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Hope: The Scientifically Proven Mental Shield

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In a recent study, it was proved that hope protects our brain from anxiety and expands our understanding.

Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen. It has been a stimulator, a motivator, and at times, the only positive force left in us when we are going through our bad times. Just like any other feeling, hope is intangible and unseen, yet it has been ever-present in us. And its presence has finally been identified by science.

In a recent study, Chinese psychologists found out that hope protects our brain from anxiety and expands our understanding of things that are happening as reported by Big Think. Defining hope as an important term in positive psychology, scientists conducted a survey on 231 students and found out that hope trait was related to the brain region that is involved in the reward-related procession, motivation production, and goal-oriented behaviour. “ Overall, this study provides the first evidence for functional brain substrates underlying trait hope and reveals a potential mechanism that trait hope mediates the protective role of spontaneous brain activity against anxiety” the researchers quoted as per the website.

Anxiety has long been the cause of our mental struggles. Anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, hypertension, and so much more, it is anxiety that has aided these diseases. Not necessarily as a disease, but people suffer from anxiety in various situations. In all those times when we were helpless, when we could feel that chill down our spine, when our mind was contemplating scenarios we feared to face, or creating illusions that demoralised us – we hoped. We simply sat there and hoped that things would be fine. We hoped that we would not have to endure the trauma, the stress, the pain, or the anxiety for long. We hoped that someone, somewhere, somehow could save us from all that was happening, or was about to happen.

Turns out, we were “the one” we were looking for, and hope was “the how” that protected our brain. The positive force that we clung on to in anonymity was actually helping us survive our mental battles and shielding us from all the negative forces trying to let us down. Science recognising hope as the protective force justifies all the endurance that we made all this while. This study proves that being hopeful protects our brain from harmful thoughts. It proves that we have a positive force within us that helps us combat all the negativity and gives us the strength to keep going. We should take this research as a benchmark and be ready to face whatever comes our way for all of us know that we have what it takes to wade through deep waters.

 

Feature Image Credits: ThinkingWords

Karan Singhania
[email protected] 

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DUB Speak

Body-shaming vs Fitness Advice: Where Do We Draw the Line?

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Everyday magazines, TV shows, celebrities and the entire fashion industry sell us the idea of the perfect body. Who decided what was the “perfect” body? And when did we start shaming others for not fitting in a size?

Two years ago, the “perfect” body consisted of a thigh gap; however, currently in 2017, being “thick” is the new “perfect” and thigh gaps are looked down upon. The rules of fashion change every week and it is hard to keep up – but it isn’t hard to ignore. We usually don’t see what happens after that. With the rules of fashion, the definition of the “perfect” body also changes and with that, comes the eating disorders, the insecurities and self-hate, the suicidal tendencies, and body-shaming. “You can’t wear that,” “This doesn’t suit your body type,” are just some things we hear, and say, on a regular basis. “You have lost weight,” is synonymous with “You look better than before,” and it is taken as a compliment instead of a concern like it should be – but what was the problem with that extra weight before?

And it isn’t just about the extra weight, it is also about the lack of it, the incorrect placement of it, the exact number on the scale, and the relation of that to one’s beauty, that makes body-shaming such an easy thing to prevail in our society. The industry has made us hate almost anything natural about the human body – from stretch marks to love handles, is there anything even left to appreciate about a non-airbrushed body?

Sure, we have plus-sized models in the scene, who are slowing making way on to ramps and magazine covers, but our feeble minds are so used to seeking smooth, tight skins on those ramps and covers, that we forget how to appreciate a natural body. Plus-size models, although inspiring, amazing, and necessary, are called out for “promoting obesity and living an unhealthy lifestyle.” There’s a difference between fitness advice and body shaming, just like there’s a difference between fashion advice and putting people down for their body type or their weight.

Mindy Kaling very rightly said in an interview that sometimes people don’t realise that they’re going back to square one on this issue when they tell her stuff like “you’re setting goals for unconventional body type people.” Calling someone an “unconventional” body type when they’re not medically obese is just factually wrong. Forget about being insensitive, that’s inaccurate.

