Do you often find those pesky ‘Monday blues’ spilling over to the rest of the week? Or rather, wish there was a trustworthy forum to allay your fears? As per WHO reports, India comprises a whopping 36 percent depressed individuals.
Clearly, the verdict is out — feeling low has become the new normal. However, in a bid to stem the tide, enterprising Bengalureans are now offering free counselling and self-help sessions through anonymous channels. We take a deeper look, as they tell us about the need of the hour...
“On a parlour visit, a young beautician who was tending to me began chatting. A secondary education pass-out, she began blurting out how her partner used to force her into doing a lot of things she wasn’t comfortable with.
Much to my dismay, she discussed a lot of things she obviously wouldn’t have, if I hadn’t told her that I run a free forum to help women and young girls understand sex education. The fact that this young girl in question wasn’t even aware of how to draw her boundaries and most importantly, whom to contact for help, is what pushed me to do something for those, who aren’t necessarily privileged to access counsellors or expert advice,” reveals Madhavi Jadhav, founder of ThatMate, a free city-based online forum, which renders free counselling and expertly guidance on sex education. Incidentally, this isn’t the only such avenue. With rampant issues of abuse rearing its ugly head, such forums are the need of the hour — even among the educated.” We live in an era of information overdose. Yet, most people have little/ half knowledge. I’ve come across many youngsters who’ve told me they would much rather seek help from an anonymous forum than go to a counsellor as the former gives them the luxury to chronicle events and even seek help on a continual basis,” adds Divya Das, who offers free telephonic and email sessions to distressed youngsters in town.
While it is the desire to reach out that eggs many on, empathy is another factor which propels others. Speaking about same, Sharmin Ali, a Bengaluru-based author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker, adds, “At one of my TEDx talks in Gujarat, there was an individual who was a college dropout. Considering he has a serious stammering issue, he was mocked. All of 19, he was visiting a shrink repeatedly. Incidentally, after my talk, he mustered the courage to tell me what he was facing. We interacted frequently post that, and one of the biggest takeaways from the experience was the realisation that lending a ear is one of the most powerful tools.” While she continues to offer free personalised advice and counselling to people through her website, sharminali.com, Ali enthuses empathy is key. “I have been self-employed for the past four years. When you are entrepreneur, who knows there’s no influx of money on a monthly basis. I’ve had my own share of struggles. I know what it is like being distressed or being through a disoriented phase and what it is like to get a helping hand. I think the trend arises out of empathy. At the end of the day, if you are open to helping someone out in distress, remember to put yourself in their shoes. That’s when the focus gets shifted to solutions. We’re yet to reach a stage where people can come out in the open and speak their minds. So, until then, I think it’s probably our responsibility to show we care.”
