
(Credit-Canva)
Emotional control is something everyone learns over time. Everyone deals with things differently, some people have a difficult time controlling their emotions, while others find it easier to compartmentalize and figure out a solution. However, having an emotional breakdown/meltdown is completely different then feeling stressed or panicked. An emotional meltdown is when you feel so overwhelmed that you can't control your feelings. It's like hitting a breaking point.
You might cry a lot, get really angry, or feel panicky. WebMD explains that it's not a medical problem, but it's a sign you're under a lot of stress. Everyone has meltdowns sometimes, especially when life gets tough. It doesn't mean you're weak or broken. It just means you're human. Meltdowns happen when your needs aren't being met, like needing more rest or help. It's your body's way of saying something's wrong. You can learn to handle stress better and have fewer meltdowns.
Many things can cause a meltdown. Not sleeping enough makes you grumpy and stressed. Skipping meals makes you feel shaky and unable to focus. Doing too much at once makes you feel overwhelmed. Big changes in your life, like a new job or a breakup, can make you feel wobbly. Not talking about problems with people you care about can also make things worse. If you have meltdowns often, think about what makes them happen. Maybe you need to eat more regularly or learn to talk about your feelings. Some things are easy to fix, and some take more time.
When you feel a meltdown coming, stop and take a breath. Your face might get hot, your hands cold, and your breathing fast. Pay attention to how you feel. Don't try to fix the problem right away. First, calm down. Your brain can't think clearly when you're upset. Try grounding techniques, like feeling your feet on the floor or touching your fingertips together. Deep breathing helps too. Breathe in for four seconds, hold for four, breathe out for four, and pause for four. Do this until you feel calmer. You can't change the problem right away, but you can change how you react to it.
After a meltdown, you might feel embarrassed, ashamed, or relieved. Don't just ignore it. Think about why it happened. Did you try to do too much? Learn from it. If you're embarrassed, ask yourself why. It's okay to have feelings. If you felt relieved, it means you needed to let your feelings out. But try to express them in a healthy way before you have a meltdown. You don't have to apologize for how you feel, but you might need to apologize for how you acted. If you yelled or threw things, say sorry and make a plan to do better next time. If you have meltdowns often, talk to a therapist. Be kind to yourself; everyone gets overwhelmed sometimes.
You can learn to stop meltdowns before they start. Make time to relax every day. Do things you enjoy, like exercising or reading. Listen to your body. If you feel tense, tired, or have headaches, you're probably stressed. Do something to relax. Don't ignore bad feelings. Talk about them. Naming your feelings helps you control them. Ask for help from friends and family. They can help you with tasks or just listen. Spend time in nature; it's calming. Do things that make you laugh and have fun. If you're still feeling overwhelmed, talk to a therapist. They can teach you ways to cope with stress.
Credit: iStock
One in four or 25 percent of adults with type-2 diabetes in India also suffer from liver fibrosis, according to an alarming study published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal today.
With data from more than 9,000 patients across the country, it is the largest ever real-world survey of liver fibrosis in type 2 diabetes from any low- or middle-income country.
While fatty liver disease has been touted as the most common liver condition among diabetes patients, the new study established liver fibrosis as the real danger among people with high blood sugar.
“Type 2 diabetes is closely linked to fatty liver disease (also known as MASLD). But how common is liver Fibrosis — the real danger — in Indian diabetics? Our answer: 1 in 4 has clinically significant liver fibrosis. One in 20 already has probable cirrhosis. Most had no symptoms. We propose liver fibrosis as the ‘4th major complication’ of diabetes,” said Ashish Kumar, from Ganga Ram Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (GRIPMER), from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, in a post on social media platform X.
What Did The Study Find?
Fatty liver is typically the first and reversible stage of liver disease, where excess fat builds up in liver cells. Left untreated, it progresses to liver fibrosis, which is the excessive accumulation of scar tissue (collagen) in the liver resulting from chronic inflammation. The condition then progresses to the third and late stage, irreversible scarring (fibrosis) of the liver. The final stage is liver cancer.
The DiaFib-Liver Study included a total of 9,202 adults with type-2 diabetes patients who underwent FibroScan (VCTE) to assess liver fibrosis in routine diabetes care.
Of these:
The study suggested the urgent need to integrate fibrosis screening into national diabetes programs.
“One in four adults with type 2 diabetes in India has clinically significant liver fibrosis and one in twenty already has probable cirrhosis, establishing advanced liver disease as a 'fourth major complication' of diabetes,” said the researchers.
“The DiaFibLiver Study calls for: Fibrosis — not steatosis — as the screening target. FibroScan integration into routine diabetes care. Moving beyond ultrasound-based referral,” Jha said.
“We hope this data from India adds to the global conversation on diabetes and liver disease,” he added.
Also read: The Silent Rise of Fatty Liver Disease: How India-Specific Guidelines Can Help
The findings highlight the urgent need to:
Certain lifestyle choices can accelerate liver damage, such as:
Overeating processed or fried foods
High sugar intake (soft drinks, sweets, desserts)
Physical inactivity or prolonged sitting
Ignoring health issues like diabetes or hypertension
Crash dieting or taking unprescribed supplements.
