Yearender 2021: 10 mental health buzzwords netizens talked about this year

The first wave of Covid19 and the ensuing digital boost initiated conversations about the ways in which the pandemic was changing our everyday lives Mental health was one of the most talkedabout topics among internet users From hashtags to detailed explainers and audiovisual content the discussion only evolved with time ndash with regular additions to the mental health vocabulary and overall understanding of the wellbeing of individuals even beyond the pandemicAs we look forward to another year of an informed and sensitive dialogue aimed at spreading awareness we look at mental health buzzwords and phrases that made news in the past yearDoomscrollingAfter lsquodoomscrollingrsquo was named as the word of the year by the Oxford dictionary last year the term became Googlersquos mostsearched word in 2021 Doomscrolling is defined as the action of compulsively scrolling through social media or news feeds which relate bad newsrdquo The pandemic largely changed the content one was consuming on the internet in the past two years In addition to an increased exposure to everyday news the second wave of 2021 regularly flooded the internet with horrifying images of deaths due to Covid19 Though much discussed during the pandemic experts say doomscrolling is not just restricted to Covid19 and may continue even when things are back to normalRead more What is doomscrolling Experts explain why tragic news is addictive and how to stop overconsumptionLanguishingCitybased mental health expert Salma Prabhu defines a person experiencing lsquolanguishrsquo as ldquoone who is not depressed but still not feeling 10037rdquo ldquoIt is a feeling of void of incompleteness of lsquosomething is not alrightrsquo all the timerdquo according to her In the year 2021 while there were signs of things opening up in the initial months the second wave of Covid19 intensified the mental exhaustion caused by the first lockdown The term lsquolanguishingrsquo made news during the second wave of the virus Stuck in their homes for over a year many felt frozen with very little motivation to be productive or think positively about events unfolding in the country and their own livesRead more What is lsquolanguishingrsquo Mumbai experts break down that lsquoemptyrsquo feeling with which many are strugglingImposter SyndromeHarvard Business Review defines imposter syndrome as ldquoa collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident successrdquo People with symptoms of imposter syndrome suffer from chronic selfdoubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence According to some studies a staggering 70 per cent of people worldwide internalise a fear of being exposed as a fraud despite ample external evidence of their competence Even wellknown and successful personalities like attorney and former US first lady Michelle Obama and Academy Awardwinning actor Tom Hanks expressed that they have experienced such selfdoubtRead more Imposter Syndrome Why some of us feel like frauds and how to overcome itEmotional eatingMental health conversations gained momentum on the internet at a time when people were indulging in cooking ordering and overeating while stuck in their homes Several experts discussed the correlation of mental health and food Lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho defines emotional eating as ldquoeating to feed emotions The emotions driving this could be either positive or negative like stress sadness loneliness anxiety boredom happinessrdquo Emotional eating often leads to overeating however not all cases of overeating are due to emotional healthRead more What is emotional eating A Mumbaibased lifestyle coach explains all you need to knowFamily burnoutWhile the pandemic enabled us to spend more time with family for many being with family for an extended time greatly affected their mental health From children to older adults many felt the fatigue resulting from lack of selfcare privacy and solitude ldquoSeveral households are beginning to experience a family burnout or togetherness fatigue which can strain relationships This condition is typified by the three Es of Emotional and physical exhaustion Executive dysfunction or an inability to fulfill basic tasks and Easy annoyancerdquo explains counselling psychologist Namrata JainRead more Mumbaikars on coping with family burnoutToxic positivityldquoLook at the brighter siderdquo ldquoYou have to be strongrdquo ldquoFocus on the positivesrdquo mdash these are just a few of the lsquoupliftingrsquo messages that one was getting to read and hear regularly in the past two years On social media there are people talking about the importance of lsquospreading positivityrsquo The insistence on smiling and constantly feeling happy even when one is dealing with grim realities is leading to a culture of lsquotoxic positivityrsquo and is taking a toll on the mental and physical health of many Clinical psychologist Salma Prabhu says ldquoPositivity is very good but not to the extent of repression and denial ndash where one does not acknowledge real experiences and emotions and tries to find positivity even in the most negative situationrdquoRead more Good vibes only When positivity becomes toxic and how to deal with itLiving at workA phrase that became popular in 2020 and is still relevant lsquoliving at workrsquo simply defines the situation of working from home while managing household chores Many witnessed an extension of work hours during the pandemic blurring the boundaries of work and life outside work This greatly affected the mental health of those with jobs especially women who also managed work at homeRead more Worklife imbalance Have we been working from home or living at workAnxietyAccording to the American Psychology Association anxiety is ldquoan emotion characterised by feelings of tension worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressurerdquo While 2020 made us anxious about work from home Zoom calls and virtual interactions 2021 made us even more anxious about gradually going back to public places and inperson meetings As offices and schools opened up in the second half of the year social adjustment has become a task for many employees who have lived in isolation for over 21 months According to experts feelings of anxiety stress depression and burnout have been a few if not all of the problems being faced by people as they return to workRead more Explained The psychological burden of returning to inperson workSeparation anxietyAs offices opened up this year many who were accustomed to working from home found it difficult to get back to the office space Parents and partners have been at the receiving end of this as they have once again been distanced from their children and better halves for hours at a time Many have been dealing with a feeling of separation anxiety While it is easier for adults children may still be trying to understand this change Mental health expert Dr Jalpa Bhuta explains ldquoSeparation anxiety is a regular part of development for children between the ages of six months to three years If separation anxiety continues into adulthood one will be diagnosed with adult separation anxiety disorder Symptoms of anxiety disorder in children and adults are similarrdquoRead more Back in office out of home How to cope with separation anxiety as work resumesEcoanxiety The term ecoanxiety generally refers to the anxiety or worry caused by climate change and its impact on the environment According to a September 2021 survey by Californiarsquos Humboldt State University on climate anxiety which involved 10 000 young people from ten countries 60 percent of the respondents said they felt lsquovery worriedrsquo or lsquoextremely worriedrsquo about climate change and government responses to it The respondents associated negative emotions like lsquosadrsquo lsquoanxiousrsquo lsquoangryrsquo and lsquopowerlessrsquo with the manner in which climate anxiety or eco anxiety had an impact on their daily lives With 68 percent of youngsters feeling anxious India figured in the top five countries worsthit by climate changeWith increasing discussions about climate change its impact on the mental health of environmentalists and young climate activists has become a cause of concern in recent years across countriesAlso Read Yearender 2021 From home workouts to hemp these wellness trends gained muscle in 2021