Tis the season to be Merry, but we forget that not everyone feels that way. Shilpa Narayan is a 21 year old Gender, Sexuality and Women Studies student at Simon Fraser University. At the age of 12, she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, struggling with self-harm and suicidal ideation. With support from teachers and counsellors, she continued to persevere and realized that stigma and instead of calling her depression and anxiety a “struggle”, she began to call it “her journey.”
She became an active voice to support others. Shilpa created workshops in high school for students to connect with resources and helped create a course for students who were facing adversity to not only have a safe space, but also to develop coping skills/strategies that would benefit their mental wellness. Currently, Shilpa’s work focuses on the intersections between mental health and social justice issues.
In February 2016, Shilpa was the key note speaker at Balancing our Minds Youth Summit at Rogers Arena where she shared her journey of how she has connected with mental wellness and the importance of mental health literacy. She was also nominated and won the “Champion of Wellness” Award in the category: Supporting Others; a provincial recognition of youth who are committed to advocate and educate around topics of mental health.
It’s an honour to have this young lady in the studio on Tuesday to hear her speak to about the importance of mental health literacy. Tune in and Livestream Date Did What? Dating and Relationship Show at 7PM www.pulsefm.ca 107.7 FM.
Talk to you at 7!
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