It’s Mental Health Awareness month and unfortunately, the second wave of COVID-19 has triggered severe mental health issues in several people. Everywhere you look, be it social media, newspapers or TV channels, helpless pleas for hospital beds, oxygen and medicines can be seen. While we are only human and it is quite obvious that such visuals will impact mental health, we have to be as healthy as possible — physically and mentally — to deal with the virus if and when it comes. And it is thanks to individuals like Adiba Mansoor Sait who's doing her best to keep everyone going with her positive reinforcement and everyday self-help hacks to deal with what's going around.
On her Instagram page, @mind_splatters, Adiba, who is a first-year Master's student of Counselling Psychology at Sampurna Montfort College, Bengaluru, is curating content around mental health that not only uplifts but also puts a smile on your face. From what constitutes normal feelings during a pandemic to how you can deal with anxiety while driving to even motivational quotes and steps to loving yourself, Adiba's page has a plethora of scenarios and advice that makes it not just relatable but also immersive. She also uses vibrant colours in posts to boot.
And it is not just static posts on mental health awareness that makes Adiba’s page interesting. She’s taken mental health all the way to Instagram Reels, where she creates awareness with trending, catchy tunes playing in the background. “The music has to be just right. It can’t distract from the message of the video which is about self-help to cope with what’s happening around. I usually point to something during my Reels and then put text there while editing,” explains Adiba about her Reels creating process. “It was quite challenging at first,” says the 22-year-old. “Although I am quite comfortable now, I was initially quite apprehensive to put my face out there. But it has been a great decision as I feel people relate more when they see the person behind the posts.”
Adiba says that she always knew she wanted to pursue Psychology. “I have known what I wanted to become since I was in eighth grade. I had always wanted to know why different people react differently to the same situation,” recalls Adiba. “Seeking professional mental health has helped members of my family tremendously,” she says. And professional help is what Adiba recommends too. “Whenever someone sends a personal message seeking help, I usually guide them to other pages managed by professional counsellors or people whom I know personally who are counsellors. I am not a professional yet and providing counselling before being qualified is not something I would do,” adds Adiba.
But how does a college student like her find the time to be so active on social media? “It gets quite difficult sometimes as I have to complete a lot of assignments. But what keeps me going is that I want to impact and help more people and also develop the page so that it’s a part of my career,” quips Adiba. She tries to create at least four to five posts a week. Eventually, she would like to develop the page into an organisation. “People would be able to choose their counsellors from a large team. We would offer pro bono services to people who can’t afford mental health counselling,” shares Adiba.
It was her desire to know more about the subject and provide the right kind of help that made Adiba wait till her third year of undergrad to start her page, in October 2019. “I needed to know enough to even begin making posts. I usually draw inspiration from what I’d like to see and my own life experiences. I also refer a lot to what I learn from college. Before creating a post, I read up and research a lot on it so that my information is accurate,” says Adiba. So after all her good work, it is quite unfortunate that Adiba also had to be on the receiving end of trolls, albeit quite minor. “I wear a hijab and some people have commented on that. Since I don’t do a full hijab, they had asked me why I even bother. That’s probably the only negative thing I have had to face,” recalls Adiba.
Some cheap, reliable mental health helplines and resources:
During the COVID-19 crisis, we understand that your mental health can be in tatters. Here's some resources that can help tide though those difficult times:
Peak Mind
Location: Bengaluru
Phone: 080-47092334
Website: peakmind.in
Mpower 1 on 1
Location: Mumbai
Phone: 1800-1208-20050
Website: mpowerminds.com/
Sneha
Location: Chennai
Phone: 044-24640050
Website: snehaindia.org/new
AASRA
Location: Mumbai
Phone: 9820466726
Website: aasra.info
Lifeline Foundation
Location: Kolkata
Phone: 033-40447437
Website: lifelinefoundation.in
Sumaitri
Location: Delhi
Phone: 011-23389090
Website: sumaitri.net
