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Foreign.
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I hope you're all safe and doing really great. As a part of Podcast from the Heart we are coming back with another episode which is based on a person's mental health. So we are having a new guest for today. Surabhi Tiwari. Hi Surabhi.
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Hi Vishal. Thank you for having me here. It's amazing.
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Glad to have you here as well. Yeah. Could you please introduce yourself to our audience?
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Okay. So I am into acting and modeling for the past three years and I'll be soon seen in two Telugu films. I don't want to disclose much about it right now.
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But yeah, even we don't want to hear them as well. We'll directly see you on the screen.
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Yes. Okay.
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So yeah. Let us get into our topic for today without wasting much of your time. I'm going to start it. So yeah. According to you what mental health exactly refer to?
A
Okay. So Vishal, according to me mental health is that state of mind where a person is satisfied with his work, relationships, money wise and you know, everything. He's satisfied with everything in his life. But you know these days mental health has started affecting everyone. The way they act, the way they think, the way they feel. It can affect any way. But people generally get confused between mental health and mental illness. So when I say mental illness that is a result of deteriorated mental health. Even if you have any stress in your life, any stress and I would stress on that, any stress you don't. And if you don't talk about it to anyone even this can lead to mental illness. So like I'll give you an example.
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That has been the very common thing happening these days.
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Very much.
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People unable to share with other ones.
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Yes, yes, yes. So I'll share one of my example. Like when I am like that happens with almost all the actors. But when I am finalized for a project and I'm already very much excited about it and I've told it to like my friends, my family, maybe I've shared it on my social media as well. It's on the newspaper, it was everywhere. And at the last.
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That's the first thing that happened.
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Yes. And at the last moment when I get to know, oh my God, the project has been shelved for maybe a month, two months, three months, six months. You never know then that state of mind, you know. And now and because of that project I must have left many other projects. I must have got my body in some certain shape. Right? Because of that project. Because I have to look good in that role. But now it's all done it's all ended for me. Least few months or a year sometimes.
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And you, before even starting got ended.
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Yes. And you know what? There are cases where I am even replaced by other people in the.
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That's something which actually keeps happening. Not only everywhere else as well.
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Everywhere, everywhere. That is what I'm saying. In every sector. It can be corporate, it can be anything. People are getting replaced by other person. Maybe because of qualification, maybe because of talent, maybe because of anything. But. But that, yeah, that. That feeling of getting replaced, you know, that tears apart you. You know, you feel so stressed, so sad and you feel like, you know, you just. You wanted that thing so badly and now you're stressed about it.
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And you feel at every stage happened for.
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Yes, yes, yes.
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They are the stage they should have experiences.
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Yes, already. Yeah, absolutely. So when other person looks at your life now, he or she would just see the peak of the entire mountain of stress. This person is stressed, wouldn't know that you have already so much inside your head, the whole mountain. They won't even see. They'll just see. Okay.
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What they knew is not even comparable to what the person himself knew.
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Yes. And that is the reason you need to talk about it. You know, you have to talk about your stress and struggles until you yourself, you know, until you yourself don't decide to talk about it. No one can do anything about it. That is what I feel.
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So what is the best way to analyze mental health treatments?
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See, I'll tell you. You can also for mental health treatment, what people can actually do is if you think you are going through any of these, you can actually go to our website. There are many websites on who icmr. There are many websites where you can actually go and analyze yourself that are you going through stress, are you stressed? Or it is just a stress of a day or two just because of your boss said something or may.
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Let me ask a question, honestly. Do you need to into a website to know how much stress we are feeling?
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See, I'll get back to that again. See, people these days, they don't want to talk about their feelings or their stress, especially their depression, their stress, their anxiety to anyone around them. They feel that they might be misjudged, misunderstood and they don't want to go to a therapist. Yeah, they don't want to go to a psychiatrist or a therapist. They feel that, you know, if they go there, people will think that they are mad. They just jump to the conclusion that they are mad. No, that's not the case.
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They need to understand they are not just sharing things.
