SCRWWO conducts seminar on Mental Health at ETTC, Vijayawada

World Mental Health Day- Make Mental Health For All A Global Priority

On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, South Central Railway Women’s Welfare Organization (SCRWWO), Vijayawada conducted a seminar on Mental Health for Staff at Electric Traction and Training Centre, Vijayawada on October 10, 2022. Dr. Jaya Mohan, Psychologist and President, SCRWWO, Vijayawada; Dr. M Srilakshmi, CMS, Railway Hospital, Vijayawada; Dr. Swarajyalakshmi, Psychiatrist and Shri Satyanarayana, Renowned Yoga Instructor were the keynote speakers on the occasion. Around 150 Loco pilots took part in the seminar.

At the outset, Dr. Jaya Mohan, Psychologist and President, SCRWWO congratulated all the Loco Pilots and Asst. Loco Pilots for performing their duties with utmost discipline, and integrity and safely carrying millions of passengers to their destinations daily. She said that there is a lot of stigma around mental health but the best way to deal with low mood, sadness, anxiety and depression is to seek the help of others and talk about it. She said that Stress anxiety and depression among individuals have risen drastically during the pandemic and explained various symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorders like insomnia, nightmares and substance abuse. She advocated the importance of social connection to stay happy and content and urged the loco pilot to unlock their emotions and focus on positive feelings like gratitude, pride, awe and serenity. She stressed on breath control, grounding techniques, meditation, mindfulness and focusing objects to relieve stress instantaneously. She appealed to break the stigma around mental illness, come out of the bubble and practice self-management by identifying the triggers for negative emotions like stress, anxiety, fear and sadness.

Dr. Swarajyalakshmi, a Psychiatrist explained the root cause of stress and various types of stress that individuals suffer in daily work. She also explained the changes in body mind behaviour and mind of an individual due to the effects of stress. Dr. Swarajyalakshmi exhorted that Avoid, Alter, Adapt and Accept are key principles to beat the stress in daily life. She said that physical exercise, breathing techniques and meditation are the ideal ways of beating stress. Later, the Distinguished guests interacted with the Loco pilots and gave their valuable suggestions to relieve the stress in daily life.

Earlier, Shri Satyanarayana, Yoga Instructor demonstrated various yogasanas for keeping up mental health, instant muscle relaxation, active mind and good sleep. Dr. Sarada, vice President, SCRWWO & ACMS; Shri Ventaketsh, Principal, ETTC; Ms. Nusrat M Mandrupkar, PRO, Executive Members of SCRWWO, Vijayawada took part in the event.