The Mental Compass

Peer pressure is a major fact in adolescent life. While teens know in theory what to say to drugs, sex, and unhealthy choices, in practice the actual word 'no' almost hurts to spit out, and psychologically the pain is there, and if you know and acknowledge this, you are likely to stay safe without alienating friends. Why peer pressure feels so strong in the teen years.  The adolescent’s increased sensitivity to what others are saying can be observed with brain-imaging techniques. Reward centers and centers that respond to social stimuli in the adolescent's brain light up when they are in a peer group. The significance and excitement experienced within a peer group of friends make being included or excluded from this circle of friends feel so profound. Research within social neuroscience has indicated that within experimental situations, social rejection and exclusion experienced by the adolescent can affect brain regions, including those associated with the processing of ph...

When was the last time you paused and looked back at all the beautiful things life has offered? Shouldn’t that be part of our daily routine? Shouldn’t that be something that comes naturally and not be something that needs a reminder? Gratitude is considered so important that there is a day to celebrate and to remind us to be grateful.  On September 21st, World gratitude day is celebrated and this idea of world gratitude day originated in 1965 during thanksgiving dinner in the meditation room of the United Nations building. Sri Chimnoy, a spiritual leader and meditation teacher, suggested a day of thanks the whole world could celebrate together.  But what difference can a small gratitude make? There are research studies which proves the big change small gratitude can make. Research done by Ayesha Rashid and Palwasha Nasir Abbasi (2025) found that gratitude increases life satisfaction. According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) gratitude can increase...

We have all had that moment when someone shows us a picture and says, “Isn’t this beautiful?” and we quietly think, Not really. The same thing happens with movies, music, paintings, architecture, clothes, food presentation, even people. One person can stare at a minimalist room and feel instantly peaceful, while another wonders why anyone would willingly live in a room with three chairs and a blank wall. One person gets emotional listening to a classical melody, while another reaches for the skip button within ten seconds. So, is beauty really subjective? Apparently, our brains have a much more complicated answer than a simple yes or no. This is where Neuroaesthetics enters the picture. It is an interdisciplinary field that explores what happens in the brain when we experience beauty, art, music, design and other forms of aesthetic experience. Instead of asking only “What is beautiful?”, neuroaesthetics asks, “What happens inside us when something feels beautiful?” And the answer invo...

DIRECTOR  : K V GUHAN CAST : THRIGUN, RESHMI MENON, NARAYAN, SHARRAN KUMAR AND OTHERS "Inidhu Inidhu" (2010) offers a heartfelt portrayal of the vibrant yet complex world of college life, focusing on a diverse group of freshmen who come together amidst the challenges of adapting to a new environment. The film captures the joy of friendship and camaraderie, but it also subtly explores the psychological struggles that many youths face during this transitional phase. As these students, from different states, navigate ragging, academic pressures, and social expectations, they experience a range of emotional responses, highlighting the importance of mental health awareness in such settings. The characters’ interactions reveal underlying issues such as anxiety, peer pressure, and the fear of not fitting in, which are common among college students. The film’s depiction of ragging, often seen as a rite of passage, also hints at emotional trauma and stress, emphasizing the need for su...

Ever happened that everytime you and your friend listen to a song together and you feel the music cutting through your skin and bones and giving you goosebumps while your friend wouldn't be bothered at all? Or every time you enter a bright room, it pierces your eyes or gives you a headache while everyone else is completely fine? Do you often find yourself immersed in stuff so deep that you point out things others usually miss out?  You too might've marvelled at the way two different people go on to experience the same thing differently. This is brought by your levels of 'sensitivity' which determines how easily your senses catch something going on in your environment. It's your threshold or boundary at which you let an external object register on your mind.  The colors  Some of us act like prisms, absorbing and breaking a single beam of light into a wide spectrum of varying colors and feeling each one of its colors intensely while the others only see a single, stead...

“I’m fine.” Two simple words we often say when someone asks, “How are you?” Sometimes they are true. Sometimes they are simply easier than explaining what is really happening inside us. When we are exhausted, overwhelmed, heartbroken, or struggling, finding the right words can be difficult. So we give the familiar answer and move on. “I’m fine” can become a shield. Not because we want to deceive others, but because we may not be ready to talk, may not know how to explain what we feel, or may worry about how others will respond. Why Do We Say “I’m Fine”? There is no single reason. People may hide distress for different reasons. We Don’t Want to Be a Burden :  Some people worry that sharing their problems will burden others. Others may have learned to handle everything on their own. When vulnerability feels like weakness, asking for support can become difficult. We Don’t Have the Energy to Explain : Sometimes, the hardest part is not feeling the emotion—it is explaining it. When we ...

You must always hear the phrase; “In difficult situations, chase after a ‘glimmer’ of hope” or “In pitch-black darkness, you can always see a ‘glimmer’ of light. This glimmer is a small sign of something, always associated with positivity.  The term ‘Glimmer’ was coined and popularized by Deb Dana, LCSW, a clinician and author, building on the Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges, which Deb Dana applied for healing. In psychological understanding, Glimmer signifies a small cue or a fleeting moment which is miniature but has an optimistic effect on your nervous system. They are also known as micro-moments of safety, beauty, or connection.   Glimmers are considered the complete contradiction to triggers. A single trigger can shake your nervous system inside out and disturb your mental health by instilling negative experiences, but glimmers provide you with a sense of calmness just like finding safety during a thunderstorm or peace after a battle. They can help you in your hea...

For centuries, philosophers, scientists, and thinkers have debated a fundamental question: is the universe made of matter, or is it ultimately a construct of ideas? This age-old tension between materialism and idealism shapes not only scientific inquiry but also our understanding of consciousness, perception, and mental life. Materialism asserts that reality exists independently of thought and is composed of physical substances governed by natural laws. Idealism, by contrast, emphasizes that reality is fundamentally shaped by ideas, consciousness, or mental processes.  Exploring this debate illuminates the intersections between science, philosophy, and mental awareness. Materialism has driven much of modern science. The belief that the universe is composed of matter subject to physical laws has led to incredible discoveries in physics, chemistry, and biology. Materialist frameworks encourage observation, measurement, and experimentation, producing reliable models that explain phen...

At fifteen, people started calling him "the fun guy." He always had some fresh reel for you, something ridiculous to send as a meme, or plans for the coming weekend—through gaming, or having long calls, or food delivered till late. To an external eye, he was living the best life. If you'd asked him what happiness was, he would have answered, "Having fun." Not being bored. Life being nice. "That's what psychologists term 'hedonic happiness': the enjoyment, experience, and seeking out of pleasure and comfortable feelings, and avoiding pain and discomfort. It's the "feel good now" aspect of well-being. But one evening, scrolling through his phone after another “perfect” day, he noticed a strange heaviness. The jokes felt repetitive, the likes didn’t feel exciting anymore, and the thought came to him: If I stopped doing all of this, would anything really matter?  Two kinds of happiness: Psychologists tend to speak about hedonic well-be...