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My career, the people who are about to promote me, they were thinking, oh my God, this person is in stress. No, no, no, he's not the right guy. You know, so they're scared of so, so, so many things already. So I think this is the reason why people are, you know, going through a website. I think going if people are not comfortable talking to anyone around them, a website, you take the questionnaire, you will get to know your mental status. Still, I would still say going to a therapist, talking about it, to your friends, family, it's not a problem, it's okay. And if you think they are not going to understand, there are so many toll free, so many doctors, there are so many things that you can do about it. There are so many articles you can read about. Even I have a blog where I write about it. Go there, go talk to people, read it. You can see the alternatives that you can do, the things you can do at your home to, you know, prevent that. So see, it's never the end. Everyone has problems in their lives, but you should know how to cope up with them. That is important.
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How to deal with.
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Yeah, how to deal with them. Right.
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So is mental health correctly treated in the community? What do you think?
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No, not at all. I would seriously say in today's community, yes, to an extent, but I will talk from the very start. Okay. So frankly speaking, it is not considered, we live in a society where a mild fever or a toothache is taken very seriously. But when people are saying that, you know, they have some mental illness, they're feeling low, people just brush it off, they just laugh. Ah, it's nothing. Just go sleep for some time. Go, go play some video game. It's fine, it's fine. This is what they say. Yeah, they just get brushed off, they get adjusted. They're like, okay, it happens to everyone. Better just go. If the child addresses this to their parents, even the parents, see, parents are the closest people, right? Anyone has parents, mother and father as the closest people to them. And even if they are unable express their feelings in front of their parents, I think we are living in a very fake society. I, I genuinely feel that.
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True, true that, true that 100 agree.
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Yes.
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So, yeah, so.
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And you know what? Moving forward, I really want to discuss one thing here which, you know, when people, even if our parents and the relatives and everyone thinks he going to a therapist, going to a psychiatrist, these all are taboo. Like menstruation is a taboo, like these things are taboo. This is also considered as a taboo and we really need to get off it. And after the recent.
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She's not supposed to be considered that.
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And after the recent I about it, but Sushant Singh Rajput case that came across us like this, that he was going through depression and such a miserable. Yeah, exactly. You know, I, I really literally cried for two days because of that. Because I belong from the same field. And if someone such a great actor with six pack abs, walking out day in and night and then ultimate talent, such a nice actor coming from Bihar, you know, Bihar, which is not considered a very, you know, developed state, coming from there, doing serials and going to the movies. And then he had three, four films in his hands as suggested by the reports. And still if he could do that.
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And Surabhi, if I have to remember, irony is his last film was dealing with St. Paul.
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Exactly my point. Exactly. I watched that movie like a month or two months back when it was coming on the television. And that was the second time I watched it. First time I watched it in the theatres because I really liked him as an actor. But when I watched it like a month back, I showed it to my younger sister and I was like, see this, this is such a nice movie. I have to watch it. And she sat with me and I explained her throughout the movie. See, this is what the child had did and this father did that. And after a month I'm getting to hear that he was suffering through depression. Oh my God. This is just unbelievable.
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Who would have, who would have expected that the lead actor of that film would pass?
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Yes. So this is the irony of our community. This is what I was talking about. Yeah.
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So. Yeah. How a damaging work culture can affect mental health.
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Ha. See, work culture these days is really an important reason, I strongly believe. And it has a major contribution in how it affects an individual's mentality. Okay. It also affects you emotionally, psychologically, everywhere. Because work is our second home. You stay at your home for like 10 hours, 12 hours. And you stay at work also for almost similar number of hours. So if you are.
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I don't think this is happening since last three months.
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Yeah, it's not. It's not. I hope the listeners don't mind that. Yeah.
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So again, what you said was absolutely right.
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Yeah.
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Though we are, though we are staying at home, we are spending the same time.
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Yeah. We in India, we worship our work. Right. We worship our work. And when we know that people around that worship place, people around that workplace are not treating you correctly, maybe they just make fun of you. Maybe they make fun of your sexuality. Maybe they make fun of you, like how you dress up. Or maybe you're a girl and they make objectify you. I mean anyway is wrong.
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That's certain. That's how the society has been.
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Yes.
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No one could really change.
