Mental Health - The mind is an organ like any other organ in our body, is it going to be 100% fit and functional all the time? NO. Is it going to require basic routine care? YES. Does each one of us have the same mental threshold? NO. Do we need to seat with a Mental Health professional every time? NO. So, when we understand that this is a topic of discussion and need to make informed choices and decisions, what stops us from addressing the elephant in the room?? Interestingly, after conducting many sessions on Maritime Well-being and connecting with Top-4 officers from the fleet, many inhibitions and stigma have come to the surface. This is despite many of us being well-read and well-aware of the subject matter.

Citing a few examples here:

Feeling of weakness/incompetency associated with accepting the fact that ‘I am struggling’.

Denial, I cannot be experiencing such difficulties, it is a weakling trait.

I have been through such difficulties and challenges many a times, present days are much better, we have seen extremely tough seniors and still we happily sailed through it.

Don’t know whom should we approach for help or is this even a concern to talk about?

Will my company support me, will I be re-employed, what will my team members think, will it question my competency and efficiency level??

If we reflect on the days when COVID started making a buzz and lock-down began, how we progressed from being completely unaware to feeling high anxiety to settling down with right facts and increased awareness. Gradually we accepted covid as a fact of our lives and built resilience. When the worldwide prevalence rate of Mental Illness is 20%, which means statistically if there are 5 in the group someone has had or still suffering from the mental health issues. Hence, we need to be positively aware of the possible mental health issues and build a safety net around it, seek timely help if needed. But before it reaches a stage of seeking professional help, what one can do for routine care?

Understand your threshold level for different situations and your emotional responses to the same. Understand the positive and negative influences on your mental health at work and in personal life. Understand your emotional responses in different state of minds. Ask yourself, what would you expect from your support system in distressful times and what are you willing to offer when you are part of someone’s support system?

If I think aloud in this moment, what would my expectations from someone when I am in a state of distress… My support system being there for me, listening to me without any judgments, Allowing me the space to open-up, Make me feel safe and secure. And I reckon we all want the same, isn’t it? While being the support system for someone, one can be thoughtful and - Stay focused and pay attention.

Be aware, that they may say they are OK but appear distressed, disturbed. Letting them know that you care. Help them access the help if they are uncertain how. However. few things we shouldn’t do and be mindful of diagnosing the issue. Take on responsibility for fixing the problem, think you must do it by yourself. Become a counselor. Remember, "If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." – Booker T. Washington.