We face endless demands and expectations in our daily lives. At times, we fall short of achieving them. Most times, we are stressed and anxious that we haven’t made progress. We obsess over what we don’t have, and then we criticize and wish we had better-looking bodies, better relationships, better jobs, better everything. We complain that we should be doing something more amazing and demanding, then we compare our lives with others. We are left feeling shame and guilt that we’re not good enough, not perfect in comparison. And all through these attacks on the self, we are expected to appear calm and collected, smiling and successful.
Our internal world is so powerful that it can create peace or turmoil in everyday living. Even though no one can ‘see’ a mental health issue, it can affect the way we think, feel and behave.
Minal Mahtani CEO of OCD & Anxiety Support Hong Kong
Minal Mahtani is the CEO and Founder of OCD & Anxiety Support Hong Kong. Her personal experience with anxiety, and her passion for psychology was the driving force behind her work with adults who struggle with certain mental health issues.
Mental health is our emotional, social and psychological state of mind which influences the way we think, feel and act in the world. This can affect the way we perceive and react to stressful events; interact with others and the decisions we make in our lives.
Minal’s journey has been empowering and has led to greater awareness of mental health issues. Through her organisation, ocdanxietyhk.org, she has provided support to many people. The charity focusses on raising awareness of mental health disorders.
Shoba Nihalani, Life Coach and author of "Reboot, Relfect, Revive"
Shobha Nihalani, a Hong Kong-based author, having experienced low self-esteem, delved deeply into the subject. She felt compelled to write a book about the relevance of a healthy self-esteem in our modern world. She interviewed mental health experts, inspiring individuals, and read through academic journals, latest research studies, and books on self-esteem. Her book, Reboot Reflect Revive – Self-esteem in a Selfie World, shares modern insights on self-esteem and its link with mental health.
In an interview mentioned in the book, Minal shares that our self-esteem is often affected by family, social and cultural factors. Traumatic events can also influence self-esteem. Mahtani notes that healthy self-esteem needs to be cultivated by accepting one’s strengths and acknowledging flaws without judgement.
Mental health conditions can affect any individual, across spectrums, culture and gender. Our mental health is important and must be considered at every stage of our life from childhood to adulthood.
Minal is the pioneer of the Green Ribbon and Stamp Out Stigma campaigns in Hong Kong, which runs in October each year during World Mental Health Month.
In a show of support, the book launch is aimed to support the Green Ribbon campaign to raise awareness of the stigma around mental health.
