Teachers urged to prioritise mental wellness

DIMAPUR: Dimapur Government College (DGC), with support from the Department of Higher Education, Nagaland, and coordinated by its Department of Psychology, organised a workshop on “Mental Health and Wellness” on November 2.
Around 60 teachers from schools, colleges and the university across Dimapur, Chümoukedima and Niuland attended the workshop, which aimed to raise awareness on mental health and psychological well-being.
The programme began with a welcome address by principal, Dr. T. Tiakaba Jamir, who highlighted the growing mental stress experienced by both teachers and students due to changes in governance systems, increasing workloads and the absence of clearly defined working hours.
He commended the Department of Psychology for organising the workshop and noted that while it was primarily intended for teachers, its benefits would eventually reach students as well.
This was followed by introductory remarks on the theme, “Understanding Mental Health and Wellness,” by Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Psychology, Dr. Temsusenla Jamir. She welcomed participants from various educational institutions and emphasised that well-being extends beyond physical health.
She encouraged participants to reflect on three questions: how attentive they were to their own mental well-being, how they responded when someone around them was struggling, and what kind of educational institutions they were helping to create.
The main session, titled “Promoting Mental Wellness: Practical Strategies for Well-being,” was delivered by resource person Dr. Lovika P. Shikhu, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Nagaland University.
Drawing on psychological concepts as well as her professional and personal experiences, Dr. Shikhu discussed practical approaches to maintaining mental wellness. Speaking on work-life balance, she introduced the “Four Burners Theory”, in which the four burners of a gas stove represent family, friends, health and work. Since excelling in all four areas simultaneously was difficult, she stressed the importance of consciously setting priorities.
She also introduced the concept of Positive Psychology and explained the difference between “hedonia”, the pursuit of pleasure, and “eudaimonia”, the pursuit of meaning and purpose in life. She emphasised the need to align individual skills and potential with workplace challenges and noted that the National Education Policy (NEP) reflects an understanding of student well-being by allowing learners to choose educational pathways that best suit them.
Referring to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Dr. Shikhu outlined the progression from physiological needs to safety and security, love and belongingness, self-esteem and ultimately self-actualisation, which she described as the highest goal of mental well-being.
She also highlighted practical measures for promoting mental wellness, including mindfulness-based stress reduction, spirituality, gratitude, adequate sleep, a balanced diet and healthy relationships with family, friends, colleagues, support staff and the wider community.
Drawing from her experiences, she further addressed mental health challenges associated with motherhood, noting that women are not immune to postpartum trauma and antenatal depression. She stressed the importance of awareness and early recognition of symptoms such as emotional instability.
The programme concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session covering issues such as menopause and mental health, insomnia, parental awareness, support for students facing mental health challenges, social stigma associated with mental disorders, workplace stress and strategies for preventing professional burnout.