If someone asks me, "How is the time of lockdown in your eyes?" I then remember one of my favorite people who said, "It's a precious time. Unwanted, but welcome." I believe most readers are frowning, "What does this girl say? We're getting bored of sitting at home, going crazy with depression and frustration, and she thinks it's a good time?" Then if I say more, lockdown would rather saved me from depression, how would you react? The thing is : introverts see the world in a different way which the extroverts cannot understand. I want the world to know how introverts see the world. The school...

How are you, my friend? Not good? Don't forget that you have a free train ticket in your pocket. Come to the station of mental health and say "I am an amazing person"! Do you hear this loud "Everything will be ok!" sound? That means the train is coming! Get ready!

They say “inclusivity,” But only if you fit their criteria critically. They say “positivity,” But only if you act in passivity. You can’t be too dark, or else they won’t have your tone. You can’t be too pale, or else they’ll think you’re a ghost. You can’t be too tall, or else they won’t have your clothing size. You can’t be too short, or else you’re too small and not suitable for society’s eyes. Your eyes can’t be too slanted, or else they’ll think you won’t be able to see. Your hair can’t be too curly, or else they’ll think that you are messy. Your skin can’t be too textured, or else they’ll...

I am 18 years old right now. In the previous lockdown, I started to feel very anxious, often I would cry and wouldn’t even know the reason why I was crying. I told my parents that I want to opt for Therapy. My parents have always been aware about mental health issues because my mom has had OCD and depression. They agreed and supported me. I went to the therapist, the same therapist who treated my mom. I told her about my issue and the required treatment began in September 2020. She suggested that I go to a psychiatrist too because she felt I needed more than just Therapy. The psychiatrist...

Beauty standards for women have tremendously changed throughout time and history. From porcelain skin, arched brows, red lips, and high hairline in the 16th century to symmetrical face, fair skin, narrow waist, and curvy figure in today's society. However, these unrealistic beauty standards stop us from loving and becoming ourselves. Nobody is perfect, and we all have flaws. Don't hate yourself for being fat, having blemishes and acne, dark skin, body hair, teeth gap, scars, etc. Because those flaws make you special and make you "you." Media, especially social media, portrays these beauty...

The growth of social media has jumped greatly in recent years and it brings impacts to social life. Since it has been ingrained into the society today, everyone particularly the youth always gets influence from it. Albeit social media bring a myriad of advantages, it is actually risky and dangerous. It might be a medium for committing online crime such as spreading fake news and hoaxes. Some people will spread hoaxes which may serve the goal of propaganda or disinformation. The target of this propaganda is commonly adolescents since they often make snap decisions based on how the information...

As a teenager I had little information on Mental Health. I would read articles of people telling their stories, I would believe they were in pain, however I just could not imagine it being that bad. They were just feelings. They'd come and go! Nothing to be taken seriously , I'd think to myself. I didn't have the slightest idea of how wrong I was. But during the entire 12 years of school I had maybe 2 to 3 times ever learned about anything mental health related, adding to that where I live mental health is never discussed, never acknowledged, most importantly you are rarely believed...

I’d see women of all ages going to work around me. I felt proud that women can now fearlessly work, fend for themselves and be what they wish to be. I’d often read about workplace harassment on the internet and the newspaper. It saddened me but I felt that’s just a small section that has to face the horror of workplace harassment. I was happy. I was proud. In the past 6 months, I looked up for opportunities to work for welfare of the world. Few months back I joined an international level organisation as an intern. We were all asked to join a Telegram group and as I joined the group, all that...

India is the land of abundant culture and the beauty of it intensifies when the various cultures come together and create a state of balance. The Coronavirus outbreak took over the world and a series of unfortunate events followed. Healthcare systems crashed, ropes of finance strangled many, loved ones were lost and the devastating list goes on endlessly. Regular and methodical monitoring of one’s mental health during these times has become curtail since gone are the days when you could simply hop onto the streets and keep yourself occupied and eventually supress what disrupted you, which I...

How do you become a leader? There’s a myriad of ways I can choose to answer this, but the simplest answer is to just start. From yearning to represent the elementary class, I now represent much more than that. I’m a youth provincial riding representative, I deliver needs to marginalized youth who aspire to go into STEM, magazine writer, advocate, and a young Muslim woman, which those three words yet alone the ensemble of those 3 words, is seen as anything but successful. Most of all, I’m a storyteller. I share my experiences through my own writing, just like right now. Believe me yet? Awesome...

I was 10 years old I packed my clothes in a bag with messy folds When I was said as untouchable At the age of playing with the pebbles I was sent away from my home Locked in the darkness alone Inside the four muddy walla I screamed but no one heard it at all I was scared and it was all so scary Everyone stopped saying me as cute little fairy They said I am an adult now I was shocked and I questioned how No one replied to me with the answer Was it just because I had mensuration? Spending seven days in that unknown place Not allowed to see the sun or just have a glance Seven-night with all the...

I was 7 years old when I first witnessed the generational effects of poverty. Children, no older than I was at the time were lined up outside of a hotel waiting to retrieve stale bread as it was being disposed of. This didn’t sit right with me. Why would anyone be deprived of good food? I knew that I had to channel this energy into creating something special. In 2013, I founded Aiza’s Teddybear Foundation in an effort to make life easier for children in need. Each year, we repurpose and distribute tens of thousands of items to serve families in need. We send school supplies and warm sweaters...