Krittika Agnihotri
My Road To Recovery Led Me To Start Unwind
Not lost hope after every scars
Society has conditioned us to believe that struggles of the mind, like depression or anxiety, are just “phases.” Terms like “burnout” or “feeling low” are frequently dismissed as mere bouts of sadness or signs of weakness. This societal mindset has stigmatized mental health and made it challenging for individuals to seek the help they desperately need.
From a tender age, I grasped this harsh reality. Dealing with my own undiagnosed mental health challenges, such as OCD and depression, By the age of 8, I was already facing the cruel brunt of bullying which led me to binge eat. Additionally, learning difficulties at school further eroded my confidence and self-esteem.
At the age of 12, my life was shaken when my schoolteacher sexually harassed me. This incident added more sadness. when I was 18 I approached a lawyer on my own, but after a few meeting it did not work out.
At 17, I again lost my confidence, which led me to binge eat again, gaining 30kg in 6 months. I was not able to express to anyone that I was not doing this because I loved food, but rather because it gave me the pleasure of a warm hug and fulfilment. I was severely lacking at the time as I closed myself to people.
My mother agreed to therapy and supported it too after consideration but opposed medication due to its side effects, leading to conflicts with me. She blamed my mental health issues on my “overthinking”. Her concerns were valid about the medication and I received ample time and support from her.
During that time, I also had a lot of suicidal thoughts and used to self-harm by cutting myself. My peers bullied me about my weight, and I used to cry in the washroom, disrupting my self-confidence and self-esteem. I never felt good about my body with people laughing at me and mocking me.
From Struggles to Strength
My struggles led me to create Unwind, an NGO focused on making mental health care more affordable and accessible for others in need.
The only thing I liked was playing badminton, where I got a lot of moral support from my coach. It was the only place that made me happy. My parents supported that I play badminton and pursue it as a career. However, I saw a more stable life in doing academics.
While therapy started working, I had frequent disagreements with my parents. During one fight, I overdosed on anti-depressants but survived and at that time sometimes I missed moral support. After this self-harm incident, I was rejected from therapy by the organization, which made me feel more devastated and helpless and rejected.
I eventually left therapy and improved a little with the support of medications and my family.
Today I am better on medication and the support of my parents and reflect on my therapy sessions. My struggles inspired me to start my NGO, Unwind, to make mental health support affordable and accessible to everyone.
My goal is to help people access care quicker than I did.
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