact) are caregivers, providing 37 billion hours of support to family members coping with the realities of aging and illness. Twenty million new caregivers joined their ranks last year, so chances are good that you, too, could become a caregiver (if you’re not already one). Those are just some of the eye-popping stats revealed in a new report, “The Journey of Caregiving,” produced by Merrill Lynch in partnership with Age Wave, a thought leader in the study of aging and its implications for society. While many previous studies have looked at caregiving’s physical and emotional challenges, very few have explored its financial costs. “Many caregivers find they have to dip into their savings or take on debt to cover expenses,” notes Cynthia Hutchins, director of Financial Gerontology for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Read more   https://www.pbig.ml.com/articles/a-new-report-uncovers-the-financial-costs-o...

Of devil’s workshops The adage goes, ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop’ but life coach Suneel Vatsyayan believes, “Doing nothing with awareness can be positive and can help you harness something  unexplored. There is no harm in stopping for a while for sometime but without losing control. It can also be destructive and can lead to risky behaviour like substance use.”....   Many people are celebrating the slow moments of life that have become increasingly rare in this fast-paced world and embracing the joy of un busyness. With the concepts of going slow, celebrating un busyness and the art of doing nothing gaining traction, boredom is no longer a bad space to be in.   With the concepts of going slow, celebrating un busyness and the art of doing nothing gaining traction, boredom is no longer a bad space to be in. In these technology-driven times, it has become rare to hear that one is bored. There is so much to occupy one’s mind. Life is breathlessly fa...

Will stars outshine stigma? THE ASIAN AGE. | KAVI BHANDARI Published : May 22, 2018, 12:03 am IST ....It’s very easy to accept physical illness, whereas one tends to equate the mind to ones existence and sense of self . “Having something wrong with one’s mind leads to the feeling of losing oneself, which can be quite frightening . This in turn leads to suppression or denial of one’s state of mind. The only way to deal with this is to face it,” says Dr Mamta Shah, Clinical Psychologist. On the other hand, life coach Suneel Vatsyayan, feels it doesn’t have a large impact, “It is temporary. We welcome and respect their courage to talk about their mental health issues and it is good for them to talk once they have gained strength. People put celebrities on high pedestal and there is a disconnect. Celebrities have star power and good intentions, but it needs sustained efforts like Deepika Padukone’s foundation about mental health. More and people need to come forward from differe...