"Just Be Vigilant to Illuminate Light in the Right Direction" - Sehar Saleem Mir

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1. Tell us about your background and journey?

Being from Kashmir, as a student I had my share of limitations which has eventually paved my way to take up challenges in a calm manner. I have turned my obstacles into motivation which gave me the strength to study outside the comfort zone. I am fortunate to have the most wonderful parents who support me in all endeavours of life.


Though I have gone through thick and thin but enjoyed the fruits of success too. I have learnt the two most important things. Firstly, never miss out an opportunity intentionally out of fear to handle it or being ridiculed by people. Secondly, the most important boost is to be my own best friend and keeping myself top in the priority list.


2. What led you to take up this career path?


To begin with, I am a post graduate in clinical psychology and currently pursing my diploma in rehabilitation counselling from the Rehabilitation Council of India. My aspiration to serve people in the health industry led me to choose psychology as my career goal and I was determined to assist in mental wellbeing.


Recently I have started my own page on social media named as ‘Mind Springs Hope’ to spread mental health awareness which I believe is a strong medium to address the stigma. I was always inclined towards pursuing counselling as my profession since mental health needs to be recognized. I was inquisitive in discovering the reason behind human behaviour at different circumstances and study the emotional and social process of the behaviours.


My desire grew to help and assist individuals to find solutions through counselling and mentoring. I aspire to leave a positive impact in the lives of my clients and the followers of my page on social fora. During my initial days of internship, I always looked forward to meeting the clients and observing their reactions to a positive outcome which motivated me to study further.



3. What are some common myths in society about psychology? 

There are number of myths and misconceptions revolving around the field of psychology. This is more likely because people lack expertise knowledge and experience with the subject. The most mistaken myth is that mind is considered as the brain.


The mind uses the brain similarly like a car uses its engine. Another misunderstanding is that mental illness is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain while this may be true for some cases but mental illness is often a lot more complicated than just a simple mere chemical problem which needs to be handled with care.



4. How can people practice Mindfulness?


Mindfulness is a natural quality that we all possess just that we need to harness it. It is available to us in every moment of our lives if we begin to appreciate it in true sense. The idea of mindfulness is to allow our thoughts, feelings and sensations to coincide without any judgement and it involves the acceptance into our lives.


The two main ways to practice mindfulness is to focus on breathing with complete attention. Secondly, live for present and find joy in simple things in our daily lives.



5. What are your tips for people who want to practice this profession? 

Being a psychologist is a wonderful opportunity to support human beings to fight the mental health issues and address their challenges with dedication and also to render support to emerge as victorious. Fighting mental health issues is way more complicated than the physical health. It is most likely to be a difficult task but one has to remain calm and develop the art of persuasion.


According to my experiences so far, the best approach with your client is to assure that they are in secured hands and allow them to be comfortable in their own space. The power to communicate with confidence and assertiveness can help a client feel comfortable which helps one to open up clearly without fear of being judged.


As a psychologist it is important to give a patient hearing, to be very careful of the usage of words accurately and mastering the body language while conducting sessions online or in person. All these factors play an important role in diagnosing a problem. Last but not the least never give up on research and zeal to know further in depth from both perspective of academics and practice.



6. Is work- life balance a myth or reality according to you?

Since I am a beginner, balancing both work and play is quite taxing but to be very frank in my case it doesn’t exist in all circumstances but definitely a goal I want to achieve in reality. No matter how hard I try to balance but it mingles with my personal life. To be honest this profession definitely needs sufficient amount of time and patience for growth as result won’t come in an overnight.


Being a mental health professional, my second priority (not to forget myself) are my clients who are seeking help and gathered courage to talk about it. I do try to compartmentalize my life in terms of time management on a regular basis depending on my work schedule. The best I do to balance is follow my calendar to organise my life with blank spaces to grab my cup of coffee. Juggling both is an art which I am learning to master with each day.


7. How according to you can one manage stress? 

Stress is part and parcel of our lives and no matter how strong one maybe we are all exposed to stress and hectic life but managing it is a challenge which I am still learning. Every individual needs to know how to handle stressful situations tactfully and find ways to overcome them otherwise it may hamper one’s mental health.


I would like to suggest some ways to handle stress by indulging in physical activities, reading, conversations. Remember that the light you see in others is also within all of us so just be vigilant to illuminate it in the right direction. Above all be yourself and believe in yourself in all times to come.


- Sehar Saleem Mir, Mental Health Professional

- Interviewed by Shilpy Sharan