Increasing rates of suicide, violence, anger, and other negative behaviours show that awareness alone is not enough. Society’s efforts to educate, present academic research, and raise awareness have yet to curb this trend. Mental health is easier to discuss now, but challenges persist, and progress has not significantly reduced rising mental health issues.
Mental health is a global concern, affecting all races, religions, ethnicities, genders, and ages. The younger generation seems to be losing mental health resilience silently, while individuals of all ages may appear to move on, perhaps suppressing struggles (ADOLESCENTS' GLOBAL MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS).
Although the causes of rising mental
health concerns are known, revisiting them matters. Awareness can influence
thoughts, feelings, and emotions, while guiding practical ways to build
resilience, manage emotions, and improve mental well-being across generations.
Common Causes of Mental Health Challenges
The Rush of Modern Life
Modern life, especially in cities, creates a constant sense of rushing. Daily
traffic, early mornings to beat the jam, and late evenings due to congestion
are part of the urban commuting challenge. Climate change related delays, like
flash floods or snow and ice, further slow travel.
Corporate culture adds to the rush.
Work-life balance is promoted, yet broader job scopes and multitasking result
in long hours. Even working from home can blur boundaries, with employees
working weekends or while traveling.
Balancing family responsibilities intensifies this rush. Juggling commuting, corporate demands, and family life drives stress and affects mental health.
The high cost of living and modern life demands create pressure for success. Earning more is equated with achievement, as income supports a desired lifestyle. Non-stop work for career goals is common, with rewards in bigger houses, luxury cars, or other status symbols.
This pressure affects the next generation
as well. Parents encourage children to excel academically or pursue competitive
careers for better quality of life or financial stability. The constant drive, personal
or generational, creates ongoing stress. Pursuing success and maintaining a
lifestyle impacts overall well-being and mental resilience.
Social Media
Social media in modern life is addictive, drawing people in to pass time,
comment, share, or showcase themselves. From influencers to older generations
observing others online, users are hooked for different reasons. For those in
business, platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube
require engagement through posting and content creation.
It has been proven that this constant use
encourages self-comparison and the pursuit of likes, comments, and feedback.
Even with measures for younger users, excessive use is common and takes up a
large part of daily routines, contributing significantly to mental health
challenges.
Health and Wellness
A hot topic currently, yet it is not shocking to hear the number of people who
are facing health and wellness problems. From the young to the old, obesity,
sleepless nights, and even common issues such as knee pain are widespread,
along with a string of other lifestyle health conditions.
The contributing factors include poor
diet, eating out due to lack of time for home cooking, and more importantly,
the lack of regular fitness and exercise routines. The rush and no-time
syndrome, whether a real reason or just an excuse, has resulted in skipping
even simple wellness practices like yoga, daily walking, stretching, or
gardening as forms of exercise.
Instead, what is preferred is relying on supplements and paying superficial attention to diet and wellness, which may not improve overall health.
Yoga, the ancient practice, has made a stronger comeback than ever in the 21st century. It is the only discipline that unites the four elements of breath, body, mind, and soul, something not found in other forms of exercise or fitness.
Today, yoga is recognized worldwide, not
only for physical benefits but also as a natural therapy for mental health
challenges. Each element of yoga contributes to resilience, inner peace, and
mental calmness, making it one of the best remedies for emotional well-being (MENTAL WELL-BEING: PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE).
Yoga Poses/Asanas for Mental Health
Yoga poses are not merely a stretch; they are a stretch that connects to the
mind. The fact is, yoga poses must be incorporated with breathwork/pranayama,
which is often overlooked. True yoga coaches and instructors know the value of
breathing during asanas, guiding when to inhale and when to exhale, whether
entering or exiting a pose.
The breathwork during poses keeps the mind
alert and awake, signaling what is required next, while listening to the
instructor. Listening itself is a practice for mental clarity, helping one
become aware of what is happening within and outside oneself. Through
breathing, the mind stays focused, which in turn helps with holding a pose or
assisting in asanas by bringing suppleness to the bones, muscles, ligaments,
and tendons.
The breath brings a gentle flow that
allows the asanas to be performed without struggle, demonstrating how yoga for
mental health works naturally through the body-mind connection.
Between asanas, inhaling and exhaling serves as a form of relaxation before continuing with the next pose. This is why, at the end of performing asanas, yoga nidra or total relaxation is included, allowing practitioners to appreciate the breath.
A few minutes of seated breathing further enhances this appreciation. It also activates life force energy (pranic energy/prana), which can remain dormant if not engaged. Dormant prana may contribute to stress and difficulty in managing emotions. In fact, the first thing doctors do while checking patients is ask them to breathe in and out, though not through the nose.
Yoga is unique in this aspect; nasal breathing brings more oxygen to the mind for clarity and calmness, reinforcing yoga’s role in supporting mental health and emotional balance.
Whether practiced as a dedicated session or incorporated into regular yoga, meditation and breathwork cultivate silence, calmness, and awareness. This involves creating quietness within oneself and the surroundings, stepping away from daily noise such as conversations, traffic, television, radio, and the 24/7 flow of social media.
Even in sessions focused on meditation and
breathwork, light yoga stretches should be included so the body feels movement.
Without this, sitting still for an extended period can be counterproductive.
Unlike yogis of the past in the Himalayas, modern society faces ongoing
responsibilities and distractions. For many, the mind tends to wander, leading
to what may feel like “empty meditation” rather than true calmness.
Meditation is now referred to as
mindfulness or awareness practices. The key is to keep sessions to an optimal
duration and depth, rather than forcing the mind into stillness beyond its
capacity. Meditation and breathwork should leave one feeling relaxed and
centered, not strained by trying too hard to follow the instructor’s words or
lost in thought.
When practiced this way, it becomes a
genuine support for mental well-being.
Yoga for Mind and Soul
Yoga poses and breathing are the two key elements that connect to the mind and,
through it, to the soul, also known as the atma within the heart chakra
(anahata chakra). In a yoga session, the mind is naturally cared for through
movement, inhaling, and exhaling. This is why yoga for mental health goes
beyond physical exercise. It is equally yoga for the mind and yoga for the
soul.
When the mind is calm and focused through
pranayama, it transmits positive signals that influence mental clarity and
inner peace. Negative thoughts are set aside, making space for kindness,
humility, logic, and rationality. These qualities awaken the heart, cultivating
a comfort zone that nourishes self-love and self-care.
With such nourishment, the mind learns to release unnecessary heaviness and carry only what supports mental well-being.
