The Rising Phoenix

Image Curtesy:  https://post.healthline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Female_Unhappy_Overhead-1200x628-Facebook-1200x628.jpg Tears in her eyes as she looked at her daughters arms and legs... unable to believe or understand the scars....yet there they were, under her fingertips, standing out white against the unblemished skin...some healed, some raised and some even now... in the different stages of healing...."What could have been so bad for you to resort to.... this???" she asked in a shaking voice, her disbelief and anger evident in how the tone of the question turned accusatory towards the end. How could she, she wondered.... How dare she do this to herself. Didn't they give her the best of all worlds? Wasn't her life happy? Didn't she know how much she was loved? Just what triggered her to do this? This was the reaction of a mother who by mistake walked into her daughter's room as she was changing, the long sleeved shirts and full pants which she had thou...

Image Curtesy:  https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/2018/10/Oct22_18_862457080.png A lot of people believe mental illness and depression to be a phase or a stunt to gain sympathy or attention, especially if it is in the case of teenagers. This dismissive behavior is often the cause of a lot of friction at home, where people feel that they will not gain the support that they need, that no one can help them out or they will not be able to understand their issues. Indeed, that may well be the case too... what might seem like a monumental problem to one person might seem like something trivial to someone else. However, they should refrain from passing judgement or making negative and belittling comments about it as it will not only upset the person but also push them further away from you. This is turn leads to negative coping mechanisms, substance abuse, alcoholism and self harm. A lot of people meet the concept of self harm with a lot of incredulity - again , understand...

Image Curtesy:  https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQeRNhJhiY2Bhwkn7Q5wzYs9CrXk9MYfZ5_lQ&usqp=CAU Hey readers,  Till now, we have talked about the types of self harm that are... shall we say the most glorified. People talk about them, they know about them and can see the results immediately.  Today, let us touch upon a topic so far not visited by us - Eating disorders , and most particularly, Anorexia.  before we jump into that, let us take a look at what eating disorders are. Eating disorders by definition are characterized by disturbed eating habits which can arise from an obsession with food, with body shape or n number of other factors but find an underlying cause in psychological conditions. They can vary on both sides of the scale - literally!. While some people develop obsessive eating habits at all hours of the day, others can develop an aversion to eating and might try to limit their food intake as much as possible. These are not simple...