This, obviously, does not in any way imply that people can’t set fitness goals for themselves. It just comes down to not imposing the same on others and, especially, shaming them for being confident in their own skin (whether it is to your taste or not). Well, like they say: charity begins at home. Our battles against body-shaming can only be won when we look at ourselves in the mirror without cringing, without finding a single flaw in our natural selves.

Image Credits: The KN Clan

 

Anagha Rakta
[email protected]

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DUB Speak

‘Running a Marathon’: The journey of a champion marathoner

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I ran my first race at the tender age of five. I was in upper kindergarten (UKG) and my school was celebrating its Annual Sports Day. It was a ‘Banana Race’: one had to eat a banana at the initial line and then run 50m to the finish line.  Technically, I never even ran the race because the tubby little me, cared only for the free banana. So after eating the banana, satisfied and content, I just stood at the initial line.

That was ‘then’. Fourteen years later, fast forward to the present year, ‘now’. I participated in the Vizag Marathon and came first in the ‘Open Women’s Category’. I won a certificate, a gold medal and a cheque of Rs.10,000. Who could have ever thought that the ‘Banana Girl’ would grow up to become a ‘Champion Marathoner’?

Marathon1

The journey wasn’t easy, of course. And the transformation took it’s time. But I honestly feel that ‘running’ is a sport that can be embraced by anybody and everybody.  It comes naturally to human beings- it does not need to be taught, because it is innate and self- evident. Unlike golf, tennis and swimming, it does not require a special environment (course, court and pool, respectively). It also does not need expensive equipment- just shoes, comfortable clothing and a steely will.

If you’ve ever felt like breaking the pattern of your sedentary lifestyle, doing something healthy and becoming active, then I urge you to take up running. You can start small- maybe walk, then take it up a level and jog and then go on to full-fledged running.  But, you must find that determination and START!

Once you start, you can follow these steps and soon, you’ll be running long distances like a pro. You can then challenge yourself and participate in marathons. And who knows, maybe even win them!

STEP 1: START AND REMAIN MOTIVATED
‘Running’, like all other sports, requires commitment.  Once you start training yourself, you need to muster up all your perseverance and keep at it. You’re not going to turn into a runner in a day, week or month. Accept that and don’t give up. Monitor your progress and stick to your regime. You’ll get your results over time. But when you do, you’ll look back and realise it was all worth the wait and persistent effort.

STEP 2: EAT HEALTHY
You can fasten your journey by embracing healthy eating habits. The deadly cocktail of diet and fitness guarantee long-term benefits.  When you eat nutritious food, your internal health improves.  This gives a boost to your stamina and energy levels, enhancing your performance. So, chuck the fries and soda. Grab an apple and watch your overall fitness levels skyrocket to unimaginable heights!

STEP 3: CHALLENGE YOURSELF
When you feel you’ve achieved your goal of running 500m without panting, crank it up a notch and try doing the same for 1 km. And then 2,3 and 4kms. Don’t follow stagnated  goals. It is very important to keep moving forward. So you need to review your goals, increase speed, increase distance and then ensure that you’re meeting these goals within the given time frame. Remember, the key is to keep moving!


STEP 4: CHANGE THE SCENE
Your journey of transformation asks for your ‘patience’. Keep yourself going by changing your environment every now and then. If you’ve been running on your college tracks for over 6 months, try going to a park and practicing there. Or try a treadmill at the gym. Update your running playlist. Run with a friend. Jazz up the scene and make running fun! If you succeed in doing so, you’ll never have to come up with excuses to bunk training. 

STEP 5: GET REST AND SLEEP WELL
Over-training can derail all your sincere efforts.  Over-training can lead to muscle break-down, aches and serious fatigue. So if you over-train for a week and then need a week to recuperate from the damage, you’ve done yourself a huge disservice. It’s advisable to train only 5-6 days a week and keep at least 1 day of rest, when you let your body replenish prepare itself for next week’s training. Don’t let ambition blind you to the fact that you’re working with a human body, not a machine.

Now is the perfect time to add ‘running’ to your Resolution List. So get ready to get fit in 2016! Here’s to a ‘Healthy’ 2016! Hip, hip, HURRAY!

