Fairs and festivals abound throughout India. Our country is a place of variety, and diverse people from various religions dwell here, thus several festivals are held on a yearly basis. Festivals in India provide individuals with more than just a momentary break from their everyday routine. These holidays are more than simply about celebration and fasting; each one is loaded with deep inner meaning and is a multidimensional celebration. Beyond their cultural significance, festivals have a profound benefit on our mental well being. They play an extremely important role in fostering a sense of belongingness, relieving stress, and spreading positivity.
Festivals build social harmony
It’s generally the season when people join together to enjoy, eat, drink, and rejoice, despite all the challenges and effort. Upcoming festivals such as Teej , Raksha Bandhan, and Independence Day fosters collectivity and harmony among people.
“It’s a good time for family to get around.” Today’s living is relatively secluded, with everyone self-sufficient yet quite busy. These holidays bring you together and give you a sense of belonging, family, joy, and festivities, which improves your mental health and makes you feel like you belong someplace, where you have people to look forward to and shared joy is always better than sitting alone. Colors, in general, improve mood and morale. The festival of colors is usually a very favorable factor for mental health since it adds to the positive side of mood and the production of happy hormones in the body.
Festivals challenge Isolation
We don’t have many events, and the winters are a little dreary. People do not leave their homes during this period. Festivals’ socialization, warmth, vitality, and population mixing all contribute to mental wellness. During festivals, there are several activities that may lift your spirits and make you feel good about yourself. According to a variety of studies undertaken by health professionals, even a minor effort such as brushing and styling hair while getting ready for the celebrations may promote confidence and enhance the sensation of youthfulness. As a result, one of the direct aspects of our mental well-being is beauty.
Festivals Promote feelings of patriotism
Celebrations such as Independence Day, Republic Day, and Gandhi Jayanti are observed across the country. This increases feelings of patriotism throughout the nation and increases feelings of brotherhood and happiness. In every institution, patriotic songs like ‘Vande Matram’ are played. This brings us closer to people and our country. On this occasion, we even remember our brave freedom fighters. This gives us confidence and inspires us to do something for our beloved nation.
Stress Releasing activities
Festivals are the time when everybody wants to look their best. Therefore, people engage in stress-releasing activities. This list of stress-relieving hobbies includes simple skincare routines such as popular Korean skin care procedures, facial masks, experimenting with cosmetics to give oneself a new appearance, and other relaxing techniques.
These techniques relax and soothe the body and mind. When you use them, you feel as though you are taking care of yourself.
The discipline and rhythm of skincare programs reduces the stress hormone. Simple actions such as rubbing and patting the skin might help to reduce your heart rate and anxiousness. When you concentrate on duties like as washing, toning, applying toner, moisturising, and so on, you finally feel really calm, which has a beneficial influence on your mental health.
Psychological benefits of festivals
There are many psychological benefits of celebrating festivals. Some of them are as follows
1) Optimism
Festivals help us to instill hope and optimism among people. People experience excitement during this time. They are hopeful for better and more positive experiences in the future. This improves the mental health of people.
2) Break from monotony
Festivals definitely offer us a break from the monotonous everyday daily life routine. This induces positive feelings among people and provides a fresh perspective in people’s lives. This reduces the feelings of boredom.
3) Sense of accomplishment
Participating and preparing for festivals provides an individual a sense of victory. Accomplishing any task, cooking food, spreading happiness, etc can boost motivation and self-esteem among people.
4) Mindfulness
Festivals motivate an individual to be present in the moment. It engages an individual in various activities such as tasting food, listening to good music, and appreciation to younger beings. This increases mindfulness among people.
5) Sense of tradition
When we celebrate festivals together, it reinforces a sense of tradition and collectivism toward our own culture and community. This boosts self-worth which is good for our mental health.
The psychology behind festivals
The programming of the mind is the primary reason why festivals provide happiness and joy. Since birth, our minds have been in tune with all of the recognized festivals of joy, celebration, and community. Festivities instill in us a sense of happiness, joy, reconciliation, spiritual growth, and much more. It is normal for our thoughts and souls to rejoice under such circumstances.
Similarly to how our minds are educated to get up in the early hours of the morning, get dressed, and go to work, our minds are conditioned to celebrate throughout the festival season.
As we all know, festivals bring joy to our life, and we witness many cheerful and bright-eyed individuals around us during the season. This has a direct impact on our mood. Also, it’s a period when you invest quality time with those in your family, chit-chatting and doing things that make you happy. Festivals become a part of our lives and one of the explanations why people gather to spend quality time together.
Tips to improve mental health during festivals
1) Physical activity
To cope with the included stress, the body grows ways to cope that may lead to excessive work or sleep, so it is always essential to stick to an appropriate schedule and make time for physical activity and other relaxing activities, as this helps to build an upbeat mentality and maintain high spirits.
2) Help others
Helping people or performing tiny acts of generosity is an excellent approach to raising your self-esteem and improve your mental health. You may listen to a friend or family member, serve at a nonprofit organization or community center, or bring a holiday goodie to a lonely neighbor.
3) Practice meditation
For people who are concerned about their mental health throughout the festival season, practicing mindfulness may result to less stress, heightened awareness, and improved performance. Mindfulness is the capacity to be completely immersed in the present moment without being overwhelmed or reacting to the surroundings. Mindfulness may be practiced through many approaches such as meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises.
4) Set healthy boundaries
Select the people you want to socialize with. This limits unnecessary interactions.
5) Say no to alcohol
Drinking alcohol or consuming any sugar substances can impact your levels of mood negatively as well as your energy levels.
6) Seek support
If you are in need of help, do not hesitate to take it from friends or family or any mental health professional. During festive times, people may forget about their worries and fears and immerse themselves in the festival atmosphere. Festival seasons are said to transform your problems into joy. Even if you have certain domestic tasks during this time, such as adorning your home or cleaning and dusting all your personal belongings and chores, don’t forget to make a resolve for good health. Because sound health is essential for doing these activities with ease and pleasure, as well as enjoying the holiday season to the fullest.
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