DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, LONELINESS, SUICIDE, STIGMA

We are only halfway in but 2020 has so far been the best teacher, ever!

 

It is showing to us how messed up we are as a society, it is highlighting and holding up our flaws front and center, it is conveying to us no matter how advanced this era has been in the fields of science and technology but there’s much work to be done in the department of ‘being humans’!

 

About time we learn from these experiences and our mistakes, and begin to look inward, and fix ourselves and our ways before it is too late (in some cases, sadly, it already is) 😢

 

The news on Sunday left me shook and heartbroken, just like it has almost all fans of our beloved Bollywood Star, one of the finest actors of our times, @sushantsinghrajput died by SUICIDE! 💔

 

I can’t even wrap my head around it – he was immensely talented, he came across as someone who is very intelligent, he always had the biggest smile on his face (and some kind of sparkling innocence in his eyes), but he was apparently being treated for DEPRESSION (with 9.1 M IG followers at the time of his death, and increasing numbers ever since).

 

Let that sink in for a little bit!

I’ve cried sporadically since I heard, I’m still in tears as I write this.

 

To him, taking his life seemed easier than ‘dealing’ with it! Would it still be the case if he wasn’t an ‘outsider’ in Bollywood? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I can’t help but ask!? 😔

 

 

Since Sunday, I have been seeing ‘reach out, talk, share’ splashed all over the news and social media, while that’s important, IMHO, it is NOT an empowering one!

 

There is a fundamental problem with that, the hold up for the person dealing with the demons inside is not so much as not not wanting to talk, but it is mostly us, people on the other side not creating that opportunity or platform for them to open up! ⛔

 

We are a society that is judgmental, discriminating, non-inclusive, critical, and unforgiving. Sushanth probably felt all that & more being an outsider in Bollywood. It’s also probably what pushes someone into depression? 😓

 

But I can’t sit here and simply say, please talk and I will listen… instead, I NEED to do more, I HAVE to do more, it is my responsibility to create a space that feels inclusive enough so you can reach out to me to talk, to share, to open up, and more importantly to HEAL!

 

And I need to be patient, and I need to be available as you go through that process! If my life is better in any way than yours, then it is my responsibility to ensure that I do everything in my power to create that space for you to make yours better too!! 🔓

 

So, my friends, the onus is NOT on them, but on US!!! 👐🏾

 

Unless we make someone feel heard, loved, cared for, validated, included, why will anyone come and share with you or me? ❤️