Four practices to prevent suicides

 

Gurudev was part of a panel discussion on World Suicide Prevention Day (2020) where he shared four practices that society must adopt to prevent suicides

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Gurudev was part of a panel discussion on World Suicide Prevention Day (2020) that discussed ways of preventing suicides.

The panel included Dr. Sangeeta Mahajan, trustee of the UK’s National Charity for the Prevention of Young Suicide called Papyrus working across three continents, Dr. Rakesh Chadda, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Chief, National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Secretary General of the World Association for Social Psychiatry, Dr. Laurie Hassel, the Director for the Crisis and Short term Intervention at the Canadian Mental Health Association, Dr. Akshya Vasudev, Clinician, Researcher and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at Western University, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, Founder and Director of the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policies in Washington DC and New Delhi.

The discussion was co-moderated by Dr. Sudhir Khandelwal, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist and Ms. Ronnie Newman, a pioneering researcher in the field of mind and body.

Some insights from the discussion on the four practices that society must adopt to prevent suicides:

Reach out to people

Let us give a message in society that there is enough humaneness in society. That everybody is there for those who are suffering. Socially connecting with people, talking to them is very essential. When you see a sad face, don’t just pass by. Stop and talk to them. Ask them what is the matter and if you can help them. When we do this, we open up people’s hearts and minds.

In 2014, The Art of Living started the happiness survey. Volunteers went door to door and asked people if they are happy and what is bothering them. One survey participant said that this was the first time somebody had asked her if she was happy. Social security is not something which the government gives. It is the community as a whole that gives.

Raise prana level

When people feel low – when Chi or Prana or life energy is down, that is when depression sets in, and eventually suicidal thoughts. Exercising raises the prana level. So does yoga, meditation and music. Happiness is associated with a sense of expansion. Spending time with younger children or a happy, joyful group also gives this sense of expansion.

As Prana rises in the body, one starts to feel a transformation as a direct experience and not a forced mental exercise. One starts feeling happier, creative and not tossed around by one’s mind and emotions.

Being aware of the movement of Prana and the practices to increase and channelize the Prana is the whole science of Pranayama. Breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya stabilize our life force and elevate our state of mind.

Expand your perspective

The low feeling or depression is often associated with one repeating mantra – “What about me?” Do you see that the pain or misery is often to do with some feverish hankering or the other? This narrow focus on one’s small mind can shrink the consciousness and the life force energy. It is like the feeling of suffocation when an old coat no longer fits.

Shifting the question from “What can I get?” to “What can I give?” can expand the mind. Opening one’s view to a larger goal – for the family, for the community, for the country, for the planet – can drive out depression instantly. Having a broad perspective on life elevates you and allows you to celebrate life.

Meditate every day to strengthen the mind

Commit to meditating every day. Do not drop just because you don’t feel like doing it. A strong mind can carry a weak body. A weak mind cannot carry a strong body. So it is very important for us to focus on mental health and mental hygiene. I would say people need to feel the freshness and focus and feel alive.

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