Log Kya Khenge( What will people say), you just need to pray harder, tough up and grow thicker skin, these are the words that come to mind when I think about mental health. These types of messages are what I heard growing up from family, family friends and even the adults at school. Early on we are taught that mental health issues are bad and are something that we don’t talk about. Therefore mental health conditions such as depression are an invisible driving force in our lives,
These Mental health stigma in South Asian communities became an external and internal force that prevents us from healing and making the decisions that allow us to make the best decision for ourselves. As an external force this may manifest as constantly worrying about what others will think of us, especially family. One may downplay how they are feeling and/or overextend themselves for the benefits of others. Thus effectively causing one to lose their sense of confidence and control. From an internal force, one may not be allowed to show their emotions and.or hold themselves to the standard that they are never good enough.
Therapy within the Indian diaspora is vital not only to unlearn the traumas we experienced in our lifetime, but also to unlearn the trauma responses that have been passed down after each generation. This is so vital given the history of the South Asian community, and history that has a huge component of displacement and migration. Whether that's the ancestors taken to Fiji, Caribbeans and Trinidad as indentured servants or the ancestors that were forced to migrate due to the partition. As ancestors learned to adapt to the changing world when out of the home front and to hold on tight to tradition in the homefront. Due to their efforts they saved the lineage of our community, and now its our generation's turn to do the same for the next. In our case it's learning how to balance our inner survivor and inner child. We can acknowledge that the tools of the past have gotten us thus far and in certain situations is what we need. While recognizing, we also deserve the opportunities that make our hearts happy.
It is also important to highlight that even migration for things such as careers and education can still hold trauma. A migration without a positive reason can still have varying levels of trauma attached to it. Especially when you go to a place that is not only away from what you knew but the culture you grew up with no longer exists, at least not at the same capacity. Think of it as someone who has gone through surgery only with the right resource one can recover. The same goes for this transition.
That’s where Antar can help. Antar connects you with South Asian therapists. These therapists have a unique perspective in providing care as not only will they be able to help you heal from a psychological aspect, they will truly understand the emotional aspect. They will have a strong handle on the cultural, religious, spiritual, familiar and social synergies that play a role in your life. On top of that they may be a therapist that you connect with that not only gets these components, they may speak your native language so you can speak in the language that feels most comfortable for you. Spend less time explaining and more time healing.
