Arising from the cellars of Mental Distress

There’s a school of thought, that dreams are a manifestation of our subconscious mind. Last week, I began to wonder, yet again, if this was true.

I was undergoing considerable mental stress as there was a sudden deluge of work, enquiries and deliverables from all my business entities at the same time. Though this may come across as a good thing (it is) for the respective businesses, on the personal front it was overwhelming. I am the type of person that’s motivated by incidence and challenges. However this time, it was put to test, almost leading me to question my ways of work. Almost, because one night, it all changed.

I had this nightmare where I felt like I was standing on a floor with vast, dark never-ending emptiness around me. All of a sudden, random people started appearing questioning my methods, challenging me and making comments. The next moment, I felt the floor beneath me lower itself, like a platform being lowered into a cellar, or a pit. I felt my heart become heavier and mind tending to implode in my head. The voices grew deeper and louder, and at a point where I thought I was about to give up, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

When I looked up, I noticed it was me, an older, wiser-looking version to be precise. (Fun fact: for some reason, older me was Jedi Master Plo Koon, from the Star Wars Universe). Older me gave me a hand and helped me up. As I rose, so did the floor, back to the emptiness. “Focus, and look beyond the fog” said older me, and as I did, I noticed the people vanish, the empty space fade away, revealing a long winding road with all my milestones in life. The milestones had clear writing, and it covered both my successes and failures. The road led to me, and shot past me into the horizon, with milestones that were empty, ready to be filled in. Older me said, “Proceed”, and vanished.

Needless to say, I woke up with immense clarity and was able to work efficiently. Looking back at this nightmare, dream, or simply put, that experience, I have certain takeaway points that may make sense to me. As you read this, you're most welcome to liberally pick similarities or personal references and make sense of it. However, generalising them as lessons or pointers for mental well-being, may not be a prudent approach given the sensitivity of the topic, and the beauty that is the uniqueness of our individual minds.

I do, however, wish to share, that mental well-being is now of paramount importance. Our present scenario in life, safe to say, has undergone a paradigm shift, and it demands that we practice mental hygiene along with physical hygiene. Self-doubt, and anxiety, if not addressed, has the potential to push one into deeper cellars of mental distress, and eventually into depression. The good news, is that we can address it early, and it begins by acknowledging that one needs help, and seeking it out. And you never know, the one helping you, could be yourself :)

Disclaimer: I'm not a certified mental health professional. I'm only sharing my personal experience and observations arising out of it.