Damselz-In-Sanity

 Hey everyone! Welcome back <3 This post is actually inspired from something I saw both online and in real life, and it irked me quite a lot. "Bro, Depression Ho Gaya"   like the tittle says, is something I heard in school. The context being: They didn't do so well in an exam or just think it's funny/relatable.  My main aim in this post is to focus rather on why we should stop just throwing these words around rather than just being an "overreactive advocate" (Yes, people have actually said that to me.) Without further ado, let's get to it.  The Stigma. There's a HUGE stigma surrounding Mental Health globally. People are afraid to open up because of this surrounding layer of apparent shame.  When people use such terms and sentences, they unknowingly add more to the very stigma.  It makes the victim believe as if what they are going through "isn't a big deal" and further burdens them from not opening up about it. Their fears are underm...

  Hello everyone and welcome back! This is perhaps one of the most common terms we've come across at every stage of our lives - most of us are well acquainted with what it is too. But just for a quick recap, Peer pressure is the kind of social obligation you're bound to perform to fit into a particular group. It may not necessarily be negative at all times, however, when used in context does mostly refer to the same. I'll be discussing about the same in this post so without further ado, let's get to it! I'm sure all of us at some point have had the 'peer pressure talk' with our parents.  We've been warned against drinking before the legal age and smoking cigarettes (at any age) or doing any sort of illegal activities even if a lot of our friends or known people our age do. The fact still lies that most people around the age of 11-13 have a tendency to disobey their parents and just assume whatever their peers are endorsing in as more valuable. T his is o...

 Hey everyone and welcome backzo! Most of us, if not all, have probably experienced some sort of 'misfit' in school. Some of us may have tried changing ourselves in our sense of style, our way of speaking, or even our whole personality all together just to 'fit in'. I've been through it too, and after long time, realized and overcame it; which is why I wanted to share with you all why it's 100% okay to be you. Just the way you are. Without further ado, lets get to it! As spoken in  my earlier post, my present personality can best be encapsulated in the term ' Ambivert ' And the reason why I find this as my comfort term is because it let's me be me, and explore me. (wow I sound like some 23 year old sheesh) Up to freshmen year, I used to be pretty introverted and didn't have anything 'unique' to me. But after online school began, I started writing blogs and something changed. I had something unique to me. I wrote. As I kept writing, I kept...

 Hi everyone and welcome back! Today's post is based on a Ted Talk I recently watched and wanted to share with you all :) We've often heard the repercussions of 'Stress' - especially the negative impacts has on your body.  However, a recent study has concluded that stress is only bad if you take it in a bad way. People who consider stress to be the devil are often more prone to stress related conditions than people who make it their friend. When you view your stress response as helpful, you indirectly create a biology of courage.  Too little stress can make you unproductive and too much can make you extremely anxious and lead to various repercussions. You can't control the situation, but you can control your reaction to it, and that is by making it your friend.  Now the next question that may arise would be, How do I make Stress my friend? Well to answer that, I would recommend you watch the ted talk I was inspired by: Here!   Instead of viewing stress as someth...

(We've all probably seen this image on social media) Hello everyone and welcome back!     A lot of times we feel as if we are over a particular incident or a person. However, sometimes we are greeted with the reoccurrence of the same feeling. Sometimes a little milder, or sometimes worse - most of us aren't able to recognize and combat this and end up spiraling.  I've had it, you have probably too, and chances are, everyone out there has or will. It's natural and human but our minds make us believe its not.   In today's post I'll be getting into Setbacks  and discuss why it can helpful to us and how to work through them. Note: I won't be getting into it from a serious disorder perspective rather one which we all feel at regular intervals as I'm not a professional!  Without further ado, let's get to it! Setbacks: A step back. When we go through one, we hate it. "Why me?", right? We may blame ourselves, be angry at ourselves. How did I let th...

 Hello everyone and welcome! We might have observed at times when a person is stressed, they tend to get angry.  The person being shouted at may take it negatively and take it in a bad way. Unless you understand the reason behind it, you will let that get into head which further reduces your productivity. We've all heard of the hormone Adrenaline, right? More commonly called the 'fight or flight'.  In a stressful situation, these trigger an emotion in your body known as anger . Anger and Stress have a symbiotic relationship. Each of them feeds off of the other.  This post is not going to be one where I give "tips" on overcoming it rather one which explores how this affects us , from a teenagers point of view. Without further ado, let's get to it!  When I was preparing for my board exams last year, like any student would say, it was a really stressful period. There were times where I would be so burdened with deadlines that sometimes I would just blast.  So...

