When people around are dying by the hundreds every day, guilt is a conscientious thing to have. It's also a great thing to have if the next question you are battling is, where to take all this guilt and what to do with it. The question that mental health experts, psychologists and trauma centres nationwide have been addressing especially in the context of Covid now.
When actor Pooja Bhatt recently tweeted on Survivors Guilt, she not just resonated with several on the social media platform but brought a relevant subject of discussion that gripped many Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors in Japan.
She tweeted:"Anyone else feeling Survivors Guilt? I certainly am. Each death I hear of is like a hard blow. The system has failed us and how. The political class has blood on their hands. For not preparing. For sending out a message that 'all is well.' For leaving us to fend for ourselves."
What is Survivors Guilt?
Also known as Survivor's Syndrome or Survivor Disorder, this mental health condition occurs when a person has survived an accident/incident/disease or any mishap, tragedy or event that others couldn't survive. The person battling the syndrome believes they have done something wrong by surviving, sometimes the survivors also feel they have been unfaithful to their ilk by letting them die alone.
"SG is also a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. (PTDS)," Dr Amreen Sekhon, social psychologist from Harvard University, gets us started on the whys before sharing how to overcome it. "Allow yourself sometime to grieve and accept the present situation. The focus needs to shift from denial to acceptance. Practice self-forgiveness and self-compassion." And she quickly adds: "Accept the fact that sometimes there are no answers for all the situations."
Digital creator, Aanchal Agrawal, currently dedicated to running a page on Covid leads and stories, has personally been very anxious and stressed because of being involved all the time. "Right now I think it's very important to look at the bigger picture. We are being able to help so many people find a bed, oxygen and other things. So it gives you hope one day at a time. I would suggest if your mental health doesn't allow please do not look for it, please stop watching news to keep your stress levels in place. Watch a comedy show, may be, listen to some music, eat something nice and feel better."
How can the guilt be channelized positively?
For starters, channelizing the intense emotion into action in a simple effective way would be by wearing a mask. Dr Sekhon also lists out a few rules of thumb for keeping our mental health intact in the times of pandemic.
"A few simple steps can help overcome the feeling of anxiety and stress. Starting with set time limits around reading news on Covid. Follow a routine and stick to it. Exercise and practice meditation. Reach out to a friend through video call when stress or anxiety overcomes you. And do not hesitate to seek professional help," says Dr Sekhon.
Social media influencer TedtheStoner aka Jitendra Sharma who extensively posts on escapism and mental health, has found himself addressing several mental health queries from followers. "Yes, exercise, meditate and take a break from news/social media. Once you are done helping yourself, you can get back to helping others," he writes."
After all, eventually, everyone must learn to live and forgive themselves.
