#arushi: answered

[ichorsveined]

LADY ARUSHI TULLY .

announcing  the  arrival  of  ARUSHI  of  house  TULLY ,  the  LADY  of  RIVERRUN .  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  PROTEAN  and  VINDICTIVE  in  disposition ,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  dancing  &  embroidery .  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them ,  it  might  tell  stories  of  determination  born  from  admiration ,  found  by  observing  the  gameboard  ,  both  figurative  and  literal  ,  from  over  a  trusted�� shoulder ;  an  arrival  always  announced  by  golden  bracelets  chiming  like  bells ;  a  chasm  first  formed  during  girlhood ,  inescapable  no  matter  how  hard  you  try ,  only  growing  larger  as  time  marches  on .  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps ,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie .  are  they  right  to  whisper ?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  HOUSE  TULLY .

    statistics  ...

#basic  information .

official  name  :  arushi  catelyn tully  .  nicknames  :  none  .  noble  title  :  lady  of  riverrun  .  date  of  birth  :  august  4  .  age  :  26  .  birthplace  :  riverrun  ,  the  riverlands  .  home  :  riverrun  .  nationality  :  riverlander , westerosi  .  gender  :  cis  woman  .  pronouns  :  she / her / hers  .  orientation  :  bisexual  homoromantic  .  monikers  :  none yet  .  languages  :  the  common  tongue  ( fluent ) .  accent  :  mellifluous  ,  a  naturally  melodic  cadence  layered  atop  typical  riverlands - isms  . speaks casually , but in a charming manner not immediately considered rude .

#physical  information .

faceclaim  :  janhvi  kapoor  .  ethnicity  :  indian ( tamil , telugu , punjabi )  .  hair  :  dark  brown  ,  falling  to  her  tailbone  in  gentle  ,  shining  waves  .  eyes  :  medium brown  ,  always observing . height  :  5'5" /  164cm  .  build  :  tba  .  scent  :  milk and honey  .  dominant  hand  :  right  .  allergies  :   some  grasses  native  to  regions  outside  of  the  riverlands  .  scars  :  a thin line down her left shin  .  distinguishing  features  :  magnetic doe  eyes  with  long  ,  voluminous  eyelashes  .  clothing  style  :  thinks herself the pinnacle of fashion . lots of bracelets and other jewelry that clinks and chimes . for this reason she could never be stealthy .

#personality .

label  :  the fille fatale , the dulcet , the chameleon .  mbti  :  test in progress ...  enneagram  :  test in progress ...  element  :  air  .  star  sign  :  leo  .  temperament  :  sanguine  .  character  inspirations  :  aphrodite ( greek mythology )  , kate wallis ( cruel summer ) .  deadly  sin  :  envy  &  greed  .  heavenly  virtue  :  patience  .  godly  parent  :  tba  .

#drives .

hobbies  :  dancing  ,  embroidery  ,  singing  .  religion  :  faith  of  the  seven  .  alliance  :  house  tully  , the riverlands .  personal  goals  :  become more involved in family politics , become more adept at using her wiles  .  destroy her ex - betrothed . would  they  choose  family  or  power  ?  currently  ,  family  ekes  out  .  could  be  swayed  to  seek  power  instead .

#familial  ties .

parent  one  :  ruling  lord  evan  tully  .  relationship  :  distant  ,  but  filial  .  parent  two  :  ruling lady cira  tully  née  tbd†  .  relationship  :  aspiring  ,  somewhat  envious  .   stepmother  :  ruling  lady  alissa  tully  née  tbd .  relationship  :  distant  ,  but  amiable  .  spouse  :  unwed  ,  unbetrothed  .  relationship  :  not  applicable  .  half - brother  :  lord  heir  amos  tully  .  relationship : tba . half - siblings  :  lord / lady / liege  tully  ,  lord  hendry  tully  ,  lady  merianne  tully  .  relationship  :  tba  .  sister - in - law  :  syrena  tully  née  arryn  .  relationship  :  tba  .

    narrative  ...

