While on my way back from the nearby park in the morning today, I was in a bit of a hurry to reach home, as it took us a little longer to go through the routine exercises with our Yoga group. My mind was busy in solving this daily puzzle, “What to cook today?” So, I tripped over a small projection in the pavement and twisted my ankle.
The moment I bent down in pain, a helping hand came forward. To my surprise, it was ‘Madhu.’ She helped me to sit down on the nearby bench. I became oblivious to my pain when I saw her young smiling face beaming with confidence, just the opposite of the Madhu I saw five years back, sitting on the bench right in front of our yoga group with her mother. I had started wondering why she was so sad at this young age. I felt a strong urge to help the girl and the moment I asked her mother, she immediately told me about the situation. It was perhaps that moment of catharsis for her when talking to a complete stranger provides relief.
She told me that Madhu was a good student. She was a multi-talented friendly girl. It all started when she got C grade in one of the subjects. Overnight she was a changed person. She started losing confidence. The fear of failure gripped her so hard in its tentacles that she became helpless. Her thinking became negative. Her mind painted the future black. All this resulted in anxiety and insomnia. She became withdrawn. She started missing college and avoided meeting people. Her room became her refuge. That’s why her mother made it a point to bring her along to the garden. With her consent, I started talking to Madhu.
She was so withdrawn that it took me days to get her to talking. She cried a lot when she came out with her imaginary fears. Together we made a plan for the improvement of her grades. We jotted down her weak areas and hired a tutor. Her mother, I and the tutor, decided to encourage and praise her whenever possible to build up her low self-esteem.
In the beginning she kept on insisting that she could neither concentrate nor remember whatever she had read. Fear of failure was a big mental block for her.
We gave her a good healthy diet which, besides providing nourishment, was also
a mood lifter. With constant efforts she could train her mind to see the positive side also. She realised that she should have seen “C” grade as a scope of improvement. Madhu’s periods were still irregular which was an indication of hormonal imbalance. It was the main culprit behind her mood disorder. Madhu slept like a log once she got the right treatment. After that there was no looking back.
She was no more an over stressed and worried girl; she could concentrate and study well. With our efforts and encouragement, Madhu opened up. She came out of her shell and faced her fear on the ground of reality. We only gave her hope and provided her the means to fight her own battle. It was like providing a log of wood to a sinking man. She didn’t become dependent on any of the antidepressants. That’s why it’s said that “A stitch in time saves nine.”
While I was in flashback, Madhu massaged my twisted ankle with deft strokes of a trained Physiotherapist. She profusely thanked me for the timely help. The pain subsided and I returned home with a strong urge to again publicise Madhu’s case. Who knows it might save an intelligent mind in time!
Post Script- From Madhu’s case we learnt that early detection and timely help can save an intelligent mind from the clutches of anxiety and depression-like mood disorders.This story has been based on a true experience.
Bio
Jyotsna Gill is settled in Chandigarh where she lives in retirement after putting in 36 years of service in Kendriya Vidyalayas. A collection of her poem “Abhivyakti” was published in 2020. She is a member of “Kavya Komudi International Multilingual Poet’s Group.” Her poems have been selected for
Her poems have been appreciated, selected and printed in an anthology, “Mare Dastkhat”.
She is also a member of the Aspiring Writers’ Society (AWs) and happy to have her featured in the AWS ezine.
Comments