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And the thing is, if you are facing some problems, some stress in your personal life and then you go out at work, you have to behave as if you are just normal because you cannot talk about it to everyone there. You behave as if you know deep inside you're just fine and you are having a very nice life. Every. It's a show of world. It's a show of world. Everyone just tries to pretend as if you know they are living a perfect life. Even though we are not, most of us are not. We all have problems.
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Yes. Acha, tell me in your perspective, why do you think people generally go into depression?
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See, so depression is a very vast topic. So I'll try to cover as much as I can in such a short span of time. But when people are just brief, if
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we don't need to go much so.
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But when people are unable to express their grief, their anxiety, sadness for a long, long time, you know, it's not a day or a two day or a month thing. When it happens like six months, eight months, a year in that grief, in that problem, in that problematic scenario, then these people go into depression. And when that is when depression steps in. And this can happen to anyone at any age. It is not like someone of 40 year old can only have depression. A 20 year old can also have depression regardless of the age.
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Curious to know?
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Yeah.
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Were you a victim?
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No.
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At any stage?
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No, not really. This is what I feel as from now, not really. But what I feel is that, you know, I have faced anxiety, I have faced these anxiousness, these the initial signs that we say from which we need to understand that our mental health is not in a very good condition and we are vulnerable to depression. So we should just, just doing, we should just start doing something about it. So I have been through that stage and I brought myself back from there. I started going to the gym, I started excessive gyming, I went to the. I used to go to the gym for like three hours a day and I used to, you know, just. I used to go and talk to people. Maybe I couldn't tell everything about myself, but yeah, going out with people, partying or maybe just doing things, you know, so you have to do those things.
B
Great to hear. So anxiety. Anxiety disorder can be considered as a major symptom of symptom of mental health. This is what we found out through a survey. So to what extent is this going to be right? I mean.
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Okay, so what I think is like anxiety. Anxiety disorder is like. It comes from anxiety. Okay. So person can be anxious for many reasons. They stay worried all the time. These are the initial signs of depression. I know because maybe I was one of them or maybe I was in the initial stages. Okay. So I know I used to worry about. Worry about these things a lot. For example, if you're in. If you're a student, let's take as a student, you even. Okay, yeah. So even you'll worry about, you know, appearing for a test. Obviously, students worry about it, but then you worry more than you should, you know,
B
not anymore.
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Yes. You know, students, they actually need to be very close to their family. They need to be very open to their family because these things are to be. Yes, yes.
B
That is probably experienced by most of them. Glad that they've got out of it very quickly.
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Absolutely.
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At least 80 to 90% of people who were into it, they came out very quickly.
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Yes.
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You know, got moved into depression. And it has been the way it has been the story.
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Yes. And I. I recently watched 13 Reasons why. I don't know. You have watched it or not, have you?
B
Yeah, I've seen.
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Yeah. So 13 reasons why. I was watching this web series on this Netflix and it is all about depression and how a girl commits suicide, being into depression, and then she leaves behind 13 tapes, the 13 reasons why she felt she committed suicide. And when I saw that, I actually realized the culture. See, we are in India and we see the aspects here, but when we see the aspects outside India are also not very much different. It's almost the same everywhere. It's just that how things are done is different.
B
What all people think is, it's different in India and different at other places.
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Yes.
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Even I think it's not.
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It is, yes, it's the same. It's just that how people are dealing with it or how people are causing depression is different. Yeah. Yes. Yeah.
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So will being kind develop the mental health of a disturbed person? I mean, joby depression, being kind to them, will it help in any way?
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Of. Of course it would. See, love can do wonders. And kindness is just another way of expressing your love and care for someone. Of that someone can be your family, colleagues, friends, and even strangers. You know, there are people I remember, I remember people, they come for home delivery or something, and they talk to me very rudely sometimes. And I'm like, I like. I Have got nothing to do with you. Why are you talking to me rudely?
B
And that rude just happens because of their pressures and.
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Yes.
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The work. And work culture they are.
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Yes.
B
I mean, we already.
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Yeah, obviously. And this is what, you know, when they talk to me rudely. So I might feel bad for maybe an hour or so, but then I forget about it. But there are people I know who feel bad about it, like for days.
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You feel bad?
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Yeah, I do.
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I want to.