" you're  the  spitting  image  of  your  mother  " —  that's what everyone told you from girlhood . but  having  lost  her  after  celebrating  a  mere  eight  name  days  ,  couldn't  be  certain  they were  telling  the  truth  .  perhaps  they  merely  say  it  out  of  pity  .  what you did know was that you felt  out  of  place  in  your  family  .  each of you was united by your father and the tully name you bore , yes . but your siblings possessed something you didn't — a shared mother , a shared memory . hendry and merianne , amos and your other older sibling . but you had no one ; you were alone in that regard , in spite of any love between you and your siblings . what they had was irrefutably different .

finding a substitute proved unsuccessful . your stepmother wasn't an option , married to your father and bearing a child so soon after your mother's passing ; as if she never even existed . you understood that you could never see your governess or septa that way . extended family , on either side , didn't fit the bill either . no one could compare to the image of lady cira conjured in your mind .

but then you met her , the sun incarnate , and for a little while , you didn't need to search . for a little while , you weren't lonely anymore . ( wc plotting incoming ) .

soon after your betrothed left riverrun under dubious circumstances , something died and festered in your heart . with the aid of someone seasoned at court machinations , you , too , decided to become a player of the game . they do not replace the mother you so desperately yearn for , for guidance . but you knew they could help you , in your quest to destroy laina dayne .

#wanted  connections .

mentor :  platonic  . to be sent to the main . someone arushi latched onto as a teenager , whom she reveres . they've taught her ( consciously or not ) about surviving at court , and she hangs off of their every word . sort of reminiscent of giulia farnese and lucrezia borgia in the borgias . for ease of plotting , they should be a fellow riverlander , or at least someone who frequents the riverlands . 35+ . taken by naerys paege

maternal cousins : familial . her mother's family , also the first people to put the myth of lady cira's grandeur in arushi's head ( for better or for worse ) . preferably of south indian descent , unless her mother was adopted .

childhood friends : platonic , political . ranging from intimate friends to practically strangers , arushi still tries to stay on the good side of her family's bannermen . but , alas , this doesn't always work out for her . myrcella paege , odette mallister , open to other riverlanders

gossip girls ( gender neutral ) : platonic . people arushi talks to about the goings - on at court . might be friends , might just be people she uses to coax information out of . carilyn harlaw , dyanna marbrand , tyana baratheon , open to others

dalliances : romantic . since her previous betrothal fell through , arushi has been a free agent ( until further notice from her father ) . she's taken full advantage of this untethered status , flirting and charming her way through court . no feelings are involved on her end . margaery targaryen , open to others

[steelfyre]

a raven arrived : ❝ i wonder if you’re the worst person i’ve ever met? ❞ from @ichorsveined

❝  my  lady  tully,  how  charming  you are. ❞   giggles tumbled like water over rocks, hidden behind her hand. lannister leaned closer so she could whisper,  ❝  and yet, i do not hear you denying my statement about a pig squealing being a more pleasant sound than lady waynwood's singing - if one can call such off-key screeching that. ❞

[rosetta-stoned-bitch]

To all the swifties who follow me:

I'd apologise for the sudden onslaught of anti-taylor posts on my dash but idc. I've been having an epiphany and this is the aftermath soooo.....

[theverumproject]

hihi verum! i wanted to ask how it’s been writing your first story! what’s the process like for you? has it gotten tough to stick with? how do you go about issues in your writing?

hope you have a great day :>

Hello! Thank you for your questions and excuse me for answering a bit late (I like to take my time, lol)

How has It been writing your first story?

Writing Verum has had a little up, then a giant down and now it has been going up again since this year. The first book took me three years to complete, while it is only more or less 15 k long! I began the second book this year in April, and I think it's at about 40 k words right now, nearing the end of season 1. So at the moment, it is going great!

What's the process like for you?

