“Growing up I was always body shamed for my looks, for being a tall girl who was overweight too. I didn’t know how to deal with these judgements which led me into a dark space.
As I grew older I had the lowest self-esteem and body image and slipped into depression. I found myself battling two different personalities- one that I showed the world and the one that was constantly battling inside to fit in. It was a struggle that I had to fight alone, eventually, depression led me to an eating disorder.
Despite my efforts to change my appearance, people continued to mock me, even after losing weight which is when I started realising no matter what you do there are always going to be judgements thrown at you.
I got married and moved abroad when I was 20. I got pregnant quite early and I moved back to Chennai to give birth to my beautiful daughter.
The postpartum depression hit me hard, and I found myself in a very dark space once again. The feeling of helplessness and loneliness and not knowing what I was doing with my life hit me hard. This time I didn’t want to let my mind take over. I was terrified of being judged as a new mother to open up, but again this time I knew that I needed to take care of my mental health. I started taking up therapy and it was a game-changer in my life. I didn’t want to give up on my education which is when I decided to travel back to complete my Master’s degree a few months after I gave birth to my daughter.
Eventually, the more I spoke about this openly when I discovered that mental health is a topic that needs more attention and a lot of destigmatisation. I started an NGO ‘Transfomind Foundation’ working on spreading awareness of mental health working with different mental health professionals on various online platforms.
Later, I hit a phase in life again where I had to make a lot of hard decisions. When my daughter turned 3, I decided to walk out of a toxic marriage. Society didn’t spare me yet again, but this time I made sure to put myself and my daughter first more than anything.
With a newfound sense of purpose, I have decided to start “The Love Hope Company,” a mental wellness space that provides a safe, non-judgmental and inclusive community for people to share their journey and heal and live a life filled with love and hope.
Through my platform, I want to create a space where people can feel comfortable sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings without any judgment.
Today, I’ve turned out to be a strong and independent woman who has overcome my struggles and is now helping others on their journey towards mental wellness. With the right mindset and support, one can overcome anything that life throws at us. And most importantly, one should always be kind to other humans and not be the reason for their gloom.”