Anushree Bhattacharya
One of the heaviest weights that we carry is the expectation to always be okay. Whenever someone asks, “How are you?” Our default response is, “I’m fine.” But “Are we actually fine?” Why every time we have to feel the need to pretend that everything is okay even when it’s not?
Work pressure, stress, hypertension, anxiety, depression and so many things that a human body has to go through almost daily but can’t explain to the others.
Have you also felt so heavy sometimes like you’re carrying an invisible weight on you? It’s the collection of everything that affected you so hard and you couldn’t even share it with anyone. It’s a fast-paced world that demands a list of things from us, this weight isn’t just metaphorical; it manifests physically, mentally, and emotionally, affecting people of all genders, ages, and backgrounds.
The burden of Stress
It’s not only about the feelings, stress is a chemical reaction that happens inside our body. When we are under some constant pressure our body releases cortisol (a hormone that regulates metabolism, inflammation, blood pressure, and other functions), in small doses to help it cope up with the immediate emergencies. But when stress becomes chronic (long-lasting), the body’s stress response system can become dysregulated; this causes destruction.
Cortisol Dysregulation:
Prolonged exposure to stress can cause a variety of problems with cortisol regulation in the body, such as:
High Cortisol Levels: The body releases high levels of cortisol even after the stress is not present.
Inadequate Regulation: “Cortisol dysfunction”, a condition occurs when the body’s ability to control cortisol levels is compromised.
Low Cortisol Levels: In rare cases, paradoxical situations are created where the person’s cortisol levels are actually lower than usual, even though the person is experiencing high stress.
It weakens the immune system, causes digestive issues, and leads to conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
Hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) increases the metabolism of the body that leads to anxiety, weight loss, and fast heartbeat, Whereas hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) slows down the metabolism which causes fatigue, weight gain, and depression.
Most of the people suffer from hypertension, thyroid imbalances, and many issues and blame their symptoms on laziness or mood swings but in reality, it’s their body crying out for help. It’s not only the individual’s fault. In this case, society is also at fault since it leads us to assume that stress, anxiety, panic attacks, depression and so on, are not any health issues, rather the excuses of avoiding work. These issues don’t require any medical help, because in their era nobody was aware or recognised these as health issues so we are forced to think of them as nothing more than laziness. Even after witnessing numbers of young children commit suicides, parents still fail to take these issues into consideration and take care of their children. They don’t allow themselves to change over time; the result is their child unable to openly communicate with them since they never created that atmosphere with them. Later on, they accused their child for never sharing such things with them.
An Overloaded Mind
Although physical health problems like hypertension, thyroid disorders can easily be diagnosed with a test.
But what about mental health?
Those struggles are almost invisible but they can lead to some serious issues. Anxiety, depression, and panic attacks aren’t just “bad moods” they can be harmful. Anxiety can make basic decisions feel like life-or-death situations, while depression can turn even the simplest tasks to feel like climbing mountains.
With Societal Discrimination
We cannot expect women and men to constantly behave in a way that satisfies the society because their mental struggles as well as capacities differ with each other.
If we talk about men, the expectations of society are too high which often makes it difficult for them to acknowledge the internal conflicts inside their head. Phrases like “Be strong,” “Don’t cry,” “Man up,” “You’re a man, don’t show your emotions much”, pushes a man into an emotional isolation far away from the outside world.
On the other hand, the same society mocks women for showing their emotional struggles as being “too sensitive” or “because of hormones” and so on.
The truth is, mental hperfectealth doesn’t discriminate between genders, so we should also respect it as well and encourage each other rather than passing judgement.
Social Media: A Double-Edged Sword
Today social media becomes a necessary part of our life and also plays a role in the weight we carry. On one hand, it provides an escape from the real world, along with that it’s a place to connect, share, and express ourselves. But on the other hand, it is full of unrealistic comparisons, insecurities, body shaming, and the constant pressure to perform well to create your own digital identity.
We scroll through some influencer’s vlogs and suddenly realise that people are living their “best lives,” achieving success, looking perfect, traveling the world, being joyful, and here we are just struggling in our life. Social media has made it easier than ever to feel like we are falling behind, not good enough, not productive enough.
Platforms like Twitter (now X) and LinkedIn, which are supposed to be places for discussion with different ideologies and professional growth, but turn into spaces for judging and trolling others. If you’re not presenting yourself 24/7 on the internet, are you even trying enough? People are ready to troll you as “lazy,” “outdated”. The pressure to be constantly present online, working, and succeeding is getting suffocating. Instead of real conversations, people started showing off, judging others and making excuses to get roasted.
The other side of social media; it becomes a platform where mental health conversations are normalized. Influencers and activists openly discuss the symptoms and cure of issues like anxiety, depression in detail and also provide support for the struggling communities. Social media can both weigh us down and help us to lift the weight.
The Weight May Never Disappear, But We Can Carry It Differently
The world never pauses for anyone, and is itself exhausting differently for everyone. Life is full of challenges and struggles. Stress, anxiety, and societal pressures won’t vanish overnight. But we can learn to acknowledge our struggles, prioritize our well-being, and support each other so that we can carry the weight in a different way that doesn’t break us.
So the next time someone asks, “How are you?” take a deep breath and tell your true feelings. And if you’re struggling, always remember that, you are not weak, you are not alone, and you do not have to carry the weight all by yourself, seek for help and talk to your loved ones. Let’s normalize not being normal.
(The writer is a master’s degree mass communication student at Central University of Jammu)
