Diwali celebrations - Looking at mental health perspective

 Diwali is a festival of lights as we all know from its meaning.  Diwali is celebrated to 

mark the victory of good over evil as per our mythology.

In India Diwali has a special place among all other festivals. After Holi, this is the one which people

enjoy celebrating irrespective of religion not only in India but also abroad.

Looking at the perspective of Mental health- the whole Diwali festival, starting from the preparation

to celebrating it on that special day, we can say that helps us to keep grounded. All the activities

we do during this time are so therapeutic and enhance mindfulness to be in the present and hence 

 highly essential during these difficult COVID times.

Cleaning house Vs Cleansing our minds: Usually Diwali preparation starts immediately after

Dussehra celebrations. When People start cleaning their houses, they remove all the old

furniture, clothes and other unused things from their house which they consider as an important

ritual during Diwali.  We can compare this decluttering with decluttering of our mind from negative

thoughts and emotions that are bothering us during these tough times. Just as we replace the old ones

 with new things to bring in some newness in our life, we can try to refuel our mind with new and

 rejuvenating thoughts. The act of cleaning/decluttering our house is a beautiful mindfulness activity

 which helps us be in the present moment.

Cooking, a Therapeutic act: Next comes the preparation of variety of sweets during  the festival. The

variety of sweets people make during this festival makes it so special. As we know during lockdown 

 many people indulged in learning new dishes to keep them busy and divert themselves

from boggling negative thoughts. In this manner, during Diwali we can indulge in therapeutic cooking

to keep ourselves engaged and also enjoy the delicious flavours of variety of dishes and sweets.

Social Connectivity, a necessary need during these tough times: Then comes social bonding which

plays an important role in Diwali celebrations. People indulge in greeting and spending time with each

 other as a gesture of showing love and affection. Also  exchanging of sweets and gifts with each other

 to enjoy to the fullest is the most common gesture we follow during Diwali. Due to Corona though

 meeting others has been restricted we can keep up the spirit by sending gifts and sweets through online

 to our near and dear ones. Besides this, We can meet and greet our friends and family on various social

 media platforms. This will definitely help us to connect to our loved ones and also lessens the feeling

 of loneliness. 

Decorating our homes, a Mindfulness activity: Decoration has a special place in Diwali celebrations.

 People enjoy decorating their houses with electric lights and diyas. Light is a symbol of purity,

 wisdom, brightness, and positivity. Decorating our house with diyas keeps us on a highest pedestal of

 happiness as it helps us to believe that we are welcoming all the goodness in our lives. As we do this

 act with lot of interest by helping each other in the family, we can say that it helps us to increase love

 and bonding among family members.

Rangoli, a sense of Achievement: Then decorating inside and outside our house with rangoli using

different colours and flowers brings in lot of positive energy according to colour therapy and also it

gives us a great sense of achievement.

Puja, an act of Meditation: Being spiritual keeps us close to God and we feel protected. Offering

prayers is an act of Meditation which helps us to connect to Almighty. Doing Lakshmi Puja during

Diwali encourages us to believe that there is a Universal power which is going to protect all the

humanity in these pandemic times.

Eco friendly Diwali: As caring and concerned public we must follow eco-friendly Diwali celebrations

by lighting up earthen diyas instead of plastic lamps. Let’s all welcome Green Diwali which is

noiseless and pollution less by minimizing the burning of crackers.

Wishing you all a Happy and Safe Diwali.

- Sudhara