I write everything down that comes to my mind. Be it a whole book or a very small detail to some alien species' biology. That's kind of how I build the story in my head. When I begin with a book, I write down all my ideas for the book and what should roughly happen in the different parts. One to five sentences are enough, though sometimes I also write down more, depending on how much I already got in my mind.

When I wanna write a part, I first make a description of it, where I just write down everything that comes to my mind and start to plot. It should be at least 500 words long, though recently it's been getting more and more. My newest description is over 2.6 k words long, longer than my minimum word count of 1.5 k, woopsies.

Once that is done I start actually writing the part. Like I already mentioned, my minimum is 1500 words, but my parts have been becoming longer too. The latest part is over 7 k words long, also woopsies.

I always give myself one month to write 10 k. And until now, I have always reached it. I use NaNoWriMo to keep track of that. Giving myself a goal to reach has really helped me!!!

I edit in between of my "writing months". For example, I write three parts, edit them, write another three parts, edit all six of them, write another three parts, edit all nine of them, and so on and forth.

Not sure if I understood your question right, but I hope this answer is good enough!

Has it gotten tough to stick with it?

Writing the first book really has been tough. I had no... Discipline nor motivation. That's also probably why it's not that good. It's kind of half assed, I guess?

But since writing the second book it has been going wonderful! The toughest part of it is actually figuring out how to write some things, or when there are plot holes and I don't know how to fix them. Or simply just beginning to write. But once I start another month, I have no other choice but to write.

How do you go about issues in your writing?

So, while I write the whole part for the very first time (after the description), I try to ignore all issues and questions that pop up and simply just write them into the text (like this). One of the simplest issues is for example:

There's a part where Arushi and Zri'Kla go hunting. They live in an Indian jungle, but I don't know what kind of animals live in an Indian jungle. I need one though that isn't too big to carry, but it also needs to have enough flesh on it to feed them for a little bit. So instead of thinking about what animal it is while writing, I simply just write down something like this; "The arrow pierced the (animal)'s flesh". I solve all issues while editing.

But when it comes to issues that affect the plot and stuff like that, I have write down the questions on notes. I often think about Verum throughout the day, so my questions often just get randomly answered. I just need to write it down before I might forget it again.

I think my own brain sometimes gaslight me though. I have a question and a simple answer that is not good enough. I look for a better one, but can't find one. And then suddenly I think that the first answer is alright I think it's a form of giving up.

Sorry for this wall of text! Hope I didn't ramble too much.

[princessofbookaholics]

MID YEAR BOOK FREAK OUT TAG 2024

It’s the first day of July and it’s time to check in on those reading goals! As always I have multiple answers for everything so here goes:

1. How many books have you read so far?

I’ve read 73 books

2. What genres have you read?

Here are the genres by stats:

27 mystery/thriller books

23 romance books

10 contemporary books

6 fantasy/sci-fi books

3 anthologies

2 graphic novel/manga

1 non fiction

1 historical fiction

3. Best book you’ve read so far this year

I've been having a good time with thrillers lately and I'd highly recommend these three (coincidentally all follow missing people cases):

4. Best sequel you’ve read so far this year

King of Sloth by Ana Huang and False Start by Kandi Steiner were fun sequels I really enjoyed

5. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

6. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

7. Biggest disappointment

8. Biggest surprise

9. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

I would like to read everything they write:

Stephen King

Arushi Avachat

Ann Zhao

10. Underrated gems

Not enough people have read these books:

11. Book that made you cry

Fast by Millie Belizaire 😭

12. Book that made you happy

If you want to smile then read these:

13. Most beautiful book cover of a book you’ve read so far this year

14. How are you doing with your year’s goals?

My year’s goal was to read slower and put quality over quantity so I could do better with that...

15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

Going to try to read from my physical TBR since I bought a lot of books this year.

[nackseo2]

What is Mental health? Let’s talk about it

Mental health is not always easy to understand and in turn can be frightening to most. However, not talking about it doesn’t make it any less of a problem.

As a culture, we often see not talking about sadness or mental health conditions as a way to safeguard people and their health, which doesn’t make sense – it’s like never talking about safe sex, it doesn’t help us at all. But what is mental health really?

