Ensure work-life balance, spirituality is important for mental health: Vice-Prez

Calling for a course correction in lifestyle and also ensuring a work-life balance for people’s wellbeing, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said spirituality is important in maintaining mental health.

Religious leaders should take the message of spirituality to the youth and the masses and help them overcome their problems in these stressful times, he said. He suggested people take up meditation, exercise and yoga to deal with stress and said, “I firmly believe that spirituality is essential to discover one’s inner strength and mental peace. In this regard, I urge religious leaders to take the message of spirituality to the youth and the masses.” Inaugurating the fifth global convention on Bhagavad Gita organised by the Centre for Inner Resources Development (CIRD) on ‘Mental Harmony’ virtually from here, the Vice-President stressed the need to translate the universal message of the Gita into as many languages as possible for the benefit of the entire humanity.

“The distilled wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita is for the benefit of entire humanity and efforts should be made to translate the message into as many languages as possible so as to enhance the reach of this work,” he said. Even though the message of the Gita is thousands of years old, it can never lose its importance. “Today, more than ever, in a complex and interconnected world, the timeless message of the Gita remains relevant as people face numerous challenges and obstacles in their lives,” he said.

Stating that mental stress is becoming an all-pervading phenomenon in modern times, he called for greater awareness and attention on the critical health issue and said top priority should be accorded to address issues relating to mental health in a holistic manner.

He regretted that awareness on mental health remained low in India and said there was stigma associated with it. “The pandemic added to the woes of the people. We must be willing to have public conversations about the importance of mental health and eradicate the stigma associated with it,” Naidu said and called upon popular personalities from diverse fields to create awareness among people on the public health issue.

Expressing concern over instances of students ending their lives unable to cope with the stress caused by the pressures of studies, the Vice-President said parents and teachers could play an important role in counselling students, motivating them to face adversity fearlessly and to do their duty diligently without worrying about the result. “This is the essence of the teaching of Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the Gita,” he said.

Educational institutions could opt for in-house counsellors to help students overcome stressful situations and the governments could ensure compliance, he suggested while appreciating the Centre’s announcement on launching a national tele-mental health programme to provide 24×7 free counselling to people. “This is an important step towards ensuring the mental well-being of people, especially those living in remote areas while ensuring their anonymity,” he said.

Swami Bhoomananda Thirthaji, founder of Narayanashrama Tapovanam and visionary behind global Bhagavad Gita conventions, Swami Nirviseshananda Tirthaji of Narayanashrama Tapovanam, Justice Indira Banerjee of the Supreme Court, Swamini Ma Gurupriya of Narayanashrama Tapovanam, Pankaj Bhatia, president CIRD-NA, and Dr Ravi Jandhyala, vice-president of CIRD-NA, were among those who attended the event.