Guest Column | Minding your mind

While causes of stress vary—from job insecurity and academic pressure to fractured relationships, loneliness, and health fears — the underlying thread remains the same: our inability to manage our own mind

There is a quiet pandemic sweeping across the globe—not of a virus, but of the mind. Call it stress, anxiety, or depression—in essence, it is the simple yet dangerous act of turning our own intelligent mental faculties against ourselves. Uninvited yet ever-present, it has become a constant companion in our modern life. What should have been our greatest strength—our mind—has, in many cases, become our deepest source of suffering. The United Nations has even labelled stress as the 21st century epidemic, and for good reasons. What makes this crisis especially dangerous is that it wears no visible scars, knows no geographic boundaries, respects no age or class, and often goes untreated or even unnoticed.

Today’s mental health crisis is fuelled by many factors. In our hyper-connected world, constant digital engagement leaves no room for silence or rest, resulting in chronic mental fatigue. (iStock)

Stress, at its core, is a mental response. It is rarely the external world alone that triggers anxiety; it is primarily how we respond to it internally. That response is born out of our mental framework. While causes vary—from job insecurity and academic pressure to fractured relationships, loneliness, and health fears — the underlying thread remains the same: our inability to manage our own mind.

Today’s mental health crisis is fuelled by many factors. In our hyper-connected world, constant digital engagement leaves no room for silence or rest, resulting in chronic mental fatigue. Social media fosters unhealthy comparisons. We measure our real, unfiltered lives against the carefully curated ‘reel-life’ of others, eroding our self-worth and linking happiness to digital validation. As meaningful relationships fade and communities weaken, many feel lost and purposeless, surrounded by material comforts but emotionally adrift. This lack of direction deepens anxiety and inner disconnection. Worse, the mental strain doesn’t stay contained—it affects physical health, contributing to serious illnesses. Yet, society still urges us to suppress it rather than address it.

Let nature heal: We have lost touch with the nature. Reconnecting through a walk in the park, sitting under a tree, or listening to birds can be deeply grounding. Nature restores what noise and speed often take away.

Principle of total acceptance: A key teaching from the Bhagavad Gita is to accept both joy and sorrow with equanimity. Acceptance isn’t passive—it’s powerful. When we stop resisting life’s ups and downs, the mind softens, pain lessens, and peace returns. Trusting that life unfolds as it must is the beginning of true resilience.

Mindful consumption: Just as we choose food for our bodies, we must also curate what we consume mentally—be it news, conversations, or social media. Protecting our mental diet is essential for emotional hygiene.

Cultivate self-awareness: Transformation starts with self-observation. Noticing thoughts, breath, and physical sensations helps create space between stimulus and reaction. Just a 5% increase in awareness during daily activities can dramatically reduce mental distress.

Live in the moment: We must learn to live in the present, as life truly exists only in the ‘here and now’—not in the past or the future.

The ultimate goal: A mind at peace

A restless mind cannot lead a meaningful life. We polish our resumes and clean our homes—why not clear our minds too? So take a pause. Sit. Breathe. Turn inward. Because the most important space you’ll ever manage isn’t your office, wallet, or calendar—it is your own mind.

dhiraj_sms@pbi.ac.in

(The writer is a faculty member of School of Management Studies at Punjabi University, Patiala)