Mindfulness Means Living in the Moment

I usually find inspiration in my day to day life and conversations with people. I also get ideas when i’m watching other people’s content since it makes me think in what way I would use the particular theme or song for my content.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

Becoming a psychologist has been a dream for me ever since I heard about it from mum (she enjoyed reading books on Psychology). I was a child at that time but i quickly realised how important it is to be aware of your mental health and prioritise it.

As I grew older, I saw many people around me who had mental health problems and getting professional help made their lives so much easier. I decided to be the person who can help people get better and improve their quality of life. For me being able to contribute to reducing the stigma regarding mental illness in India has been something I wanted to do for a long time.

Making short videos on Instagram helps me do this. I like to keep them lighthearted and relatable so people are able to enjoy it while learning something new. I also help people get a session for therapy since i’m working with a team of psychologists. My aim is to increase awareness related to mental health as much as I can through my content and to make therapy accessible to more people.

2. When did you first decide that you wanted to create content and how did you start?

I started making content in March on Tiktok. I used to watch videos there and would always get ideas but never had the confidence to make them. I initially made them for my friends as a joke but somehow decided to post a few. Once I did that, my hesitation to post them publicly started decreasing and I started making more content.

3. Is vlogging and content creation a financially sustainable career?

This isn’t my full-time job but I do think that for people who can dedicate their entire time to this, it can easily be a financially sustainable career. All you need to do is be consistent and know what clicks with the viewers.

4. How and where do you find inspiration to churn out content?

I usually find inspiration in my day to day life and conversations with people. I also get ideas when i’m watching other people’s content since it makes me think in what way I would use the particular theme or song for my content.

5. What are some common myths in the society about psychology?

A few common myths in the society are regarding how a person with mental illness will behave or look like. There is actually no way to tell what’s going on in a person’s mind just by seeing their external behaviour.

Another common myth is that only people with disorders go for therapy which is not true. Anyone who is having trouble dealing with their problems or emotions can go for therapy.

There a lot of stigma regarding people going to professionals. We as a society really need to work towards normalising getting help.

6. How can people practice mindfulness?

Mindfulness means living in the moment. It is an evidence based technique that even I use when I’m having trouble with anxiety/overthinking/stress. I do this activity called body scan where I relax every part of my body from head to toe. There are a few videos on YouTube which can help you learn how to do it.

Mindfulness makes you relax and also helps you live a better quality of life since we spend most of our time worrying about the future or the past. By being in the present we can focus more on what’s going on by being in control of it since we have no control on our past or future. We can only control the present.

7. How according to you can one manage stress?

As I mentioned before, learning mindfulness is a great way to manage stress. Other than that, I would recommend breaking down your goals into smaller and more achievable goals so the pressure to complete them is less.

It is also very important to make sure you take out some time to do things you enjoy. We take too much pressure to be “productive” all the time and while that is good, it is equally necessary to relax.