It's Ok To Talk

Know what our story contributors have to say about the impact they had from sharing stories. Sharing mental health stories fosters self-acceptance, empowers individuals to address their concerns, and deepens their self-awareness.

You can also share your mental health story with us at [email protected]

Vaibhavi Garge, a 23-year-old q***r female, shared her artwork for the art exhibition at the Hope through Action Festival by Mannmela. She discusses how challenging it is to overcome barriers and seek help during times of mental health difficulty. In her piece, she showcases the people who stayed by her side and aided her in getting better and seeking professional help, using oil paints.

Read Vaibhavi's story on Mannmela via the link in our Bio. 

If you'd like to share your own experience navigating q***r identities and mental health, we invite you to reach out to us at [email protected].

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Are you a college student living in Delhi/NCR and interested in improving youth mental health? Join our METROPOLIS Young People’s Advisory Group! METROPOLIS is a research study aimed at reducing depression among university students in Delhi NCR through peer-to-peer mental health support.

Swipe >> Scan the QR code to apply! Applications close on 25th March 2024.

Thinking about sharing your mental health story with Baatcheet? Starting can be hard- we dont know how to begin and what to say. To help, we have crafted a story sharing guide to help you navigate the crucial steps of sharing.

First, think about why sharing your story matters to you. Then, decide if you have to share. 

Read our story sharing guide via the link in bio. 

Reach out to us at stories@itsoktotalk for queries.

"*Content Warnings: Abuse*"

Read the story written by Toni, a 22-year-old q***r female from New Delhi, where she talks about her difficult experiences as a child with her family and in school. She highlights her struggle with depression and an eating disorder and how she overcame them with the help of a teacher who recommended her to go for counselling. She also talks about how pursuing her dream and finding happiness in the small things in life have helped her get better.

Read Toni's story on It's Ok To Talk's website via the link in our Bio.

If you'd like to share your own experience navigating q***r identities and mental health, we invite you to reach out to us at [email protected].

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This International Women's Day read this story written by Anjali, a 20-year-old peer leader from the Milaan Foundation. Anjali works with young women and girls in UP on women's health and rights. In her story, Anjali recounts an incident that took place in her village and how that affected her and her family. She highlights issues that women in India still face everyday and talks about how she wants to work with as many girls as possible to make their lives better.

Read Anjali's story in Mannmela's museum via the link in our Bio.

If you'd like to share your own experiences of being a woman and navigating mental health we invite you to reach out to us at [email protected].

Baatcheet has started conducting awareness generation sessions to introduce the Baatcheet programme in Delhi schools, colleges, and community-based organizations, aiming to raise awareness regarding mental health and welcome students to participate in the programme.

*Content Warnings: Su***de and Self-harm*

Read the story written by Sukriti Dutta, an 18-year-old q***r female from Bangalore, narrating how she has struggled with depression and anxiety and how that impacted her education. She highlights how after many difficult years she sought therapy, is pursuing her passion in Psychology and is thankful for her life.

Read Sukriti's story on It's Ok To Talk's website via the link in our bio.

If you'd like to share your experience navigating q***r identities and mental health, we invite you to reach out to us at [email protected]

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When you are anxious, the mind tries to predict threats and rehearse future scenarios, or goes over and over past events, or might simply ask endless ‘what if...? or ‘why...?’ questions that often have no answers.

Find ways to escape the vicious cycle of anxiety by reading stories on anxiety shared by contributors on It's OK To Talk.

You can also share your own mental health story with us at [email protected]. For immediate counselling support, call Sangath's helpline number at 011-41198666 (10am - 6pm) for free.

Read the story shared by an anonymous contributor male from New Delhi, highlighting his struggles with depression after he experienced loss in his career. He speaks of the problems he faced living in a foreign country and stigma he faced from his family. He shares his journey recovery through the discovery of Buddhism.

Read this contributor's story via the link in our Bio.

