Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Feb 4, 2014 |
“Gayu, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” my mother used to insist, “It’s not enough to know how to do calculus. It is also important to know how to cook.” I recall being eight years old, barely tall enough to reach the granite counter-top in our kitchen in Bangalore, India, when my mother first recruited me as her apprentice. I loved everything about cooking – chopping vegetables, roasting spices, grating coconut, and making chapattis. I took great pride in rolling out the little discs of whole wheat dough into perfect circles and watch their golden crusts puff up as my mother flipped them on the hot tava, a heavy cast iron griddle. Most of all, I loved to work alongside my mother while we sang in chorus with our favorite songs lilting through the Phillips radio in our living room. In time I learned how to cook healthy, well-balanced, nutritious meals which greatly enhanced my marriageability in India, and more importantly, empowered me to nurture myself and my family in America. Even during my darkest battles with depression, cooking and sharing meals with my family gave me a deep sense of meaning and purpose. It is said that “A family that eats together stays together.” I sincerely believe “A family that eats together stays healthy together.” Over the years, cooking and sharing meals with my family each day has continued to be a great source of joy and well-being. In this post, I am delighted to share articles on the healing power of nutrition. And, invite you to explore how it can nurture your mind, body,...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Feb 4, 2014 |
Social connection improves physical health and psychological well-being. And, the social support of family and friends has been shown to reduce the psychological and physiological consequences of stress and may enhance immune function. Unfortunately, when overwhelmed with depression, like many people struggling with mental illness, I used to give in to my urge to isolate and spiral into a deep pit of despair and loneliness. But, over time, I have learned that sustaining and nurturing my connections with family and friends, and seeking their love and support is key to my recovery and wellness. Over the years, these social connections have offered me hope and healing. In this blog post, I am excited to share articles and videos on the healing power of social connectedness. And, invite you to nurture your connections with family and friends and tap into their healing power to enhance your collective health and well-being. Social Network’s Healing Power is Borne Out in Poorer Nations By Shankar Vedantam Psychiatrist Naren Wig crossed an open sewer, skirted a pond and, in the dusty haze of afternoon, saw something miraculous. Krishna Devi, a woman he had treated years ago for schizophrenia, sat in a courtyard surrounded by religious pictures, exposed brick walls and drying laundry. Devi had stopped taking medication long ago, but her articulate speech and easy smile were eloquent testimony that she had recovered from the debilitating disease. Few schizophrenia patients in the United States are so lucky, even after years of treatment. But Devi had hidden assets: a doting family and an embracing village that never excluded her from social events, family obligations,...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Feb 4, 2014 |
Several years ago, I discovered a quote by Mother Teresa. “We want to create hope for the person and acceptance in the hearts of the people. We must give them hope – always hope – and remove the bitterness that is harming them when they are avoided by everyone… compassion, love, understanding… that is what is important.” Reading the quote reminded me of a time in my life when I received the universal, life-transforming gifts of hope, acceptance, compassion, love, and understanding – in the most unusual of places – a psych ward. After years of struggling through the death-hold of depression, medications, countless hours of therapy, electro-convulsive therapy, and failed suicide attempts, I had finally chosen to get hospitalized. And, there, for the first time in my life, I met others like myself, people struggling with mental health issues, and I knew I was not alone. In the two weeks I spent in their midst, I received the gifts of hope, acceptance, compassion, love, and understanding that has helped me heal, and inspired me to help others like myself heal. In this blog post, I am glad to share articles on how to practice compassion meditation to enhance your health and well-being, and the well-being of the people you serve. Please be sure to read Priscilla’s story, I am sure you will be inspired by her journey from panic to peace shared in her book Learning to Breathe. Compassion Meditation 101 By Penelope Green Compassion meditation involves silently repeating certain phrases that express the intention to move from judgment to caring, from isolation to connection, from indifference or...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Nov 11, 2013 |
Gratitude is an immensely powerful force that we can use to expand our happiness, create loving relationships, and even improve our health. Many scientific studies, including research by renowned psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, have found that people who consciously focus on gratitude experience greater emotional well-being and physical health than those who don’t. Read More… SHADOWS IN THE SUN HEALING FROM DEPRESSION AND FINDING THE LIGHT WITHIN by Gayathri Ramprasad I am thrilled to share that my memoir, Shadows in the Sun will be published in March 2014 by Hazelden. And, is already available for pre-sale at Hazelden and Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the books will benefit ASHA International’s programs and services. Wishing you wellness, Gayathri Ramprasad, MBA, CPS Founder & President, ASHA International...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Aug 20, 2013 |
Over the last few weeks, within a five-mile radius from where I live and work, there were three families in crisis. A 48-year-old mother of two struggling with schizophrenia went missing. Once a highly social, engaging woman with two Master’s degrees in English literature who wrote beautiful poetry in Tamil, today, she can barely function. A 41-year old mother of two struggling with schizoaffective disorder was hospitalized due to her deteriorating health – she had lost 65 pounds in a few months and was haunted by hallucinations – once a vibrant woman who had plenty of friends, an MBA, and a career, today she spends her time talking to the imaginary demons in her head. And, a 24-year-old young man, struggling with depression, shot and killed himself. As debilitating as the diseases affecting each of these people are, it is the stigma surrounding mental illness that had sentenced them into lives of shame, secrecy, and needless suffering. Unfortunately, the resultant social isolation had prevented them from seeking life-saving treatment and support. Fortunately, our community volunteers are doing an incredible job of reaching out to these families and helping them on their road to recovery and wellness. As a mother and mental health advocate, the struggles of these families break my heart and strengthen my resolve to empower them to overcome barriers to recovery and achieve wellness. And, I salute their courage in teaching us yet again, that while medications, therapy, and hospitalizations can help, a community heals. Like all of us, what people struggling with mental health issues need most to recover is love, and a deep sense of connection at home,...
Tags: by Phillis Benson | Aug 11, 2013 |
During the early days of mental health treatment in America, asylums often restrained people who had mental illnesses with iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With better understanding and treatments, this cruel practice eventually stopped. In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. On April 13, 1956, at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Md., Mental Health America melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a sign of hope: the Mental Health Bell. Now the symbol of Mental Health America, the 300-pound Bell serves as a powerful reminder that the invisible chains of misunderstanding and discrimination continue to bind people with mental illnesses. Today, the Mental Health Bell rings out hope for improving mental health and achieving victory over mental illnesses. While I celebrate the strides both science and society have taken to understand and treat mental illnesses, I am deeply saddened by the persistent stigma, discrimination and lack of affordable, accessible care that prevents millions of people struggling with mental health issues around the world from seeking life-saving treatment and support. Yet, as a mother and mental health advocate, I have faith in our collective ingenuity and resilience to create a world of equity, dignity, hope, and humanity where every man, woman, and child struggling with mental health issues are provided the love and support they need to thrive in life. In this blog post, I am delighted to share a wonderful work of mental health advocate and advocacy that is tearing down the insidious chains of stigma and discrimination, one day,...