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No. And I know people who feel bad about it and who think about it, like, for a day. Like, why did that person talk to me that way? I got nothing to do with him or her.
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So thinking about unnecessary things, overthinking is also.
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Yeah. You know, but you know, you know, you can just smile at the people you know, like. Like I've seen, like, the teachers, you know, you can smile in the hallway to the shy fellow students, you know, that can make their day, you know, and you have to educate your students. Not just maths, English, science, Hindi. You need to educate them about kindness, about depression, about mental health, all these things. Also from an early age, everyone teaches
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us, but that is actually necessary.
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Yes, there should be a. There should be a subject. This is what I feel. There has to be a subject. And, you know, there should be activities in the same class that, you know, people have to give compliments to each other. They have to do these things, you know, that would be in a, you know, practice that to them. And you know what? I really want to address this. Everyone. Everyone talks about like, my child is 5 years old and when he'll be 30, so he'll be a doctor. Okay? Now you have this dog. Your child has this pressure on him that he's five years now and he'll be a doctor when he's 30. And if he's not, you never told your child. What if he's not? You never told him. Now, what he's pressurized about throughout his life is that I have to be a doctor. My parents have said I have to be successful. You never, no one ever discussed about that. What if he's not successful?
B
Unfortunately, this is happening at every alternate house.
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Yes. Yes. And this has to be addressed.
B
Yes, it has to be.
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Yes.
B
So how can mental health prevention be done?
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See, as I was talking about educating your child. So mental health prevention cannot be done. Like, you know, you cannot just start and you can. That can happen in a day or two if you start at the age of 30.
B
It's not a course.
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Yeah.
B
It's not a Course.
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Absolutely. So when your child, like I said the subjects. So there has to be a person who talks to that child when he returns from the school. A mom or like the mom or the dad or anyone, a sibling, friends,
B
then someone has to take that initiative.
A
Yes. What did you do in the class? Okay, so did anyone say to you okay, so are you happy? HR do they talk to you? You have to talk to him for at least one hour every day because they are too young. Even if you won't talk to them, they'll be scared. And eventually I've seen, especially in our community, I have seen where people, these children, they grow up and they cannot even stand in front of their father. They are so scared to just talk to their father directly. I've seen the mom intervening in between.
B
Definitely happens in India.
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Yeah. So mom has to intervene in between. So if your child is unable to talk to you about a normal daily life routine at the age of 25, he's 25 and you're almost 50 and he's unable to talk to you about his normal routine, how can he, how can you even expect him to talk to you about his mental health or his boyfriend girlfriend issues or his relationship or marriage or any.
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That's way too far. Yeah, that's way too far.
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So these topics have to be addressed since like they are a child and even if you were not that kind to your child in the childhood, then at least you can start now. It's okay. You can start anytime.
B
Obviously.
A
Yeah, yeah.
B
So before closing our episode, I would like to ask you one last question.
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Okay.
B
I believe in the saying being mentally strong is more important than being physically strong. So could you justify.
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Yeah, See I'll tell you, I'm sure you believe that. Of course I do.
B
I'm sure you believe that. So.
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Yeah, so I'll tell justify. See in my opinion both are important. But mental health is more important than physical health. Like if you have six pack abs and if you have girls wooing around you but you are in depression and you don't have a mental stability, how does that, how does that matter that girls are going around you tell me you meant physically. You can do push ups, you can do hundred push ups, you can do 50 squats in one go, you can do wonders, you can put do a javelin throw. But if you are in depression, these things won't even matter because from inside you're not happy, you have anxiety, you mental issues and when you don't have. And then I'll go to the other side also. I'll talk about the other side also. So. And think of a situation where you are just a normal person, not a very badass in terms of physical abilities. Okay. And. But you are really happy from within. So is that a better way? And I'm sure everyone would agree that, yeah, the second point is better. It's okay not having six packages, definitely.
B
If you wouldn't have got that second point, I would have asked you anyhow. Because not able to do any of the above things and simply being a stable person in terms of having a good mind is definitely.
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You can have a good body, a good physique anytime in your life. I know people who've done that in spite of 60 and 70 years of age. But having a good mental status is very important because that develops and that
B
is supposed to be maintained throughout.