The keyword to highlight here is illness – the same as physical disease. When we use words like distress or emotional issues, we downplay the seriousness of actual diseases like depression or anxiety which have the potential to cause significant emotional and physical harm if left untreated.

Mental Health And The Pandemic

The pandemic saw a huge surge in mental health conditions – it left behind holes in family photographs and group selfies. It’s incredibly humanising – for a situation like this to impact us not only physically but mentally as well. It opened our eyes to another underlying issue – the state of our collective mental health.

It left us wondering – how can we help? Arushi Singh, a senior psychologist at Mindpeers, and Dr. Naveen Kumar, founder trustee at Manas Foundation offered some insight on signs of deteriorating mental health to look out for, starting a dialogue about mental illnesses, and the importance of therapy and counselling.

What Signs Can We Look Out For?

Feeling a small amount of anxiety is normal and can be, to some extent, adaptive. It’s also fine to be unhappy on occasion – it’s a normal human emotion. But, if you start to feel sad all the time, it’s a cause for concern. If you’ve lost interest in things you used to enjoy, if you’re feeling unusually alone and helpless – you might benefit from seeking assistance and talking through these feelings with a professional.

The biggest signs of a downward spiral are negativity, hopelessness, helplessness, and the inability to see a way out. Also, energy shifts – which might be anything out of the ordinary.

Don’t ignore whatever the change is for you. Notice if you’ve started drinking more, if you’re going out more or staying busier to avoid feeling something. Pay attention to yourself and to those around you. If you’re not feeling good, don’t tell yourself that you’re fine. Stop and ask yourself – why am I feeling this way?

How Can We Open Up This Conversation?

But what is mental health and how should you bring it up? There’s a lot of shame and fear in starting a conversation around mental health. Many of us believe we should not ask questions to which we do not have an answer – we shouldn’t ask questions because we might not know how to help.

But, you don’t have to have all the answers! If you’re worried about someone, don’t be afraid to ask them how they’re doing. It doesn’t mean you’ll be able to assist them. It means you’re willing to help them look for assistance.

Having said that, you don’t necessarily need to be struggling with your mental health to feel like getting through daily activities is hard because of persistent, or occasional negative thoughts. Whether you have a mental health disorder or occasionally feel overwhelmed, you could benefit from talking about your feelings and learning healthy coping mechanisms and strategies to deal with anxious thoughts. Instead of drowning in our emotions, let’s start taking our mental health seriously!

According to a recent study by WHO, many countries (70%) have adopted telemedicine or teletherapy to overcome disruptions to in-person services. Given the current requirement for support, Näck’s conscious step from the beginning has been to support mental health awareness hence its collaboration with Mindpeers, Asia’s first digital behavioural healthcare platform was launched where you can book a chat session with Mindpeers who are our mental health expert. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, please reach out for help.

To know more: https://nack.life/blogs/news/what-is-mental-health-let-s-talk-about-it

[arushibhandari]

What is an📈 ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)

An ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan) that qualifies under Sections 421 and 423 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) enables participating employees to purchase their employer’s stock at a discount from the fair market value through deductions from their paycheck.

Participation in the ESPP is voluntary. An employee can participate in the company’s ESPP by enrolling in the Stock Purchase Plan. During the enrollment period, employees can specify their contributions which generally range from 1-15%. Contributions are made through employees’ payroll withholding and the contribution amounts are determined by multiplying eligible compensation by the elected contribution percentage elected during the enrollment period.

KEY TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH ESPP:

Offering period: Most ESPP plans consist of an offering period, also called the purchase period. During this period, after-tax contributions are collected and accumulated through the end of the purchase period and used to buy employer’s stocks. For administrative purposes it is usually better for the company to purchase shares at the end of the period rather than purchasing it several times during the period. Prior to the start of the offering period, eligible employees must indicate if they are going to participate in the plan.

Employees remain enrolled for future offering periods until they withdraw from the ESPP or are no longer an employee.