Reach out to us at [email protected] to share your mental health story.

Know what our story contributors have to say about the impact they had from sharing stories. Sharing mental health stories fosters self-acceptance, empowers individuals to address their concerns, and deepens their self-awareness.

You can also share your mental health story with us at [email protected]

Thinking about sharing your mental health journey with Baatcheet? Getting started on this journey can be challenging; we often don't know where to start or how to share our story. To support you through this process, we have crafted a story-sharing guide to help you navigate the crucial steps of sharing. The very first step is to reflect on why sharing your story is significant.

🌼Read our story-sharing guide from the link in the bio. If you have any questions, reach out to our team at [email protected].

"Know what our story contributors have to say about the impact they had from sharing stories. Sharing mental health stories fosters self-acceptance, empowers individuals to address their concerns, and deepens their self-awareness. 🙇‍♀️"

You can share your mental health story with us at [email protected]

Read the poem by Sanaya Shikari, a 20-year-old woman from Mumbai, highlighting how laughter can nourish a person from the link in our bio.

Sharing our mental health experiences fosters a sense of belonging, reminding us we're not alone. You can also share your story at [email protected]

Do you want to share your mental health experience but feel unsure about where to begin?

We have worked on creating a large collection of mental health stories and have seen hundreds of young people share their journeys. You can read stories on our page here or at www.itsoktotalk.in for inspiration.
Art by

Wondering what to write about?
We have put together a list of different story prompts. You can choose even just one that resonates with you the most or add your own! For example:
👉What do you want people to understand about experiencing mental health difficulties?
👉What has surprised you most about your experiences so far?
👉What was it like to ask for help?
👉What did you find most helpful (and unhelpful)?
👉Do you have a message of hope you want to share with others?

If you are interested in sharing your own mental health experiences, you can:
🍀Get in touch with our team and we can help you put your story together via a blog/article, a video, or an audio piece.
🍀We’ve created a story-sharing guide you can refer to: https://rb.gy/5p83d
🍀If you have a story, you can simply email your submission to [email protected]
🍀You can even submit anonymously.
🍀Questions? Email us at [email protected] if you have any questions or want help with your contribution.

Read the poem written by ASHWINI SAWANT, a 36-year-old female from Thane, expressing her journey of accepting life as it comes, equiping yourself come what may, seeking help when needed, and finding reasons to cheer in life on https://itsoktotalk.in/i-choose-life/
36-year-old
Sharing your story can help reduce stigma around mental health, and generate hope in others too. Tell us your story at https://itsoktotalk.in/tell-your-story/.

In July, we brought 40 young people and mental health experts together for a workshop on how we can amplify youth mental health stories about depression and anxiety.

We worked together on identifying top priorities, enablers, and barriers to the successful implementation of a new storytelling programme, ‘Baatcheet’, which is run by our team and and supported by

Personal stories of help-seeking, hope, and recovery from mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety, help others who are facing similar struggles to learn coping strategies and connect with peers. These stories have the potential to encourage others and let them know that they are not alone.

We, at “Baatcheet”, build on "It’s Ok To Talk", aim to create a safe space to share your experiences with mental health and illness. Share your story to inspire others.

If you are interested in telling your story, use the link in our bio or email your story or questions to [email protected].

We are looking for a passionate young person to join our It’s Ok To Talk team for a programme called Baatcheet that is working on mental health storytelling, depression and anxiety.
We especially invite young people who have lived experience of depression or anxiety, are from marginalized backgrounds i.e., marginalized genders, sexualities, caste, location, religions, from Adivasi communities and those with disabilities to apply. Visit the link in our bio to apply.

(Part 2/2) Youth Advisors are a really important part of our programmes and participate in strategy building, focus-groups, co-design workshops, discussion and programme evaluation activities.
Meet our advisors for “Baatcheet”, a peer delivered programme which will help students who are experiencing anxiety or depression to learn new coping strategies and connect with peers through shared stories of help-seeking, recovery and hope. Baatcheet is being implemented by it's ok to talk (Sangath) in collaboration with King’s College London, UK and is supported by Grand Challenges Canada (GCC).