Hello everyone! Welcome back <3 We celebrated World Mental Health last week, on 10th of October.  Last week, I was also presented the opportunity to attend a ' Mental Health Fest'; by the students - for the students *History textbook flashback*. The event focussed on conveying various ideas on Mental Health using creativity as a medium such as music, dance, film making, street plays and more. Attending this amazing event sparked an inspiration in me to author a post on why we should encourage Mental Health Activities around us. Without further ado, let's get to it! Mental Health is a highly stigmatised topic all over the world. Therefore, promoting the idea of speaking up about it, through various expressions of creativity not only instills innovation but also helps the youth become more vocal on world issues. Nearly every person has had some experience with Mental health; it may not necessarily be a grave situation, but we've all had our ups and downs with it.  Men...

 Hey everyone!  If you're an ardent reader of my blog, you may have noticed that I've authored a few posts based on Social Media and its downsides on our mental health. (if you're not, don't worry, I'll be linking them all at the end!) This led me to thinking, what happens after you address a problem? Yes. You find solutions. So, in today's post I'll be writing about a few ways to combat the toxicity of social media(in a realistic way).  Without further ado, let's get to it :) Number 1 A lot of times, we may have come across posts of people hanging out in big groups and having a lot of fun whereas you're at home studying. Throughout 10th grade I had an excessive feeling of this but then I'd remind myself that my studying is going to get me somewhere. It doesn't mean that having fun is bad, just that I have it scheduled for some other time. Number 2 Reiterating, staring at the fun people are having at a social event you weren't invited to...

 Hi everyone and welcome back! If you have been following me since the beginning of my journey, you may have noticed that I have thrown limelight procrastination by basing a few posts on them. Today's post is yet another super demanded post, however, is only slightly linked to 'teenage mental health' - the niche of my blog. Nevertheless, hope y'all enjoy reading it and without further ado, let's get to it! Procrastinators can broadly be classified under 3 groups. If you google them the results look something like this: 1. The Perfectionist These are the type of people who tend to spend so much time thinking over their task or solving one minute issue that they end up wasting the entire time dedicated to the task. They ideally procrastinate when they are overwhelmed with the fear of producing work of a low standard, or fear of failing, and in a few cases victims of OCD. 2. The Avoider Or whom I like to call, the 'ho jayega' one's. These constitute the peo...

 Hello everyone and welcome back! I had authored a post titled  Social Media Is Bad For Your Mental Health!  which led me to ponder over one of the most common ill effects of it - the effect of Cyber Bullying on our mental health. A lot of us are probably well acquainted with the term "Cyber Bullying"; but for some who aren't, here's a basic overview of it: What is Cyber Bullying?  When you google this term, the first sentence that pops up reads, " The use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. " In simpler words, a person (mostly adolescents) is bullied, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed, or targeted in some way by another person. It is similar to real life physical bullying except it is done by both known as well as unknown people on the internet. They tend to name call, troll and threaten the other person.  This brings us to the next, and the most important part of this post...

 Hey everyone! Welcome back!! In all honesty, I was not well acquainted with the term "Mental Health Days" until I saw it in a TV show . This led me to thinking if something like this actually exists, and if so, how can it benefit us? So, I did my research, started implementing it in my personal life and wanted to share with you the importance of the same :) Without further ado, let's get to it! Starting off with the obvious, What is a "Mental Health Day" If your first thought was something related to taking a break, you would be correct. A Mental Health Day is one where you absolutely cut off from your rat race life and take a step back to rejuvenate yourself. It’s a day to relax, decompress and take care of yourself overall. For example, if you've just finished with your exams and sacrificed on your sleep schedule a lot, its regaining that. If you've burnt yourself out with various stressors, its taking a pause from it.  It's taking time out to rel...

 Hello everyone and welcome back to a fresh new month! Video Games and Mental Health - Are They Related? Perhaps every teen's obsession at some point of their lives was playing these games.  Be it Fortnite, PubG or Minecraft, no one has ever given it a thought if in reality it has any links to your mental health. I was acquainted with this topic during my time at Harvard and thought it would be a great idea to throw some limelight on this topic :) So without further ado, let's get to it! While most parents might argue that the influence of video games has been negative, recent studies show that playing video games in fact has also had a positive impact on a person's mind. A lot of us must be familiar with the fact that it improves hand and eye coordination, helps you focus better and even learn better. But did you know, it also simultaneously increases as well as decreases your social resilience ?  There has been a steep rise in the level of social anxiety sufferers ev...

Hello everyone and welcome back!  With friendship day around the corner, I wanted to throw light on a pretty unspoken topic based on it! A lot of us have probably heard of the term 'Toxic Friendships' but not done such a great job at recognizing it. I've had my share too and definitely had a tough time recognizing it until recently. This "revelation" led me to think about how common this is, having witnessed several, and how we can recognize and put an end to one. P.s. This post is not promoting the idea of calling out your friendships and breaking them on the spot because of one red flag, but just to spread awareness that such stuff still exists and you must try to not be one.  So, without further ado, let's get to it!   Firstly starting off, What IS a 'Toxic Friendship'? In simple words, friendships where you feel burdened by the other persons company can be called a toxic friendship. The friendship tends to be more of a competition rather than a hea...

(Another B99 reference!)  Hey everyone and welcome back! Today's post is quite personal because this is something that I went through recently and I know a lot of my peers did too.  The underlying fact however is, none of us want to admit it. For most of you who don't know, I recently passed 10th grade a couple of months ago and I am just a few weeks into Grade 11. I spoke about my experience in 10th grade:   H ere but I wanted to talk about what happens after 10th grade.  In simple words, A slump. (Keep in mind, I'm authoring this post just 2 months into 11th grade)  I recently hit a slump (probably still in it haha) which led me to think, why not talk about it? Most people are going through one? The fact is that, at least in an Indian education system, people put a lot of pressure on 10th Grade - and that pressure is valid. 10th is super important for life and you need to work hard this year.  What most people discard is that we burn ourselves out ...

 Hello and welcome back everyone! HAPPY 100TH POST!! A lot of us may have come across the term "Therapist Friend" of a group. The stereotypical description of the same would look something like this: The quiet, calm, cool and collected one with the best advise whom anyone can approach for the minutest of inconveniences. A good listener is the basic trait possessed by them.  However, the fact still lies that most people misuse the term 'Therapist Friend.' A few months ago, I had authored a post titled ' Facebook Therapy Memes ' which led to this topic.      It was also suggested by a reader of my blogs and I found it to be extremely insightful considering it's high misuse, so I decided to throw a bit of limelight on the same. Without further ado, let's get to it. The phrase 'Therapist Friend', I believe, is a wrong term.  This is simply just my opinion but let me justify why. There is a significant mixing up of the term 'Friend' and a ...

 Heylo everybody! Welcome back <3 I had dedicated all the posts in the November, 2021 to Eating Disorders. I'm glad to share that we had an extremely successful event that month which brought in a great new number of readers as well.  One peculiar observation I had made was that despite throwing limelight on such topics, there was still a bit of confusion in the air about what classifies as 'normal behaviour' and when it starts extending into a disorder. Note: I'm not trying to diagnose you here considering I'm not a professional and don't have the authority to do so. This post will mainly be focussing on a few differences between an Eating Disorder and regular hunger pangs.  Anyone who has met me in real life would describe me as an absolute foodie(something I'd say is hereditary in me :P). I love experimenting with new styles and dishes, be it street food or at a classy restaurant Anyway, I've also had my share of stress eating before important even...

 Hello everyone and welcome back to month 22 of #faltufriday!! For people who are new here, I recently gave my term 2 of my 10th grade ICSE boards which FINALLY marked the end of an incredibly cosmic roller coaster ride. The past 15 academic months have been absolutely crazy - dealing with online studies and keeping up with the '10th grade pressure', so I thought, why not share my journey now that I'm finally over with them! I'm a science student so my boards ended on the 19th of May, 2022. However, I started preparations for the same, back in March-end, 2021. 15 dreadful yet the most memorable month's of my entire academic journey. About a week after my 9th grade exams had ended was when 10th grade commenced for me. Both school and tuition began and the end goal of 10th Grade was set. The first couple of weeks did seem a bit overwhelming considering the huge pressure and importance that is given to this aspect of your life, however, I dealt with the same soon. One...

 Hey everyone! Welcome back to a fresh new month <3 Here's another post based on Anxiety :) Okay so, a lot of people have sent me messages in response to my other posts covering various aspects of Anxiety and this was one of the top. Dealing with an attack in public. I have had my share of dealing with Anxiety attacks since 8th grade. As anyone would describe me-a SUPER introverted person- I don't disclose when I'm undergoing one. To combat them, I have learnt/developed a few tricks or rather 'grounding methods' to help me get through one. Here are my top 3: 5-4-3-2-1 trick I had also included this in a prior post and have written about it here as well for the sole reason of its effectiveness. 5 things you can see 4 things you can hear 3 things you can feel   2 things you can smell 1 thing you can taste(even water works) Read about why its one of the best ways to deal with an attack: here This is one which gets me through most of my attacks and is also one which...

 Heyy! Welcome back to month 21 of #faltufriday! Aaj ka post is basically based on my life:  The Life of an Ambivert. Most people have a basic idea of what personality traits an extrovert or introvert possesses. But more often than not, people are unaware of the idiosyncrasies of an ambivert. Truth be said, I used to be a SUPER extroverted person in my childhood, a SUPER introverted person until very recently, so trust me, I've seen the best of both worlds but ultimately found my comfort zone in a term known as 'ambivert'. My personality changes from situation to situation- much like most of my ambivert readers might relate to. A lot of people like to describe me as a chameleon because I exhibit exuberance sometimes and sound apathetic at other times and find that “air of mystique” around me. In my personal experience, the moments in which I feel the most 'ambivert-ish' is when it comes to socialising. Spending time with others can be both extremely energising as we...