In June 2018, when I was about to start my WSIF journey, I myself was in a pretty bad state mentally. Chronic stress had developed depressive symptoms in me and my insomnia was at it’s peak, but there was hardly any person I could explain what I was feeling inside. I am a very outgoing, bubbly person, belong to a very supportive family, have a large group of friends and live an almost perfect life but none of these things seemed to make me feel better at that point! That’s what mentally not being healthy, not being in the right headspace does to you. Nothing makes sense anymore, nothing gives you the peace you long for day and night. That’s exactly when I came to know about WSIF and asked Koly Apu to make me a part of it. At that point it was purely a selfish act from my side, purely an involvement I wanted to make myself feel better. I had no thought of helping the society, breaking the taboo or whatsoever. I just knew I wanted to be around people who understand mental health issues well and who could help me cope with my mental health challenges. Ofcourse I had some experience of working with vulnerable communities which made me a promising team member, but all of that was secondary. The prime target was solely my mental healing. That’s how it started and that’s how time flew, I discovered myself flourishing in a non-judgemental and inclusive world of mental health advocates.
At the very beginning I would spend the whole day on the WSIF group, it was 4/5 of us trying to build an empire of mental health initiative out of scratch. It wasn’t easy, it didn’t happen in a day! It took numerous trials and errors regarding each move, sorting out differences in opinions about each step and conflict management at every meeting and what not. But ultimately it is today what Koly Apu dreamt it to be, it is what she taught us to dream it to be. And among all the hustle bustle and major life changes, geographical relocation I didn’t realize when WSIF became a part of me. The platform I joined once for my mental health has now become a part of my identity. I thought I was doing all that for WSIF 2 years back to distract myself from negativities, but ultimately it helped me find my true passion for mental health advocacy.
A core team member, a session host, a group moderator, a mental health researcher, a psycho-social counselor- these are only a few of the roles WSIF had taught me to play. But above all, WSIF is a family that taught me to be grateful for all the little things in life, to look for light in darkness and most importantly to be the light in others darkness. My heart fills with immense pride and satisfaction when I talk about WSIF in different national and international platforms, it gives me a sense of fulfillment, a feeling of being content. It has evolved me as a person at so many levels that I have decided to dedicate myself to a lifelong journey of Mental Health Matters.
Dr. Sutrishna Prithu
