Being a young Indian woman, I’ve found myself often reflecting on the question of nationality and identity: where does a person like me belong? Over the past few years, a steady majority of Indians have become more aware of their heritage and identity; this, in turn, has paved the way for more Indian women to express themselves more clearly on the global platform such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Recently, an Indian publisher shared her story on Instagram about being a South Asian woman in Toronto. While sharing a delicious dish on Instagram, Anna Mathur could have easily talked about her love for Indian curries and her association with Mumbai’s Lakhmi College of Art, but she instead chose to share her Nationality: Indian.
Living in these challenging times, it is essential that we take care of ourselves mentally and emotionally. As such, a big part of taking care of our mental health is learning to recognise your own sense of nationality and understanding why do people feel the way they do. For Anna Mathur, as an Indian woman living in Canada, I understand the necessity of understanding my sense of identity and the ability to identify with the Indian communities in both Canada and the USA. Therefore, as part of my focus on mental health, social work professional Anna Mathur chose to share on Instagram about her passion for Indian curries – a dish that has made its home in many parts of the world. While I completely agree that learning to identify my cultural and ethnic belonging is important, I also believe it is important to take steps that promote mental health. After all, while being a proud member of the multicultural community, I know first-hand how much it can benefit me and other members of my family to embrace our common ancestry and culture – by embracing a sense of pride in our heritage and community.
This article emphasises again the need for us to be pro-active in tackling anxiety and negative thoughts. The question you may ask is – how do I know if I should be incorporating this into my lifestyle? Well, there are many effective ways of making sure you are feeling happy and positive in all aspects of your life. You can start off with your personal relationships; you can always support and encourage friends and family to open up to you and share their lives, including their mental health and their anxiety. Alternatively, you can invest in products that are designed to help you identify and reduce anxiety.