1-1-1: What if ? Overthinking & normalizing Mental Health conversations
1-Thought-Starter
How do you choose?
We have to choose while passing through every second to every step of our lives. We choose between what feels right, what logically seems right and what people tell us is correct ( these might overlap). We have to choose between the goals we have set and the presented opportunities. And at every stage, we cant figure out how to not just make the right choice but live with the "what if?" That comes with looking back at the choices not made of the goals compromised.
"What if I had chosen the other path in front of me?"
"Stuff happens to us while we're on the journey of our lives, making us instantly shift goalposts that we had previously set in stone. That's the whole point of journeys & destinations. Every step of the journey gives us a new destination."- @varunduggi (Everything is out of syllabus)
What I've come to understand over the years is that when we replace the "what if?" With a "what now?", we can move forward. We can do something about where we're headed. And more often than not, looking back at what could have been isn't as fulfilling as focusing on what is and can be. Because we can't move forward in life by looking through the rearview Mirror, life can only be lived by breathing in the present. And realise that the future is always going to move to where our present will lead it to be. So, look down and focus on where you're standing.
1-Insight
Do you feel an overwhelming sense of unease every time you need to do something that is outside your comfort zone? Would you perhaps identify as an ‘overthinker’?
In this episode, I spoke to Meredith Arthur, author of Get Out of My Head: Inspiration for Overthinkers in an Anxious World, a book in which she writes about anxiety and overthinking in super relatable way. As two awkward people ourselves, we spoke about ways to embrace one’s awkwardness, deal with negativity and lots more.
1-Recommendation
This episode I want to tell you about is extremely relevant to every working individual. Work Life with Adam Grant focuses on a lot of different topics but this one, in particular, is one I’d like to recommend.
In this conversation, he talks to four people – Demar DeRozan, Paul Bloom, Sally Maitlis and Darlene Upton. Demar is an NBA player, Paul is a psychologist at the University of Toronto, Sally is a therapist and a professor at Oxford, while Darlene is vice-president of Protected Areas Establishment & Conservation, Canada. They each talk about their experiences with mental health, the importance of it in the workplace and some healthy steps we can take towards making a change.
One thing that Demar said that stayed with me was, “Depression doesn't discriminate.” That’s so true! Depression doesn’t see who you are, your gender, your bank balance or the amount of good you do, which is why this topic is so relevant to practically everyone!
Another thing they discussed that stuck with me was about the prevalent misconception that if you try hard enough, you can just turn off whatever’s going on in your life when you get to work. Well, sometimes it is your work that becomes the cause.
So while the world spins and our work constantly demand more and more of us, we need to remind ourselves that at the end of the day, we are human and not cogs in a machine.
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