(Part 1/2) Youth Advisors are a really important part of our programmes and participate in strategy building, focus-groups, co-design workshops, discussion and programme evaluation activities.
Meet our advisors for “Baatcheet”, a peer delivered programme which will help students who are experiencing anxiety or depression to learn new coping strategies and connect with peers through shared stories of help-seeking, recovery and hope. Baatcheet is being implemented by it's ok to talk (Sangath) in collaboration with King’s College London, UK and is supported by Grand Challenges Canada (GCC).

*New project alert* 🙌🏽Glimpses from work with our Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG) for a new research study we have launched called Baatcheet/बातचीत.

Baatcheet is a peer delivered programme which will help students who are experiencing anxiety or depression to learn new coping strategies and connect with peers through shared stories of help-seeking, recovery and hope.
This project is based in New Delhi.

Youth Advisors are provided with training to learn new skills related to mental health research, depression and anxiety, an opportunity to work alongside experts and other youth with lived experience, and participate in the start-to-finish of designing a mental health innovation.

Have you ever shared your own mental health experience? What was it like?
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Storytelling is a fundamental human process for generating meaning from personal and collective experiences. When applied to health contexts, it can reduce stigma; improve understanding of health conditions and self- care strategies; and motivate critical action to improve coping and recovery.
Through examples of stories told in multimedia formats, participants will work with the facilitator to think about the building blocks of storytelling for mental health, the format of these stories, and the potential benefits or risks involved.

The workshop will be facilitated by Pattie Gonsalves, mental health researcher and advocate. Pattie brings specific expertise in engaging youth with lived experience in programme development, research and advocacy. Presently she serves as a Project Director at Sangath, an Indian mental health research non-profit where she directs a portfolio of participatory youth research projects and digital innovations supported by Wellcome Trust, Comic Relief and Grand Challenges Canada. Pattie founded the ‘It’s Ok To Talk’ national public engagement campaign recognised by Facebook as one of 2019’s top 10 international mental health youth projects.

It's often the last thing on our minds, but it should be the first!

Self-care is a step to say that "mental health matters".

Designed and illustrated by

If you find the need to talk - Reach out. Support is available.

Designed and illustrated by

We all feel differently and sometimes we feel differently from others during a given time!

Just take a moment to ask yourself, "How do I feel right now?"

Leave your comments below.

Designed and illustrated by

Are you a young person living in New Delhi and interested in improving youth depression and anxiety?
Join the Baatcheet Young People’s Advisory Group to help design a digital storytelling mental health programme.
Swipe >> Scan the QR code to apply.
Applications close on 25th November 2022.

An opportunity for young people, across Delhi to join us for an engaging focused group discussion on ‘Mental Heath in India - Young peoples’ voices’ taking place on 22nd November, 4pm - 6pm, at Sangath Delhi Office.

If you are between 18-24 years, can be present in person, and are interested in being a part of a change making discussion concerning youth mental health in India, join us!

Scan the QR code to register!*

*we have limited seats so kindly register now.

Thank you for supporting us through ‘Let’s be brave together: You are not alone’, a public event focusing on youth lived experiences which was organised on the 10th of October to commemorate World Mental Health Day. The event was hosted by in partnership with and was attended by over 350 young people from across Mumbai.

The event featured a panel discussion ‘ Bridging the gap in mental health’ by PV Sindhu, Shaheen Bhatt, Mallika Dua & Arjun Gupta. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Anant Bhan, researcher and principal investigator at Sangath. There were also engaging activities such as art exhibitions, expressive arts workshops, listening circle and a band performance by When Chai met Toast.

Stay tuned for more updates on It’s Ok to Talk and Brave Together!