Image Credits: Kriti Sharma

Kriti Sharma
[email protected]

 

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DUB Speak

The Top Reasons Why it’s Time to Give Our Children a Healthy Start

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Have you ever wondered why some people around us stand out for how short or skinny they are? Or noticed the children in or around construction sites, a little infant who seems to walk/crawl but looks not older than 6 months to 7 months? Dear reader, these observations infact point to a very big problem that we as a nation have failed to address. A frail body or being too short for their age is nothing but a manifestation of childhood malnutrition which is taking a toll on our future. A deeper understanding of the scourge is well evident from the appalling statistics that came up in a research undertaken by CRY, a non-profit organisation that works for Child Rights in India.  

An Opportunity Missed

The 0-6 age group is the time when most of our physical, mental and social growth and development happens. The impact of early childhood care and nutrition remains telling throughout our lives. Children who fall prey to malnutrition at this age are very likely to fall short in a lot of areas for almost all of their lives, while those who get the right nutrition, immunization and education would do much better in all indicators of growth, intelligence and social development.

The Glaring Reality

In an effort to see whether children in India are getting ahealthy start, CRY carried out a study on malnutrition in children between the ages of 0-6 years in 18 Slums across 5 metro cities. The results show a very dismal picture with over half the children being too short for their age, and about half of them being underweight for their age. It was also found that other essential services such as timely immunization, regular deworming and provision of nutritional supplements were also not optimal.

 

Nutritional Status of Children

 

Reaching children who missed out

There remain gaps in the effort to reach the affected children as the study found that the planned interventions reach less than half of the beneficiaries. Only 47 per cent of the children were enrolled in  Anganwadi Centres through which most of the schemes for children are channeled. The outreach efforts that are planned to educate parents about the right nutrition for their child are also effective only 20 per cent of the times.

Making the difference

In the face of these challenges, the green shoots that stand out are promising, for example 83 per cent  children like going to the Anganwadi Centre. The study also pointed that if the quality of services at the centre is bettered then the incidence of child malnutrition also falls. Therefore, there are clear signs which point to the direction which policy should take to create a better future for the children of this country. Let’s move and give our children the bright future they deserve!

 

-Pankhuri Jha

(Intern, CRY – Child Rights and You)

Pankhuri Jha is an intern with CRY, Delhi. An alumni of Lady Shri Ram College college herself, Pankhuri’s interest lies in the field of development economics, especially the financial and health risks faced by the poor. At CRY she worked very closely with the research team in the analysis of data of the nutritional status among children from the age of 0-6 years in slums across Delhi.  The research, in her words helped her, “get a practical insight into the health consequences of living in poverty and a first hand idea as to how this can be corrected”

Image Courtesy : CRY Database 

 

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Delhi University collaborates with DUWA for health center for girls

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Delhi University Women’s Association (DUWA) launched its Mind Body Centre on 13th February, 2014. Inaugurated by Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh, this new service of comprises of medication and treatment of physical and psychological health of female students. The center started functioning on 1st March, 2014.

The female students and staff of Delhi University can get themselves registered for Rs. 50 at the DUWA office, located on Chattra Marg opposite Miranda House College’s hostel. This registration will enable them to get free physical and psychological counseling for a year, starting the date of registration.

The Mind Body Center has Dr. Payal for the homeopathic treatment, consulting problems including hair fall, dandruff, acne and menstruation. For psychological problems like stress, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, the center has psychologist Bhawna Chauhan. The center is open Monday to Saturday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

As per Mrs. Sunita Arora, EC member of DUWA, the move is another step in welfare of the women in Delhi University and is fully focused on providing better facilities for the girl students.

According to Bhawna Chauhan, most of the students who come for the counseling are undergoing an emotional turmoil due to reasons varying from relationships, family problems as well as peer pressure. She has spoken to various students, who are immigrants from various small towns, facing depression because of change in the culture and atmosphere.

Earlier the registration fee was decided to be Rs. 100, which was later brought down to half to make it even more student-friendly. The identities of the students as well as staff members will remain undisclosed considering the fact that sometimes the students hesitate to come up with problems specially related to psychology.

“Students should take advantage of this program. We have well experienced psychologists and homeopathic doctors for the female students and staff. We are trying to make this program popular and thus helping the girl students through their problems” said Dr. Karabi Mazumdar, the secretary of DUWA.

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