Designer Anjali Phougat, who is also an ace wardrobe stylist, entrepreneur and founder of designer dream collection, says that it’s important to put all our focus on mental health for the moment. The designer says that sound mental health is also very important for good physical health as well.
“Mental health is very important and people tend to ignore it. It’s even more important than physical health because if you are at mental peace then only you can function better physically. Everyone needs to take care of their mental health. Even nature takes a break. Trees turn green and then they take a break during the winter times so it is important to take care of mental health,” he says.
She says that there must be more awareness as well. “People need to talk more about it and it shouldn’t be a stigma anymore. People go to the gym and take care of their diet and physical health but they forget about their mental health. They don’t take breaks and don’t talk about the difficult times they are dealing with. Sharing is caring and one needs to speak up and if someone needs help then they should ask without hesitation,” she says.
She adds, “Make it a priority. Set up your goals and do something for your mental peace like meditation, yoga. For me, mental health is my top priority and I make sure that I spare some time for me to take a break and meditate. I am a very spiritually aligned person which gives me a mental peace and I spend time with my family which people are forgetting and running in a race.”
The entertainment industry is touted to be very stressful and, thus, mental health should be a priority here, says Anjali. “Depression and anxiety are there in every field. But it’s more in the entertainment industry because of a lot of pressure, hard work and work timings. There are no fixed work timings, no breaks and back-to-back shooting. There is a pressure on them to look better and run in the rat race. Lot of people are dying at a very young age which is very sad.”
She adds, “A lot of recent deaths have taken place. People have died working out in a gym, our legendary Raju Srivastava also died at a very young age. The restlessness in life where people are just focusing on their physical health is also not upto the mark. They are ignoring their priorities and competing with each other.”
Meanwhile, ask her how she gets through a low day, and she says, “I like to take a break and show my gratitude to God for whatever I have accomplished and how far I have come. I spend time with my family and talk to my friends and share about the situation I am going through as that helps me to release stress and anxiety and follow my heart. Life is really short, so focus on your own goals and don’t run in any race. Talk to your friends, hug your loved ones because life is really short. Show love and affection and you will get back in abundance.”
