FICCI FLO Chennai and Coimbatore jointly presented ‘It’s Okay Not To Be Okay’ A Mental Health Awareness webinar on 29th June 2020. Actress and founder of Life Again Foundation, Gautami Tadimalla had a conversation with the experts, Dr. N. Rangarajan, Director of Psymed Hospitals and Consultant Psychiatrist, Malar Fortis and Bharathiraja Hospitals and Dr. Sangeetha Madhu, leading clinical psychologist and Leadership coach.
Gautami started by expressing her joy and gratitude to be a part of such a wonderful initiative by the members of FICCI FLO Chennai and Coimbatore jointly. She further went to talk about such events that she and her team have hosted not only during the lockdown but for many years, across the various spectrums of society, where she helps people in finding themselves and helps enable them with tools to help them live their life to the fullest.
Speaking about mental health, Dr. Sangeetha started by saying positivity, mental health and self-care is the need of the hour. “Through the years we are always taught that success brings happiness or the society or community we live in to decide what brings us happiness but we know that’s not at all true. It’s up to each individual to decide and determine what brings them happiness. The mind is just another muscle and the more we use this muscle, the more it listens to us. The mind is a terrible master but a wonderful servant,” said Dr. Sangeetha.
Dr. Rangarajan said “Not being okay is by no means a sign of weakness. Just like being tall, short, fit, fat is okay, not being okay is also perfectly okay and it’s not the end of the world.”
Both the doctors then took questions from the audience and while doing so urged everyone not to give their mind to unqualified people and unqualified sources as that does more harm than good. Given the amount of information available online, the doctors further requested not to self-diagnose and to visit qualified mental health care personal upon recurring symptoms.
Gautami further requested everyone to read up as much information as possible from credible and validated sources, talk to friends or family who has been through something similar. “More importantly I urge everyone to visit qualified mental health professionals, if you feel like you you’re going through something that is preventing you from experiencing your own emotions, whatever it may be and when you’re not able to address it and deal with it, please talk it:” said Gautami on an ending note.
