Why are incidents of mental depression & suicide attempts on the rise?

Do you ever stop to think and rejoice about a day of ordinary miracles-Like a fresh pot of coffee that you didn't have to make yourself. An unexpected phone call from an old friend. Green signal lights on your way to work or shop. The fastest line at the grocery store. Your favorite “sing-along” song on the radio. Your keys- right there, on the spot you are looking for it.

These little bite-size pieces of perfection that give you the wondrous feeling that the Lady Luck is smiling at you?

Well, not many of us stop to think of any of these as factors contributing to our happiness. A long queue ahead, we instantly grumble about it , Red traffic signal, and we are at out wits end waiting for the lights to turn green. Car keys missing, we bring the roof down. In everyday life, one can only expect such small disasters to fill in the gaps of our otherwise dull lives. But, the further our civilizations get, the shorter is our fuse or patience. We like everything served on a platter.

Compare the life of a school going child to that of a child about 15-20 years ago. The change we see is remarkable. The present day children live and see life differently. They hardly know the concept of “out in the open – under the blue skies”. We are all crammed into the city with its crowd and pollution. What we call home now-a-days ( tiny bird’s nest sized apartments, high rise buildings) hardly have anything to offer by way of open grounds as play area for children. What ever open spaces are available are used as car parks.
We even teach children that it is safe to stay back home rather than play outside, lest a glass pane gets broken during a game of football or cricket. We see children carrying loads of books to and from school. The pressure to perform is immensely high. Children are made to learn music, freestyle dance, karate, chess, swimming, drawing, paining, tuition classes for their studies and the list goes on. In a 24-hour day except for the 8-9 hours of sleep that a child gets, there is pressure to go from class to class, learn and also be an achiever.

Children 15-20 years ago were vastly at an advantage because, life was less complicated. A child had less choices to make and lesser things to do. 24 hours was a wide expanse of time which would mainly be spent in interactions with other children by way of simple games played with no high-tech toys, but only with bats, balls, dolls etc. Children were less stressed and were worry-free.

Present day children are accustomed to computers, high tech toys, traveling in cars or other motorized vehicles to and from places. Children hardly get an opportunity to stretch their legs except perhaps when they go to attend one class after other. Cell phones, I pods, blue-tooth devices, laptops and the list goes on and on. Children are under peer pressure to own these gadgets or risk being rejected by peers. They in turn, pressurize their parents to acquire these gadgets. The parents now have to find ways and means to earn more to support an every increasing cost of living and to accommodate the never ending wants of their children.

Pressure is what is the driving force of life in cities. It used to be real passion and interest in work, but, not any more. One life time is just not enough in spite of all the luxuries and comforts that are available. People are dissatisfied and disillusioned. They are driven to antidepressants or attempt to take the easy way out – suicide !!

Now we hear of the economic recession in USA and its effect on global economy. Huge financial giants closing shop. Thousands of people losing their jobs daily. People fearing for their livelihood. People having to made-do with cut in salary, perks and other benefits. These nagging uncertainties of life is having a telling effect on the health of people. Not all people are able to brave these sudden misfortunes thrust upon them. Hypertension is on the rise and people with floundering health conditions pass on their insecurities, unhealthy life-style and declining health conditions to their children.

Children are the worst affected in case of financial crisis as they fail to adapt to the magnitude of its effects on their suddenly altered lifestyle. Poor health, failing concentration, pressure to perform and get ahead – these are the mantras that rule the lives of the present generation.

Just like a silver lining behind a cloud, new vistas in real estate, housing and alternative lifestyle are emerging. Very few builders consider people as creatures requiring more than mere 4-walls and box-like living rooms. For mental and physical wellbeing the solution lies in our surroundings and environment. Few real estate people really appreciate the value of peace, calm and quite an environment totally void of pollution, a surrounding offering pristine mountain breeze, clear open skies and greenery all round.

Melur Meadows is one such gated community emerging near Coimbatore. It is located at the foothills of the Nilgiris and is calm and quite. Melur Meadows is unique because it offers to its buyers a range of cottages to choose from and a variety of amenities and facilities which, you could only expect to find in resorts. The best feature of this project being its affordability. Keeping in mind the what the present-day city dweller lacks and what can fulfill his needs, Melur Meadows is a green retreat, and as a topping on the cake, Melur Meadows offer property management services to its buyers. Which means, when you are unable to occupy your cottage, they offer to take care of the rentals, housekeeping and total property management.

Visit www.melurmeadows.com for full details about this awesome gated community. One of its kind in South India