Vital to get mental assessment
NOT A CURE
That said, mental illness can’t be cured simply by exercise, at least not without proper assessment. There is danger in suggesting a physical activity, nutritional advice or spiritual suggestion without trying to understand the person’s struggles and why it has affected their lives in such a wretched way.
“If the person has underlying suicidal tendencies or has a severe chemical imbalance and needs medication to address it, these modalities should be aids to traditional treatment, not the primary movement forward,” says Shankar.
“If it’s someone whose mental health issue is not so severe, perhaps they’re depressed because of issues at work and don’t want to take medication, then therapy and other modalities should be fine. But this should be done only after a thorough assessment with a psychiatrist or a qualified psychologist.”
He adds that issues like depression and anxiety have a somatic component as well, meaning, there is a bodily reaction. The heart rate of someone with social anxiety may spike simply by the act of opening a door. A person who was traumatised may be temporarily immobilised from a scent or song.
“The body feels a lot of things. It has its own set of memories and that’s what imprinting is. The body can feel things and it has got all these sensory modalities that connect with what is outside of our conscious awareness,” says Shankar.
“Exercise helps with the somatics, whether it’s deep breathing techniques or different exercise modalities that calm the body and nervous system down. Yoga is one modality. It uses a lot of breathing techniques which are helpful for patients who suffer from anxiety.”
FOR GREATER GOOD
But there’s an underlying message here that people should be kinder and more sympathetic to one another, rather than resorting to giving a candid solution. This may be challenge though because unlike a broken limb, mental illness is not visible.
A person who is severely depressed will find it a challenge to get out of bed, even if it’s just to the bathroom. Someone with debilitating social anxiety would rather stay hungry than suffer the world outside to get food.
“Just because someone is not diagnosed and is going through this doesn’t make it any less severe. For the person experiencing it, it can be significantly debilitating,” says Shankar.
“We live in a society that doesn’t accommodate or appreciate that a person can have mental health issues. You tend to think this is something normal which you will get out of and eventually get better. It might not,” he warns.
Shankar says he is working on formalising a form of wilderness therapy, where he takes clients to hike in the jungle and, at the same time, address some of their issues like in traditional talk therapy sessions.
“The main idea is to stay mindful of the present environment. It’s also physical so the exercise component is there. Being out in nature is refreshing. These are components that, in some degree, improve a person’s mental health,” he says.