Take steps towards being self aware at this online mental health festival

The online festival aims to foster emotional resilience

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed a concurrent epidemic of colossal proportions - several online studies indicate lasting psychological impacts, including poor sleep quality, elevated stress and psychological distress. Against the backdrop of such concerning reports, the need for simple and inclusive conversations about mental health are more pertinent than ever before. An online mental health festival this weekend is attempting to address some of these concerns by bringing to the fore a consortium of experts and mental illness survivors to equip participants with the tools they will need to extend and receive support.

Jerry Pinto

"Through our ongoing work in this space, we realised that there is a need to extend support to vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities and children with special needs. We have also been focusing on funding scholarships for individuals keen to pursue mental health-related professions, considering the skewed demand and supply ratio. We found that while there is a significant amount of work being done in the area of mental health, a lot of it is not holistic, going beyond bio-medical approaches," says Rachana Iyer, head of CSR at IDFC FIRST Bank, which is hosting the event.

Rachana Iyer

Iyer adds that there is a lot of confusing jargon and a lack of a comprehensive, holistic approach to mental wellbeing. "This inspired us to curate a programme of events that would help bust myths and empower attendees with the tools to develop the emotional resilience they need to care for someone experiencing a mental health crisis, and become aware of the resources available to them should they need help."

The festival is offering a broad spectrum of events focusing on different aspects of mental health. These include a self-awareness workshop by Swarali Marathe, a psychotherapist and theatre professional, a session on storytelling through art by artist Reshma Valliappan who is a schizophrenia survivor, and an interactive music workshop by artist Ananyaa Gaur.

Novelist Jerry Pinto, who is conducting a session on caring for caregivers, says, "There is an everyday heroism about such caring but there are times when heroes need self-care too, which my session will focus on. I believe that this campaign is especially important at a time when we are all experiencing some sense of loss and deprivation."

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