Early screening and detection are key to prevent irreversible stages. Yet liver disease can be prevented with lifestyle changes such as:
Taking too many decisions in a day can lead to mental exhaustion. (Photo credit: iStock)
New Delhi: Every day, the brain processes hundreds of choices. Most pass unnoticed: what to wear, which route to take, what to eat. But accumulated over hours and across competing demands, this constant decision-making exacts a cost. Decision fatigue is the gradual erosion of the brain’s capacity to make good choices, and over time it affects both mental functioning and physical health. Dr Shivi Kataria, Consultant – Psychiatry, CK Birla Hospitals, Jaipur, addressed the problem of plenty and said that it could take a toll on mental health in certain circumstances.
Read more: India Launches 1st Repository Of Data On Major Psychiatric Disorders
What are the signs?
The earliest signs tend to be emotional. Simple decisions start to feel disproportionately heavy. Choosing between two options takes longer than it should. Irritability surfaces. Tasks that once felt manageable begin to pile up as the mental energy required to engage with them thins. Procrastination, self-doubt, and a general withdrawal from decisions are common responses, with the brain essentially rationing what little capacity remains.
Cognitive symptoms follow. Concentration narrows. Judgement becomes less reliable. Small errors accumulate. People in this state often describe feeling mentally stuck, present in the room but unable to engage with any clarity or momentum.
The physical dimension is frequently overlooked. Headaches, low energy, disrupted sleep, and difficulty sustaining attention are all associated with sustained decision overload. These symptoms register what prolonged mental strain produces in the body and are worth taking seriously.

Who is most at risk?
Decision fatigue affects most people at some point, but the load is not evenly distributed. Professionals in high-responsibility roles, caregivers, and anyone managing multiple competing demands make a disproportionately high number of decisions each day. By the end of a long day, the quality of choices made about food, purchases, relationships, or work often reflects exhaustion more than intention.
Read more: Smartphone Overuse Linked To Rising Risk Of Eating Disorders Among Youth, Study Finds
Is there a solution?
Reducing the number of decisions that require active thought each day is the most direct intervention. Fixed routines for meals, schedules, and recurring tasks remove the need to deliberate repeatedly over the same ground. This is conservation of mental energy, and it compounds over time.
Important decisions are better made earlier in the day, when the brain is rested and cognitive resources are intact. Short breaks during sustained work periods allow partial recovery. Even brief physical activity or deliberate rest between decision-heavy tasks restores some capacity.
The brain has a finite decision-making budget each day. Spending it on low-stakes choices leaves less available for the ones that carry real consequence.
Credit: iStock
While fevers are often overlooked and brushed aside or even managed with antibiotics — a dangerous trend — an alarmingly nationwide study linked it to infectious diseases with far-reaching consequences.
The report, based on data of over one lakh individuals in India with fever, between 2023 and 2025, showed that these were not vague or self-limiting, but in more than 30 percent or one-third cases had clear links to serious infections, such as dengue, and typhoid.
According to the report by healthcare diagnostics company Thyrocare, the fevers were mostly linked with
Importantly, the findings highlighted the presence of co-infections in 10 per cent cases. The most common was a combination of dengue and typhoid.
Dr Preet Kaur, Chief Scientific Officer, Thyrocare, said that a significant number of patients carry serious infections, sometimes more than one at a time, revealing patterns that simple assumptions cannot capture.
"Beyond the visible rise in temperature, laboratory markers highlight hidden stress on organs, from drops in platelet counts to elevated liver enzymes, underscoring that fever is a systemic signal, not an isolated event," she added.
Also read: ‘Breakbone Fever’: US CDC Warns Of Dengue Surge Across 17 Countries
Further, the report noted that dengue positivity declined significantly over the three-year report period, malaria increased despite its lower overall base.
Typhoid and chikungunya rose in 2024 before easing in 2025 but remained present across the testing population.
Also read: Drug Resistance Driving Severe Typhoid Disease, Death Among Children Under-5s in India: Lancet Study
The report noted that more women were affected with typhoid than men. On the contrary, men reported more malaria cases.
More than 32 percent of females had fevers compared to 29 percent of men. Fevers in women was largely driven by higher typhoid detection (21 percent vs 15 percent).
Malaria affected men more than twice as often as women (1.1 percent vs 0.5 percent).
The lab reports also revealed key physiological markers such as platelet counts and liver function among people with fever, dengue, and malaria.
Low platelet levels were seen in
Dengue cases rose throughout the year and typically peaked around October.
Typhoid positivity steadily fell from 2023 to its lowest in 2025. Despite a mild monsoon spike each year, 2025 remained consistently lower overall.
Chikungunya cases rose gradually from lower, volatile levels in 2023, peaked sharply in 2024, and moderated to a softer trend in 2025.
Malaria positivity remained relatively low overall but increased during the monsoon months, with transmission peaking between May and September.
Over the three-year period, malaria positivity rose from 0.5 percent to 1.1 percent, indicating a gradual increase despite its lower overall base.
© 2024 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited