Dr. Jasleen Kaur Bhalla's Blog

             SELF INJURY AWARENESS DAY  HAVE YOU COME ACROSS ANYONE WHO HAS UNEXPLAINED CUTS/ BURNS/ BRUISES ? OR SOMEONE WHO IS PERSISTENTLY UNABLE TO HANDLE EMOTIONS?   NON SUICIDAL SELF INJURY (NSSI) IS A COMPARATIVELY NEW WOR D ADDED IN THE VOCABULARY OF MENTAL HEALT H ISSUES. IT IS A VERY MUCH UNDERRATED AND IGNORED SIGN OF MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.  Self-injury occurs in many forms- cutting, scratching, punching and ingestion of chemicals; and occurs for many reasons- coping with fear, stress, anxiety, or inducing positive feelings.  People who self-injure may try to hide their injuries. Their clothing may not fit the season. They w ould be seen wearing loose long clothes to hide the marks. Another commonly seen behaviour is getting excessive tattoos to conceal the scar marks. Age is no bar in NSSI. it is seen in as young as 6 years old to as old as even 70 years old.  De-busting some myths about NSSI : It’s not an a...

CONCEPT OF 'MIND'FUL EATING Today’s fast-paced society tempts people with an abundance of food choices and moreover, distractions have shifted our attention away from the actual act of eating toward Netflix, youtube, TVs, computers and smartphones. Eating has become a mindless act, often done quickly. This is problematic, since it takes your brain up to 20 minutes to realise you’re full. This results in abnormal eating behaviours. If you eat too fast, the fullness signal may not arrive until you have already eaten too much (binge eating). By eating mindfully, you restore your attention and slow down, making eating an intentional act instead of an automatic one.Mindful eating is based on mindfulness, a Buddhist concept i.e. a form of meditation that helps you recognize and cope with your emotions and physical sensations.  Mindful eating involves: eating slowly and without distractions paying attention to food without judgement listening to physical hunger cues and eat...