By Abid Hussain Rather
CATHARSIS is the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. It is actually the process of purification and purgation of emotions particularly, pity and fear which brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension. It is an emotional release which is linked to a need to relieve unconscious conflicts. If a person doesn’t give a proper vent to these conflicts, these conflicts may burst out in the form of anger or may remain inside in the form of depression which may ultimately result in some psychological disease and even suicides.
When we are unable to express our feelings and emotions at different occasions we get mentally stressed because these unexpressed feelings get stored in our subconscious mind. Catharsis can take place in different ways in different types of people. Everybody expresses their feelings and inner thoughts in their own ways. Some write poetry and some prose to express their feelings. Painting and sculpturing are other ways to express our feelings. Some express their feelings through anger and some prefer silence. We often see some people talking to themselves or some times tears come out of our eyes unconsciously. Some people like loneliness and prefer to stay alone. They hate congestions and noisy places. Sometimes these inner conflicts may result in hating ourselves. These are the different ways of catharsis and it depends upon an individual in which mode he may express his inner feelings and relieve himself from stress and tension.
It is really an irony that most people don’t know how to express their inner conflicts and get relief from stress. When one is able to relieve inner stress through catharsis, one feels like ones heavy heart slowly lightens. We find the stress fading away and feel inner happiness. Hopes get renewed.
We need to take care of our mental health because it directly affects our physical health. Catharsis is very essential for mental health. We should learn to live life fully and enjoy the moments of happiness, whole heartedly. Whenever we feel some sort of grief or sorrow we should never hide it inside us, rather we should express it and share it with people close to us. Whenever we feel bad or get hurt by the actions or words of somebody, we should complaint to them in a positive way rather than storing those hurt sentiments inside us. Whenever we need any kind of help from somebody, we should openly request for help and whenever somebody helps us we should thank him by heart. If we find some sort of goodness in some person we should openly praise them.
We should prefer the profession we love rather than forcefully involving ourselves in that work in which we are not interested. Positive thinking is necessary to live a stress-free and happy life. We should never indulge ourselves in negative thoughts.
When we burry our positive and negative feelings inside us and keep them carrying inside our subconscious mind, it results in mental stress and uneasiness in life. When we live with unsaid sorrows, complaints, hate, love, littleness, affection, and faults these things become a burden on us and snatch our happiness and comfort.
If a person finds it difficult to open up, express and positively deal with their emotions, they need psychological counseling. Our mental stress doesn’t only affect us but can also indirectly affect people who are related to us. It is important for us as a community to take care of our mental health to ensure that we grow well as a society.
- The author is a columnist and teaches Geography at GDC, Kulgam. He can be reached at [email protected]
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