By Deepak Chopra — 2014
Deepak Chopra explains how to open up—and feel more connected.
Read on www.oprah.com
CLEAR ALL
As a new mum, I know loneliness cuts deep – and the lack of services for parent and child plays a large part in this.
New motherhood comes with many joys and challenges. What you may not be expecting is the sense of isolation that is common for parents who have just given birth to a baby, especially for first-time mothers.
I have three children, some really good girlfriends, and family who lives close by that I can count on. Yet I am still taken aback by the lonely feelings that live inside me since I became a mother.
Normal bereavement and major depression share many of the same symptoms. And because of those similarities, psychiatrists have historically carved out what is known as a "bereavement exclusion." Its purpose was to reduce the likelihood that normal grief would be diagnosed as clinical depression.
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It's normal for human beings to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Some of the ways in which we seek to avoid pain are adaptive or healthy.
I believe that social workers need to focus on that which we are trained to do: extend civic love and compassion to the client, staring where he or she is. We are not wed to the medical model; social work is ecological, psychosocial, and systems oriented.
In the documentary “The Weight of Gold,” Phelps presents a stark picture of the mental wear and tear Olympians endure.
Osaka’s mental health challenges are nothing new in her isolating sport. What is new is the acceptance she’ll face—and the paths back—if she takes a prolonged break.
In the past few weeks, my journey took an unexpected path but one that has taught me so much and helped me grow. I learned a couple of key lessons.
Through the size of her platform, however, and her decision to choose well-being over pursuit of a Grand Slam title, Osaka offers the promise of bringing mental health awareness—both inside and outside of sports—to an entirely new level.