Frozen Thoughts

Winter in Kashmir amplifies emotional exhaustion, but small daily habits can offer relief even without professional help.

- Fazila Fayaz

Old wind cuts through Kashmir’s streets these days, biting into bones and carrying the chill of long nights and short days.

Life feels heavier this time of year. People wake to frost on windows and struggle with routines that once seemed simple.

The mind can feel as harsh as the winter, stuck in repeating cycles of worry, anxiety, and exhaustion.

Mental health issues are real, but help is distant, expensive, or hard to even ask for.

Trained mental health professionals are few. Finding a counselor or psychiatrist requires time, money, and sometimes permission from family or society.

Conversations about emotional struggles can be met with judgment or dismissal. Complaints are often labeled as overthinking, weakness, or attention-seeking.

Many suffer silently, convinced that reaching out will make things worse.

Years of violence, unemployment, uncertainty, and collective trauma have added layers to these struggles. Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress affect people widely.