Built-in-discount and Lookback provision: Most ESPP plans, depending upon the company’s discretion, have a built in discount which ranges from 10% to 15%. This creates an instant gain for all participants when they purchase stock.

The lookback provision is used to set the purchase price of the stock. It compares the share price at the beginning of the offering period to the closing price and uses the lower price to calculate the purchase price.

ESPP Contribution Limits: The IRS limits the purchase of stock in a tax-qualified Section 423 ESPP to $25,000 per calendar year.

Each ESPP plan is unique and its always best to consult plan documents for details since the eligibility for the ESPP and the specific terms and conditions of the plan can vary depending on the individual employee's situation and location. Investment in ESPP is similar to an investment in stocks so it suffers from stock market volatility.

About The Author

Arushi Bhandari is an MBA and a licensed CPA in the state of California. She has helped several Silicon Valley startups at different stages with their accounting, going public and tax related issues. Her publications eBooks - STARTUP Financing, Equity and Tax and Introduction to Equity Compensation are available on Apple iBookstore, Amazon Kindle and Google Play. She maintains a public blog at www.startuptaxaccounting.com and has guest blogged at different startup platforms such as The Startup Garage and Belmont Acquisitions.

DISCLAIMER: The information provided is intended to educate the readers and a more definite answer should be based on a consultation with a lawyer or CPA. It should not be relied upon as legal advise because the information might be incomplete and answers could change depending upon circumstances and if all facts were known.

[ichorsveined]

" precisely . " though  not  entirely  a  victory  ,  let  alone  something  to  be  won  ,  the  lady's  back  straightens  ,  triumph  creasing  the  corners  of  her  eyes  .  other  consequences  have  little  bearing  to  arushi  ,  for  whom  the  prince  is  but  a  tool  to  wield  ,  cast  aside  once  his  purpose  is  served  .  the  question  remains  when  ,  exactly  ,  that  will  be  .  and  arushi  has  yet  to  find  an  answer  for  herself  ,    let  alone  others  . a  delicate  arm  reaches  out  ,  palm  up  ,  waiting  expectantly  for  another  piece  of  fruit  ,  "  no  one  …  yet  .  but  it  must  happen  eventually  .  "  she  ends  on  a  rising  note  ,  almost  morphing  the  statement  into  a  question  .  that  is  the  way  of  things  as  she  knows  it  ,  yet  she  remains  so  uncertain  ,  so  hesitant  .  it  must  to  go  right  this  time  .  "  but  enough  about  me  —  i'm  not  the  only  one  who  did  something  of  note  .  "  the  lord  arryn  ,  she  means  ,  but  would  take  any  answer  ,  truthfully  .  information can be gleaned from most anything with enough study . feigning  disinterest  ,  she  examines  the  nails  on  hand  outstretched  before  resetting  ,  yet  leans  forward  ever  so  slightly  .

"He  is  not  married,  or  betrothed,  or  otherwise  spoken  for,  I  cannot  argue  there."  He  gave  a  resigned  sigh,  rolling  his  shoulder  until  the  knot  in  the  muscle  released.  And  yet  the  thought  still  hung  sour  in  his  mind,  a  family  that  had  obviously  little  regard  for  the  waves  of  consequences  from  their  actions,  the  fact  that  the  prince  had  chosen  a  partner  unlikely  to  cause  strife  with  court  should  not  be  the  standard.  The  last  thing  he  wanted  was  to  see  Arushi  caught  up  in  it.  "The  very  thought  has  just  caused  me  more  grey  hairs."  He  joked  with  a  half-chuckle,  far  too  tired  to  give  any  more  theatrical  a  response.  With  how  poorly  the  last  betrothal  had  gone,  with  how  much  they  had  lost  with  nothing  gained,  part  of  him  wanted  to  think�� that  surely  the  next  couldn't  be  worse.  The  realist  in  him,  though,  knew  it  could  always  be  worse.  "I  see  no  issue  with  that,  but...  Him,  really?  Surely  there  is  a  suitably  placed  noble  who  has  caught  your  eye."  One  that  had  not  already  soured  opinion  in  Amos's  mind.

