{"id":5029,"date":"2020-10-07T11:26:03","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T10:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globalindianstories.com\/?p=5029"},"modified":"2020-10-07T16:44:40","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T15:44:40","slug":"world-mental-health-day-2020-a-tribute-to-the-selfless-sumitra-tevani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalindianstories.org\/index.php\/2020\/10\/07\/world-mental-health-day-2020-a-tribute-to-the-selfless-sumitra-tevani\/","title":{"rendered":"World Mental Health Day 2020: a tribute to the selfless Sumitra Tevani"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent months, everyone has been talking about getting used to a new <\/span>\u2018normal\u2019 in a COVID-19 world.<\/span><\/p>\n

In reality, my new normal is learning to live life to the fullest without my beautiful Mummy sending me WhatsApp messages, calling me a gazillion times a day, video calling me but then putting the phone up to her ear, sharing the latest recipe idea from an Indian cooking show, feeding the ducks and sitting by the River Thames with an ice-cream, a story from her growing up in Kampala and boarding school in India, starting a new life in the UK, meeting Dad, having us amazing kids (obvs), telling me about the Joshi family, reminding me about a GP appointment, asking if I<\/span>\u2019ve eaten or asking me to come over to pick up food for my Gf and myself, checking I<\/span>\u2019m not working too late, staying out too late, am safe, what time I<\/span>\u2019d be visiting at the weekend and what I wanted to eat. The list is endless and I cannot do it justice here. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Mum had a lovely sense of humour and was cheeky sometimes. She was always gentle and kind to everyone and anyone she met. So many people have shared her attributes in remembrance and they all said the same.<\/p>\n

Sweet. Lovely. Kind. Gentle. Patient.<\/p>\n

Her name, Sumitra, translated means <\/span>\u2018everyone<\/span>\u2019s friend<\/span>\u2019.<\/p>\n

I have learnt through my own personal development, that there always exists a dark side to your gifts. Mum<\/span>\u2019s giving nature meant that her own mental health was something she never prioritised. She used to talk to me a lot and after I came out to her in 2010 we often discussed her feelings and worries. Mainly she was worried about what other people would think. I gave her the time and space she needed to come to terms with the fact that I was gay and that life would be different for me. <\/span><\/p>\n

Since Mum<\/span>\u2019s death, I often think about her mental health and wished that she had sought professional help. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Pragna and her siblings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a teenager, I felt alone and isolated. This was my default setting when I realised I was different to the other girls around me. I didn<\/span>\u2019t know what it was and I certainly didn<\/span>\u2019t have the vocabulary to describe myself as gay. I had no one to speak to and was petrified of losing the people I cared for the most.<\/span><\/p>\n

I started regular CBT sessions earlier in 2020 after reaching out to my local Mental Health service for anxiety, stress, and depression. What I learnt from these sessions has enabled me to find my own coping strategies, so I didn<\/span>\u2019t slip further into my <\/span>\u2018vortex\u2019, and I share them with you here: <\/span><\/p>\n