DEEPALI DAHIKAMBLE • FEMALE • 20 • PUNE, MAHARASHTRA
Hi human, yes you. I am talking to you. I said you are a human. A human who feels a lot of emotions, who gets scared, who loves like it’s your last day on earth, who messes up things, who is clumsy, who laughs loud, who has days where they are not able to work properly, who makes mistakes while speaking, spills things on their clothes, and so on. Yes, you are a human.
In the hustle and bustle of modern life, it’s easy to get caught up in the illusion of perfection. Social media platforms flaunt curated versions of people’s lives, making us believe that everyone else has it all figured out. We often find ourselves striving to meet unrealistic standards, fearing that our struggles and vulnerabilities make us less than “normal.” But what if I told you that normalizing being human, especially in the context of mental health, is not only crucial but also liberating?
I wonder whether I watch the news on television or read newspapers about suicides. I used to feel bad. Why is this happening in our world? But now I think about how we have not normalized being humans. Why are we making a big deal about struggles and vulnerabilities? Why is showing emotions often labeled as feminine and less masculine? And no doubt, we have normalized so many things in relationships, friendships, the workplace, and at home, but also in society, why can’t we normalize being human?
According to Google, humans are connected with people, not with animals, machines, or gods; typical of people. Human needs encompass a broad spectrum of physical, emotional, social, and psychological requirements for well-being. Physiologically, humans require clean air, water, food, shelter, sleep, and clothing for survival. Safety needs encompass physical protection, financial security, healthcare, and stability. Love and belonging entail emotional connections with family and friends, intimacy, and a sense of community. Esteem needs involve self-respect, recognition from others, achievement, and independence. Self-actualization pertains to personal growth, finding meaning and purpose, realizing values, and experiencing peak moments. Transcendence needs include spirituality, altruism, adherence to moral values, and leaving a lasting legacy. We as humans have this need but we often invalidate our needs, emotions, feelings, and experiences because of stigma around that thing, pressure to be the perfect human, upbringing in your respective family, or the crippling fear of “what others will think,” and I can completely understand this fear. That’s completely okay.
Step out of the house and ask one question to a stranger which is “How do you feel today?” You will observe a lot of hesitation and reluctance because for some it would be like “No one asked me this question” and for some “I don’t know how I am feeling today. That’s a sad reality. We often don’t know how we are feeling and we also don’t know how to express this feeling. There is an advantage of being human that’s what I think, which is it gives you the ability to express. We are so distant with our emotions and feelings that we don’t know what others feel. We don’t know how to connect with them, and we don’t know how to be human. You being a human helps other people to be human. It’s a ripple effect of embracing vulnerability as your strength, your core values become love, kindness, support, warmth, and courage which helps you and society also.
I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) two years ago and clinical depression two months ago. For most of my life, I felt helpless and hopeless. Taking medication gave me a glimmer of hope, even though it was a difficult journey. I often wondered why I experienced such intense emotions that seemed to shatter me. I felt like a lifeless shell, burdened by responsibilities and lacking a sense of humanity. I yearned to feel human again, and I realized that it meant embracing my sadness and anxiety. It meant showing compassion to myself, seeking help, and replacing my suicidal thoughts with positive aspects of life. I was just one step away from regaining my humanity. All I needed to do was sit with my emotions, find inner peace, and reach out for professional help and support. Today, I can proudly say that I have become human once more.
Now it’s your time to be a human for me, for us, for everyone around you. The human experience is a wonderfully intricate one, filled with moments of both beauty and pain. However, within this blend of beauty and pain, the beauty itself serves as a wellspring of hope, while the pain nurtures resilience and deepens our understanding.