[ichorsveined]

"  people  are  watching ,  my  dear ,  you  are  clearly  upset  ,  "  @regalxpoise  says  .

dark  eyebrows  furrowed  ,  her  glance  up  at  lady  targaryen  not  unlike  a  glare  .  but  any  anger  within  arushi's  being  at  the  moment  is  not  directed  at  her  .  "  about  a  stain  on  my  favorite  stole  ,  "  she  emphasizes  .  an  overreaction  to  anyone  else  ,  perhaps  ,  without  knowledge  that  said  stole  belonged  to  her  late  mother  .  "  he  should  thank  the  seven  it  was  white  wine  .  "  she  grumbles  ,  stretching  stained  section  of  shawl  between  her  fingers  .

[shurisneakers]

okay okay is ur name aryahi / aarushi

nope!

[rosetta-stoned-bitch]

My mom: Never overwork yourself for a man. No body in this world appreciates labour if it's unpaid

Me: Yeah i know, including you

Mom: *temper tantrum*

[copper-russell]

@rowsandrows-of-roses

The thing was, Copper couldn't lie to his mother. Oh, he had tried. But she always knew the truth. Often as a teenager he had wondered why she even bothered asking him questions when she seemed to already know the answer. And lying got him nowhere good, so he was in the habit of just answering any questions posed to him with a certain degree of honestly. Which was why when Arushi had quizzed him on who exactly had looked after him overnight after it had happened - because she knew he had not been stupid enough to come home alone - he had told her.

He also couldn't say no to his mother. He couldn't say no to any of his relatives, actually, at least not the older generations. But it was definitely worse with his mum. Which was why when she decided she was going to take Isabela to lunch - they both were, actually - to say thank you, Copper knew there was no way he could argue.

He'd had a feeling that Isabela would not have been able to say no, either. And so there they were, at Tiana's, just sitting down at the table when Isabela arrived. Copper gave her a wave to catch her attention, and his mum chuckled, draping her coat over the back of her chair.

"What?" Copper demanded.

Arushi shrugged, still smiling. "She's pretty."

"Shut up." Copper muttered, ignoring his mum's muted laughter as he looked to Isabela again, close enough now for him to begin, "Hi--"

He didn't get very far. His mum held out her hand to Isabela, and said, "You're Isabela, I take it? I'm Arushi, Krish's mum. It's very nice to meet you. Here - have a seat."

( copper's outfit / his mum's outfit )

Just a little thank you || MDS feat. Arushi

[theverumproject]

Writing Share Tag!

Thanks for the tags @nczaversnick and @bootstrapparadoxed!

This is from Verum II: The Robotic Era.

“There are anthropologists in space”, he told her.

Her mouth opened into a big smile, “Really? Uhm, actually, that doesn't surprise me”, she wiped the surprise off of her face, “I suppose aliens would study other beings they found throughout the cosmos. Especially intelligent life… We do count as intelligent life, right?”

A mischievous expression played on Zri’Kla's face, though Arushi couldn't really tell that. Kotrulians and humans express themselves differently after all. “Actually, I'm here to adopt you as a pet and bring you to space with me”.

Arushi could feel her face flush as her eyes widened, remembering a certain book she once read. It was rather… explicit.

An amused purr escaped from Zri’Kla's throat, “I was joking. I'm not actually here to do that. I genuinely just crash landed here… Trust me”, he said that last part in a tone she wasn't sure how to interpret.

Arushi needed a second to gather her composure again. Although probably unintentional, that blow was almost fatal.

“To answer your question; yes, humans are considered intelligent life”.

The human needed a few seconds to calm down and continue her story. What she didn't know was that Zri’Kla had a bit of information downloaded about humans, he could read her. Though he wasn't sure why she was so flustered, he did have an idea.

Tags: @rivenantiqnerd @creative-author @teamarine777 + open tag!

