We need to talk!

"And, another night she spent crying until she fell asleep. That's what life had become for her. A repetition of monochromatic situations, leading to nothing, but tears, and dejections. How come her life had come to this? The bubbly girl, who knew nothing, but how to bring smiles to their faces was today struggling. Quietly."

This is an excerpt from a story that I have writing about mental health. It's about a girl, her struggles in life, and how she manages to live through them. In a quintessential Indian setting, where everyone is stereotypically judgemental, trying to survive as someone who's got psychiatric problems is definitely the most difficult thing to do.

Life is not a bed of roses, we know that right? Yet, somehow, when life takes a toll on you, you cannot just deal with it. And, that is absolutely normal. A human being is just a bunch of cells with a bundle of emotions inside us. Expressing them is not a crime!

We live in a country, where men are asked to hide the emotions, while women are mocked for expressing "too much". If you go to a psychiatrist or a therapist, you are "crazy". If you spend some time with yourself, you are "depressed". If you feel like 'killing yourself', you are a coward. Amidst all of what's been happening with you, no one actually comes down and sits next to you, asks you for once - "What's wrong?" This is how brutal the mental stigma is in the nation, and yes, it still is.

I write this with the hope that if any of you feel like talking, sharing, or asking for help, I am a message away. I write this with the hope that none of you would need to cry yourself to sleep. You will have a helping hand here, or there -- you just need to ask!