Mental health has been a tabooed subject in India for the longest time. Discussing it with any one, even with the members of your own family is often retributed with ridicule, some lame joke or sheer ignorance. Being quiet about it and pretending nothing’s wrong has often been the go to alternative many mental health patients have chosen to go with.
I have had multiple episodes of really bad mental health over the years where I just could not function as a normal human being anymore. It seemed like the walls were coming in from all sides and I was getting crushed in between. Most family members thought I was just exaggerating something that should be ignored. And the rest tried to help but did not know how to.
While trying to find solace in other places, I came to realize that whenever I visited any place that was based in a hilly region with pristine and beautiful views, my mind felt like it could breathe so much better. I felt a great deal of personal space and freedom that seemed lacking in my regular life. So I started visiting hills regularly in order to keep my mental health in check and make sure that I was living the best life I could.
With time however, commuting back and forth to hills started to take a toll on my body. The traveling started to seem more tiring than relaxing. This is when I decided that I need some place where I can stay for a longer period of time, go as and when I please and not worry about burning a hole in my pocket everytime I stay. Hotels were definitely out of the list as they lacked that feeling of personal belonging and seemed too commercial. Other properties were costlier to stay in and even more so for longer periods of time.
I came across a Chester Hills advertisement that said I could own a home in hills of Solan with easy EMI options. And that’s when it hit me. Why travel like nomads when I can have a permanent place of solace. A place to let go and replenish my inner self. I have been living here on and off for the last 2 years now and these have been the best two years of my life. With a homely place to live with surroundings this good, my mental health has never been better.
This is my Chester Hills story. What’s yours?