Tag list

[soda-pork]

1, 17, 29 🌸🌸

ty for the ask, hope you’re doing okay!!

1). Your favourite album opener.

Without a doubt it’s Kendrick Lamar - Wesley’s Theory, the whole album is a masterpiece.

17). A song that reminds you of a good time.

La Di Da - The Internet it sounds so happy and upbeat, my friend and I love this song.

29). Your favourite album closer.

Rina Sawayama - Cyber Stockholm Syndrome the song fucking bangs and it’s such a nice closer to the her mini album which in general is amazing in itself considering this is like her debut album and she’s already out here making hits everyone please get onto my girl Rina her music is absolutely insane shes so underrated.

[nackseo2]

What is Mental health? Let’s talk about it

Mental health is not always easy to understand and in turn can be frightening to most. However, not talking about it doesn’t make it any less of a problem.

As a culture, we often see not talking about sadness or mental health conditions as a way to safeguard people and their health, which doesn’t make sense – it’s like never talking about safe sex, it doesn’t help us at all. But what is mental health really?

The keyword to highlight here is illness – the same as physical disease. When we use words like distress or emotional issues, we downplay the seriousness of actual diseases like depression or anxiety which have the potential to cause significant emotional and physical harm if left untreated.

Mental Health And The Pandemic

The pandemic saw a huge surge in mental health conditions – it left behind holes in family photographs and group selfies. It’s incredibly humanising – for a situation like this to impact us not only physically but mentally as well. It opened our eyes to another underlying issue – the state of our collective mental health.

It left us wondering – how can we help? Arushi Singh, a senior psychologist at Mindpeers, and Dr. Naveen Kumar, founder trustee at Manas Foundation offered some insight on signs of deteriorating mental health to look out for, starting a dialogue about mental illnesses, and the importance of therapy and counselling.

What Signs Can We Look Out For?

Feeling a small amount of anxiety is normal and can be, to some extent, adaptive. It’s also fine to be unhappy on occasion – it’s a normal human emotion. But, if you start to feel sad all the time, it’s a cause for concern. If you’ve lost interest in things you used to enjoy, if you’re feeling unusually alone and helpless – you might benefit from seeking assistance and talking through these feelings with a professional.

The biggest signs of a downward spiral are negativity, hopelessness, helplessness, and the inability to see a way out. Also, energy shifts – which might be anything out of the ordinary.

Don’t ignore whatever the change is for you. Notice if you’ve started drinking more, if you’re going out more or staying busier to avoid feeling something. Pay attention to yourself and to those around you. If you’re not feeling good, don’t tell yourself that you’re fine. Stop and ask yourself – why am I feeling this way?

How Can We Open Up This Conversation?

But what is mental health and how should you bring it up? There’s a lot of shame and fear in starting a conversation around mental health. Many of us believe we should not ask questions to which we do not have an answer – we shouldn’t ask questions because we might not know how to help.

But, you don’t have to have all the answers! If you’re worried about someone, don’t be afraid to ask them how they’re doing. It doesn’t mean you’ll be able to assist them. It means you’re willing to help them look for assistance.

Having said that, you don’t necessarily need to be struggling with your mental health to feel like getting through daily activities is hard because of persistent, or occasional negative thoughts. Whether you have a mental health disorder or occasionally feel overwhelmed, you could benefit from talking about your feelings and learning healthy coping mechanisms and strategies to deal with anxious thoughts. Instead of drowning in our emotions, let’s start taking our mental health seriously!

According to a recent study by WHO, many countries (70%) have adopted telemedicine or teletherapy to overcome disruptions to in-person services. Given the current requirement for support, Näck’s conscious step from the beginning has been to support mental health awareness hence its collaboration with Mindpeers, Asia’s first digital behavioural healthcare platform was launched where you can book a chat session with Mindpeers who are our mental health expert. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, please reach out for help.

To know more: https://nack.life/blogs/news/what-is-mental-health-let-s-talk-about-it