Spiritual guru, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, on Tuesday addressed a high-level think tank held at the European Parliament in Brussels, where he spoke about the pervasive mental health impact of the growing global challenges of polarisation, social unrest and violence, economic and social crisis, Outlined solutions. Political uncertainty and climate change.
The symposium saw the presence of over 200 participants including mental health experts, stakeholders, academicians and policy makers and members of the European Parliament. The spiritual leader drew their attention to the fact that Ayurveda, meditation and breathing can be given an extra boost by making traditional methods used to address mental health issues across the world.
Taking the conversation about mental health deeper, Gurudev explained the incredible benefits of powerful breathing techniques in mental health disorders. When the mind is calm and clear, people are better equipped to make informed decisions with an understanding of life’s interconnectedness,” says Gurudev. “The key to reaching this inner peace lies within our own breath. Our breath has the power to control emotions and thoughts, reduce anxiety, and eliminate stress and tension.”
HE Mr. Santosh Jha, Ambassador of India to Belgium, EU and Luxembourg also shared, “The issue of mental health has been something that has come to the fore during the COVID pandemic globally. The awareness of this through ancient forms and the solutions around it are what we are very keen on through our efforts to bring this to the rest of the world.”
Talking about the fast changing pace of life Mr. Jha said that very fast traffic requires traffic rules and that “Gurudev is here to tell us about the traffic rules that we should follow.” will help us survive in this very rapidly changing environment around us.” He also listed various policy measures and initiatives taken by the Government of India in the field of mental health, including the passing of the Mental Health Care Act in 2017.
Gurudev called upon everyone to work towards ending the stigma surrounding mental health illnesses and the need to build social connections, so that no one who is depressed or going through poor mental health feels neglected.
The context of the session was set by the fact that the world is facing an unprecedented rise in depression, suicide and mental health issues. According to the WHO World Mental Health Report published in June 2022, depression and anxiety increased by 25% in the first year of the pandemic, bringing the number of people with mental disorders to almost one billion.
While global spending on reducing the mental health crisis has been insufficient. In 2020, governments around the world spent an average of only two percent of health budgets on mental health, while lower- and middle-income countries allocated less than one percent. However, poor mental health costs the world economy an estimated US$2.5 trillion per year in reduced economic productivity and physical ill health, and is expected to rise to $16 trillion by 2030.