Mental health needs compassion, not judgement

Photo Courtesy: Image by Rosy/Bad Homburg/Germany from Pixabay | For representational purpose only

Niutoli Tuccu

Licensed Rehabilitation Psychologist RCI

Mental health problems are becoming increasingly common, yet many people still fail to recognise the early signs of emotional distress. Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and emotional exhaustion are often ignored until they begin affecting daily life. Mental and emotional distress can also appear through physical symptoms. Constant stress and anxiety may lead to psychosomatic problems such as headaches, body pain, fatigue, stomach discomfort, and sleep difficulties. Early awareness and emotional support are more important than ever.

According to data shared by the Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Department during World Mental Health Day observance in 2022, nearly 20,000 people in the state were estimated to be living with severe mental illness, while around 2 lakh people experienced mild to moderate psychological conditions that often remained unnoticed. National studies by NIMHANS during 2015 to 2016 highlighted rising levels of anxiety, depression, panic disorders, and stress related conditions across India.

As a mental health professional, I have personally witnessed a sharp rise in people seeking therapy and psychological support in recent years. While this reflects growing awareness, it is deeply painful to see how many individuals still suffer emotional neglect within their own homes. Even today, depression, panic attacks, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion are dismissed as “laziness” or “attention seeking behaviour.” Such responses do not help people heal. They silently worsen the suffering.

In Dimapur, it is heartbreaking to see some individuals with untreated mental illness wandering the streets without care, support, or protection. Society is becoming emotionally distant. We speak about progress, yet many vulnerable people continue to suffer in silence around us. Mental illness is not only a medical issue. It is also a human and social responsibility.

Mental illness does not always appear in obvious ways. Many people continue their daily routines while struggling internally. Some common warning signs include:

1. Constant overthinking and excessive worry

2. Emotional numbness or persistent sadness

3. Irritability, panic attacks, or emotional exhaustion

4. Social withdrawal and avoiding people

5. Disturbed sleep and loss of motivation

6. Difficulty concentrating or managing stress

Simple ways to support your Mental Health:

1. Recognise early emotional changes and seek support early

2. Practice slow breathing and grounding techniques during anxiety or panic attacks

3. Avoid suppressing emotions or isolating yourself for long periods

4. Reduce overstimulation from excessive social media and negativity

5. Maintain proper sleep, food intake, hydration, and daily routines

6. Seek professional psychological help before symptoms become disabling

7. Create emotionally safe families and communities where people feel heard instead of judged

The 2026 Mental Health Awareness Month theme, “More Good Days, Together,” reminds us that healing becomes easier when people feel supported rather than judged. Mental health awareness should not remain limited to speeches, campaigns, or social media discussions alone. It should also be reflected in the way we listen, speak, and respond to one another in everyday life.Most importantly, asking for psychological support is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of self awareness, emotional strength, and courage. Many people around us are carrying silent psychological struggles, not drama. A little kindness and understanding can sometimes help more than we realise. Mental health needs compassion, not judgement | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........→May 29, 2026

Helping Children Laugh Can Make Their Brains More Resilient and Learning Easier

SWNS via Kristine Koroleva

Laughter is the best medicine, according to an old adage. Now, new research suggests it also boosts child development.

Making children laugh can help make their brains more resilient and open to learning, according to scientists.

Laughter builds deep emotional connections and soothes youngsters’ nervous systems, making them more resilient—because laughter is not frivolous, but rather a complex biological phenomenon.

Dr. Jacqueline Harding conducted extensive studies into how laughter and play contribute to healthy brain growth, emotional well-being, and social bonding.

The early childhood expert at Middlesex University in northwest London, argues in her new book The Brain That Loves to Laugh says laughter can help children navigate life’s challenges and better handle stress.

“Hope and humor, it seems, are not just the seasoning of life, but foundational to a recipe for healthy development,” said Dr Harding.

“When we see children laugh, we witness the brilliance of the brain in action: learning, connecting, and growing.”

It precedes the neural development of speech, she explained. But it also engages a distributed network of brain regions, including motor areas and the pre­frontal cortex.

Laughter also “influences heart rate, respiration and production of antibodies.”

“It decreases the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine, and increases ‘happiness chemicals’ dopamine, serotonin and endorphins.

Credit: a4gpa (CC license)

“It can strengthen the immune system and improve memory.

“Neuroimaging studies suggest that laughter plays a significant role in brain activity, as humor is cognitively demanding and engages neuro-plasticity.

“It challenges the brain to predict and resolve tension between conflicting ideas, providing a mental workout that enhances creative thought and activates both the working memory and frontal lobes.

“On the other hand, prolonged stress negatively affects both physical and mental development. It can impair learning, increase adult stress risk, suppress immune function, and contribute to illness.”

“I believe that as we continue to wrestle with humor – this most intriguing human function – we must strive to shake off any dismissal of its frivolous nature and allow its seri­ous contribution to human learning and life in general to shine.

“In parents and their children, laughter can boost the levels of happy chemical oxytocin and enhance neural synchrony during parent-child interactions – in other words, build emotional bonds.

“These bonds are beneficial to the child and even contribute to a reduction in parental burnout and stress.”

Credit: La Priz (CC license)

But parents don’t need to rattle off jokes

Instead of jokes, simple shared play and laughter between parents and children, with eye contact, smiles, and close proximity, can all foster connection.

“Creative, happy play does its most brilliant work at a molecular level, especially at a time when the human brain is at its most receptive,” explained Harding.

“Spontaneous joyful play is an antidote to stress, as it increases levels of endorphins released by the brain.”

As well as nurturing bonds, she suggests that “humor and hope” can improve a child’s resilience to stressful events.

“The link between co-regulation and self-regulation is now well established. Co-regulation means the way in which the baby is guided by a caring and supportive adult early in life, so that they have a working model to draw upon for their own self-regulation as they mature.”

“The immune system needs a store of positive experiences from which to draw.”

Her studies show that, in a child’s brain, the limbic system—which regulates func­tions such as emotion, behavior, and long-term memory—develops alongside the brain’s executive functions that help us plan, evaluate, and make decisions.

“Stated simply, the emotional state of young children directly influences how they navigate their way through the world.”

She says that carefully finding gentle ways to introduce joy and hope, and ease the burden on their nervous system, can even help youngsters who have already experienced extensive trauma.

Dr. Harding advocates integrating humor into educational settings to reduce the cognitive load, making complex information more digestible, and refresh the current educational paradigm.

“Maybe, just maybe, one day the value of hope, humor, and human connection will be taken as seriously as it deserves.” Helping Children Laugh Can Make Their Brains More Resilient and Learning Easier

Read More........→May 28, 2026