A
Yes, it's not something which we to have for the scars of the previous life, that the early life remain somewhere within our hearts forever. There are few wounds
B
to continue the podcast on early life, but the topic will be diverted. So I'm stopping it quickly here and yeah, I'd like to conclude our episode.
A
Yeah.
B
Thank you for joining us. It was great having you here and I'd like to join with you very back soon.
A
Thank you, Vishal.
B
Okay, bye.
A
It was amazing with you. Thank you so much.
B
Yeah, great to have a word with you and thank you everyone for your constant support. We would wish to see more. This is for our audience. Okay.
A
Yeah. Okay.
B
And yeah, we'd love to give a lot more for you guys as well. Stay tuned for the coming episodes of Podcast from the Heart. Time to bid goodbye, stay home and stay safe. Thank you.
A
Thank you. Bye.
Episode: Mental Health Ft. Surabhi Tiwari
Host: Dileep Seshu
Guest: Surabhi Tiwari
Date: June 26, 2020
In this episode of podcasts FROMTHEHEART, host Dileep Seshu (referred to as Vishal by the guest) speaks with actress and model Surabhi Tiwari about the critical topic of mental health. With candid experiences and a relatable tone, Surabhi reflects on the importance of mental wellness, the difference between mental health and mental illness, social taboos, work culture, and ideas for prevention and support, especially in the Indian context.
[01:04 – 03:42]
Mental Health: Surabhi describes it as a state of overall satisfaction in life—work, relationships, finances, and self-contentment.
Mental Illness: Seen as a consequence of prolonged, unaddressed stress or emotional distress.
Common Confusion: Many people conflate "mental health" with "mental illness," not realizing that everyday stress, if not managed, can lead to deeper issues.
Personal Example:
Surabhi shares her experience as an actress, when projects are suddenly shelved or she is replaced, leading to significant disappointment and stress.
[04:26 – 06:50]
[07:00 – 10:04]
Physical vs. Mental Illness: Society readily addresses physical ailments but often dismisses mental health struggles.
Taboos: Going to a therapist is still taboo, comparable to other social taboos like menstruation.
Celebrity Example: The suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput highlighted hidden mental health struggles, shocking the public and revealing how little people know about others’ emotional battles.
[10:16 – 12:01]
[12:01 – 14:46]
[14:46 – 16:07]
[16:16 – 18:55]
[19:12 – 20:46]
[21:08 – 23:22]
On self-expression:
“Until you yourself don't decide to talk about it, no one can do anything about it.” (Surabhi, 04:15)
On stigma:
“Going to a therapist…is also considered as a taboo and we really need to get off it.” (Surabhi, 08:05)
On coping strategies:
“You have to do those things…go and talk to people. Maybe I couldn't tell everything about myself, but...partying or maybe just doing things, you know, so you have to do those things.” (Surabhi, 13:22)
On educational reform:
“There should be a subject…activities in the same class…people have to give compliments to each other…that would be in practice to them.” (Surabhi, 18:03)
| Timestamp | Content / Segment | |---------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:04 | Defining mental health and misconceptions | | 02:05 | Surabhi’s personal example—project disappointments | | 04:26 | Approaches to mental health assessment and stigma | | 07:00 | Mental health in society vs. physical ailments | | 08:31 | The Sushant Singh Rajput case and community reactions | | 10:16 | Impact of work culture on mental health | | 12:01 | Causes and early signs of depression | | 13:46 | Coping strategies: exercise, socialization | | 14:46 | Anxiety and mental health among students | | 16:16 | Role of kindness in supporting mental health | | 18:03 | The role of education and family pressures | | 19:12 | Prevention efforts – importance of early, open conversations | | 21:08 | Mental vs. physical strength |
This episode is an earnest, relatable discussion highlighting both the social and personal dimensions of mental health. Surabhi’s candid experiences offer listeners insight into the realities of emotional turmoil in the entertainment industry and beyond, reinforcing the need for proactive, compassionate support within families, workplaces, and communities.
If you haven’t listened, this summary captures the heart of the conversation—opening up about stress, shattering stigma, and fueling change with kindness and open dialogue.