The Mental Compass

Written by : Dr. Jaikumar Velayudham, Consultant Psychiatrist, Chennai and Vellore Dr. Jaikumar Velayudham is a consultant psychiatrist with a deep interest in the intersection of history, psychology, and leadership. Through his writings, he explores the minds of iconic figures to uncover timeless mental health insights. He is a regular contributor to Mental Health Compass Magazine The life of Emperor Ashoka stands as one of history’s most compelling demonstrations of psychological transformation. Few rulers have travelled so dramatically from sanctioned violence to ethical governance. For mental health professionals, Ashoka offers a rare longitudinal case study of moral injury, guilt, post-traumatic growth, and the therapeutic potential of spirituality. Ashoka began his reign as a typical imperial expansionist. Raised in the politically charged Mauryan court under Emperor Bindusara, his early psychological environment was marked by rivalry, insecurity, and ruthless competition. Perso...

Most of us have played Snakes and Ladders at some point in our lives. It may have been during childhood summer vacations, family gatherings, or rainy afternoons spent indoors. We rolled the dice, climbed ladders with excitement, and groaned in frustration when a snake sent us sliding back down the board. At the time, it seemed like a simple game of luck. Yet few people realize that Snakes and Ladders was originally created in India as much more than a source of entertainment. Known as Moksha Patam , the game was designed to teach moral and spiritual lessons. The ladders represented virtues such as kindness, generosity, honesty, and humility, helping a person move closer to moksha, or liberation. The snakes symbolized vices such as greed, anger, pride, and deceit, pulling a person away from their goals. In many ways, the game was an interactive lesson on karma, the idea that our actions have consequences. While modern life may look very different from the world in which the game was cr...

Understanding the Trend of Bed Rotting In recent years, social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have popularized the term bed rotting. It describes a behavior where individuals spend extended hours lying in bed, often accompanied by binge-watching shows, doomscrolling through social media feeds, or simply doing nothing at all. What was once described as laziness or procrastination has now been reframed as a form of self-care, particularly among younger generations who feel overwhelmed by the constant demands of daily life.  The appeal of bed rotting lies in its simplicity. Unlike structured self-care routines such as meditation, exercise, or meal prepping, bed rotting requires little energy or planning. It is accessible to nearly everyone: no special skills, tools, or spaces are needed. With rising pressures from academic competition, workplace stress, and the visibility of social media culture, many find this practice to be a low-effort way of reclaiming rest. Yet, as com...

Personality tests have become a normal part of online culture, showing up in job interviews, social media profiles, and everyday conversations, where people describe themselves using labels like INFJ or Type 4. But for many of us, this interest started much earlier, with BuzzFeed quizzes that asked questions like what kind of pizza you are, which fictional character matches your personality, or what your choices say about you. These quizzes are not scientific, yet they still feel fun and strangely accurate at times. This raises a simple question: why are people so drawn to them? Most personality systems, whether they are casual online quizzes or structured types like the MBTI or Enneagram, work more like storytelling tools than scientific measurements. They take a wide mix of behaviours, habits, and preferences and turn them into a single category. Instead of saying you are sometimes outgoing and sometimes reserved, you get one label that tries to combine all of that into a simple iden...

For some people, identity doesn’t ask for much attention. It fits into the world they grew up in, into the expectations around them, into the way people already understand things. They don’t have to explain it often. They don’t have to think about whether it will be accepted before they speak. For many LGBTQ+ individuals, it doesn’t work like that. It’s not always loud in the beginning. It’s usually quiet, something slightly off, not wrong, just not matching what’s expected. And it’s not something you can always put into words right away. It sits there first as a feeling, something you circle around before you fully understand it. While that’s happening internally, the world outside is already structured. There are assumptions everywhere, even if no one says them out loud, about gender, about relationships, about how people are “supposed” to be. These ideas are repeated so often that they stop feeling like ideas and start feeling like facts. So when your experience doesn’t fit into tha...

Everyone celebrates the baby. But who is checking on the mother? Written By Gurneet Kaur Jaitly, Counselling Psychologist The baby arrives, and the house fills with joy. Relatives visit with gifts. Family WhatsApp groups overflow with photographs. Everyone wants to know the baby’s name, weight, feeding schedule, and resemblance. But beneath this celebration, an important question often goes unasked: What is happening to the mother? In many Indian homes, a new mother is surrounded by expectations of happiness, gratitude, and strength. Yet emotionally, she may be navigating exhaustion, sleep deprivation, identity shifts, anxiety, and overwhelming responsibility—often in silence. Postpartum depression does not always appear loudly. Sometimes, it hides behind responsibility. Sometimes, behind smiles. And sometimes, behind the expectation that “this is just part of motherhood.” The Unspoken Exhaustion: Reading Between the Smiles We rarely ask the most important questions: Why is the mother ...

The bystander effect is a theory of social psychology which describes the tendency of people to be less willing to help those who are in need when there are other people around. Instead of making people more inclined to act, the presence of other people makes people feel less responsible for their actions, which results in inactivity. This illustrates how human behaviour is not just driven by personal ethics but also by social situations and perceptions. What Happened in the Case of Kitty Genovese The murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964 became an essential part of psychology studies. According to initial media reports, numerous witnesses observed or heard about the crime and took no action to contact the authorities or help the victim. This story left a shock among the public, but further studies showed a different picture. In fact, not all the witnesses knew that something bad had happened; there were people who did not know how seriously it should be taken, and there were even those who...

Written By : Ms. A. Gayathri Special Educator and Academic Consultant  A. Gayathri is a seasoned education professional and special educator with more than two decades of experience in inclusive education, learning disabilities, counselling, and psychotherapy. She has served as a special educator, NIOS consultant, lecturer, vocational trainer, and educational consultant across reputed schools, universities, and trusts in Tamil Nadu. Her work reflects strong expertise in special education and teacher training. She has been honoured with multiple state and national awards for her outstanding contributions to the field of education. The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, is the world’s largest open schooling system. Established with the mission of extending flexible and inclusive education to diverse learners,  NIOS acts as a guiding beacon for students who require a non-traditional path to ...

The animated movie "UP" offers valuable psychological lessons about mental health and relationships, highlighting the importance of resilience, communication, and emotional vulnerability. The film's protagonist, Carl Fredricksen, exemplifies grief and loss, showcasing how unresolved emotions can impact mental well-being. His initial refusal to let go of his wife’s memory and his reluctance to form new connections reflect common struggles with emotional attachment and fear of change.  This underscores the importance of addressing grief healthily and seeking support when needed, emphasizing that healing is a gradual process. Russell, the young explorer, represents innocence and the desire for belonging, which are vital aspects of mental health. His persistent efforts to earn Carl’s trust mirror the importance of patience and understanding in relationships. The film demonstrates that building meaningful connections requires vulnerability and openness, qualities essential for...