Olivia Ganguly Psychological Counsellor
In today’s times, even the strongest of mind is feeling challenged due to the restrictions and strain of the pandemic. While talking about mental health has always been a taboo in every society for as long as one can remember, the gruesome reality of today has forced people to focus on its omnipresence. While most of the population is still not comfortable talking about it, many of the people are being forced to come to terms with it for the sake of their own well-being and of their family. They are reaching out to mental health professionals and seeking appropriate assistance. It is a step that needs to be applauded and encouraged. After all, psychology has been founded and developed for assisting us only.
Those who suffer in silence due to the taboo and shame associated with it, fail to find any peace whatsoever and at times, are forced to take the ultimate step of self-harm. At times, even the immediate family members are unsupportive and try to brush the matter under the carpet, due to the shame and stigma involved. It only makes matters worse.
Rise above the pedestrian thinking:
One needs to understand that just like when the body has a medical issue, it is okay and normal to approach a physical-health professional, it is equally ok to reach out to a mental-health professional in case there is a mental discomfort. Unless the mind is working properly, how far can the body work properly when it is controlled by the mind?
It is time that we open up to the reality that mental well-being is of paramount importance for a person, a family, a nation and a society as a whole. We need to support each other and encourage anyone and everyone to take up help whenever they feel challenged in this respect. Only then will we be truly a developed and mature society.
It is OK to talk to a psychiatrist or psychologist, or psychology counsellor for getting assistance in case one is facing mental health issues. A person is not ‘mental’ or ‘mad’ if they do so. Instead, they may end up becoming one, if they do not seek timely help from one of the above professionals!
Background:
Psychology is a widely used term, but the meaning and importance of psychology are often misinterpreted by most of us. Psychology cites the study of the human mind, its behavior, and its disciplines; this definition of psychology was provided by the American Psychological Association. During the early days of psychology being established as a discipline, it had two parts, structuralism and functionalism, but that has developed to various types of psychology as of today.
We know only a few types of psychology, where in reality there are a whole lot of variants. Some of the major ones are listed below:-
- Abnormal psychology– This part deals with the abnormalities in behavior and function, which are assessed and treated by professionals.
- Behavioral psychology– This branch of psychology deals with altering behavioral traits.
- Clinical psychology- This generally deals with unstable mental health issues.
- Cognitive psychology– Studies and helps in developing the parts of learning, remembering, and thinking.
- Counseling psychology– By far, the most significant field of psychology is treating patients with the help of counseling sessions.
Psychology today has many more branches, and budding psychiatrists choose the specialty they are the most interested in, and they study and practice further in order to ace in it.
Our Expert:
Dr. Olivia Ganguly, one of our expert panel members, is a specialist Counselling Psychologist who has devoted her life to curing the miseries and helped numerous people to develop themselves and get through challenging phases of their life. Dr. Ganguly decided to help patients through stress, anxiety, depression because she has had her shortcoming and struggles in her own life, which pulled her towards this profession to help people overcome the darkest days of their lives. She wants to be beside people and give them the comfort that they do not get while suffering from mental illness.
Psychology is an amusing subject, and it is also very complex; it can be a tricky channel to understand a person and give a correct solution being neutral all along.
Fact of the Matter:
Some exciting psychology facts given by famous researchers are listed here-
- If you have a crush and cannot approach them, simply ask for help; it can be as mere as lending a pen. According to the Ben Franklin Effect, this will make them think that you are entrusting them and have confidence in them which will make them like you.
- Broken Heart Syndrome is a real thing, which happens when one is in great despair; they have chest pain that feels like cardiac arrest.
- Writing out while you are studying, rather than typing it out, will help you remember it better. While writing, you will be employing more parts of your brain, and hence you will remember it better.
- If you frequently forget small things, then one of these might be the reason- failure to recoup, intercession, failing to hoard the information, deleting intentionally. Figure out which one it is, and work on it with the help of your counsellor.
- Do you want to improve your memory? You need to nourish your synapses by avoiding stress, drugs, and alcohol. These degrade them.
- The core personality of a person never changes with time. However, anxiety and experience can change the overall attitude of a person towards the outside world.
- It is proven that the blue color acts as a suppressant of appetite.
Help is here:
Dr. Olivia Ganguly is a self-made practitioner of psychological counseling. To become established, she has been exposed to a lot of struggles internally as well as externally. Still, without giving up, she has kept her focus entirely on giving her patients the best care possible. It helps them achieve peace of mind. Dr. Ganguly tries to offer each of her patients a safe and comfortable zone where they can open up to her and share their problems, which they are unable to share with the outside world. She tries to provide relief and as much time as possible in each session, which lasts for one and a half to two hours.
You can consult Dr. Olivia Ganguly via LuvKolkata for free for general queries.
According to Dr. Ganguly, all of her patients are unique, and she loves her profession because she gets to explore various areas of the human brain, and most importantly, she gets to help them by giving the proper care.
Some helpful Tips:
Further, Dr. Ganguly states it is a challenging time for everyone during this pandemic and semi-lockdown period, for which she has some tips that should be followed in order to keep our anxiety, depression, and stress under control.
- Staring at the news for the entire day will not make the situation get any better. For the interest of your mental health, you should avoid chasing media all day long. Instead, take updates once a day to remain updated with the happenings of your surroundings.
- Keeping the negativity away, try to shift your focus towards the positive news. The side where people are healing, to avoid the stress and anxiety.
- Apart from maintaining your mental health, try to regulate your physical health as well. Try out some breathing exercises, meditate for mental peace and walk around your house, terrace, or backyard. It will help you get a bit of relaxation.
- You also need to maintain your food intake. Restrict junk food, intake healthy food, maintain the time when you are eating food. Do not falter that timeline for best results.
- Your family needs you at these times. Spend some quality time with them, and along with that, try to take some responsibility like house chores. This will keep you stay occupied and involved. It will also strengthen the family bond.
- Talk to your friends and family. If you think you cannot express yourself well to them, then you must seek professional assistance.
“Self-love and self-care are very crucial in this situation; you must keep in mind this does not imply that you are selfish; you should give your body and mind the accurate amount of love and care that it deserves.” Dr. Olivia Ganguly.
Hope is here…
If you have any queries regarding mental health issues, feel free to reach out to LuvKolkata.com. Write to us at luvkolkata@writingsouls.com and we will be happy to get a solution to your query from Dr.Olivia Ganguly. Your anonymity will be maintained at all times and there are no fees chargeable by us. We wish to create a healthy environment for everyone where they can become happy, healthy, and live life peacefully. They can have a life full of joy and prosperity. Our attempt to create an Experts column is for this purpose, and this purpose alone.
Also read: Are you struggling to get jobs during this Pandemic situation? Here are some ways to get work from home jobs.