“Money can buy you material things, but happiness and peace are internal choices! Growing up, I faced judgment from every end, starting with my looks. My height and weight were major points of conversation, with peers mocking me from one end and my family being more concerned over how I’d get a groom, from the other.

You see, women specifically are judged for all their characteristics and choices, regardless of whether they opt to conform or rebel. Following my undergraduation, people again had a million opinions when I got married per my family’s wish and was blessed with a baby early on. The tipping point was when I had to balance both my master’s and motherhood and no one even thought for a second before labeling me a ‘bad mother’, all because I didn’t dedicate my day ‘fully’ to my child.

Their insensitive remarks weighed heavily, to the extent that I decided to end my life. But, here again, when I expressed to others that I wasn’t in a good headspace, mentally, their first response was “Why would you have any problems? You’re from a rich family!” The sad reality is that society only believes in problems if it openly spots a person suffering. It might even lend a helping ear to those in physical or financial distress, but if anyone ‘looks’ normal or worse, comes from a wealthy background, they get tagged as ‘privileged’, no matter the amount of trauma involved.

Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly respect people from all backgrounds, and I’m completely aware of being born into a well-to-do family. However, we all have a responsibility to understand that Depression and other conditions aren’t just rich people’s problems. Also, as a woman, having your dreams clipped after marriage does manifest itself negatively in the future. It makes a parent pass on the emotional baggage of all the things they had to forcibly give up leading to bigger rifts.

Now in terms of moving past my troughs, what helped me was therapy. I remember being reluctant initially with the notion that professional help is only needed for patients. But I couldn’t have been more wrong, for after experiencing it myself I decided to spread the light by starting my own NGO. Mental wellbeing is vital to one’s existence and I plan to break the stigma surrounding it bit by bit.”

#BodyPositive #Family #Happiness #Depression #Educate #MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #Society #Opinions #Motherhood #Emotions #Psychology #MentalWellBeing #BreaktheStigma #Madras #HumansofMadras