How precious is life for us?

Step back and look inward for confidence

Recent events of celebrity suicides, teens taking extreme steps in a bet or truth and dare game, and people playing blue whale to take stupid dare and stunts which risks their lives. These have forced my mind to raise the question, How precious is life for us? Here, the question is not of the life of others. That is far. But it is the question of our own life.

The fetus spends nine months in the mother's womb, to fight all odds and have a life in this world. Every mother takes extreme pain to give birth, with the hope of having a healthy child. It takes years of love, nurturing, caring, learning, time, energy, responsibility and most of all patience to bring up a child.

It is a mammoth task to develop a value system, get education, employment, settle in life, fulfil your duties and above all realise your dreams. And after going through the walloping and enormous series of developments and changes, we take life so lightly.

Statistics show a suicide rate in India was 10.6 per 100000 in 2015 (India's National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)). According to the World Health Statistics 2019 published byWHO, India’s suicide rate stood at 17.8 suicides per 1,00,000 people in 2016, much higher than the global suicide rate of 10.5. 

Very often we read the news, about risky behaviours which teenagers indulge in like smoking, excessive alcoholism, drug abuse, unhealthy sexual behaviour, underage driving, drinking and driving, indulging in stunts. 

We have also read multiple news on how people have fallen from heights or were pulled by the high tides in the sea. All this, just to take the perfect selfie which is a 'fad' and considered the 'in' thing.

Do not seek social validation for everything

The reasons for engaging in such behaviours stated above might be varying, like carelessness, impulsiveness, inability to manage emotions, social shame. A study by Brock University states that certain neurological impulses make teenagers responsive to social reward. It starts developing at the time of puberty and makes teens engage in risky behaviours without analysing their consequences, especially when their friends are around. 

Here we will see a few actions that we can do for ourselves and for our future generations so that they are more conscious and responsible beings.

EQ is ad important as IQ

1. Developing EI from a very young age. Explaining to the child how empathy, compassion, inclusiveness plays a role. Helping the child gain self-esteem and not relate to self-criticism.

2. Keeping a diary and journaling. Research
Writing your thoughts daily helps control mood swings, manage anxiety, stress, cope with depression, fears and concerns. (Study by university of Rochester-Medical Center)

3. Having a gratitude journal will help you to focus on the bright side of life. 

Balanced attitude is the key

4. Organizations, management and policymakers must reflect and revise the policies to suit the environment of WFH. Today's employees risk feeling burnout and tremendous survival pressure.

5. Learn to believe in yourself and your competencies. You are not here to please anyone to go to the extent of engaging in risky or unhealthy behaviours to get social validation.

Develop Humanistic Qualities

6. Teach your children how to handle social pressures and peer pressures. If they develop resilience from a young age, then they will grow up to be mentally strong and cope with life stresses.

Teach Inclusion

7. Learn to respect diversity. We must learn and teach our future generations too about how diversity in race, religion, caste, skin colour is not a defining factor for a human being. This will help us understand how we must give respect to others and get the same in return.

Seek Help if Needed

This is an unending topic of discussion. However, I urge all of you reading this to be responsible and cautious with your lives. 

Please connect with trained mental health professionals, suicide helplines, family, friends and trusted aides for help before you take that risky step and come to the conclusion that there is no more to life.

Stay safe.