I had spent many days and months, wracking my brain, trying to fit my body into a metaphor.
On some days, my body is a home that nature designed with patience. A home which has marked fences, plenty of ventilation and abundant room for love. My home has been repainted several times, keeping up with the trends of the neighbourhood. It has allowed me to drill nails into it, hang lights over it and has also been forgiving enough when I have spilled milk on its floor. This home has also seen many people come and go, some stay long enough to scribble on the walls with crayons.
On the other days, this body is a quiet, green, unassuming plant. It embodies life in ways that aren't obvious to the naked eye and blossoms as it pleases. It has stiff branches and poky thorns that protect it from the world and at the same time, it also has the softest petals and timid tendrils that gently wrap themselves around the window.
After spending many days in the metaphor-trial-room, I was exhausted and troubled because I could never decide - either they all felt incomplete or they felt too pretentious for me to wrap my mind around. I was tired of wanting to be more or less than what my body actually is.
It eventually dawned on me, like an early morning’s epiphany, that my body could never be compared to anything else, because my body is a metaphor in itself!
It allows so many beings and objects to become one with it and it grows and lives a life of its own. My body is a metaphor that allows meaning to be embodied, a metaphor that brings life and light into any space it occupies. My body is a metaphor for a metaphor.
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You Are Wonderful Just As You Are
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A series by Adwaita Das that aims to provide compassionate and encouraging ways of speaking. Inspired by Mithra Trust's 'What To Say' Series
Metaphors, like our bodies, are built purposefully. There are no accidents in how such grand pieces of art and literature are built. When we suggest to others that their bodies need to be rounder, thinner or more chiseled, we are implying that their bodies do not fit into a preconceived metaphor that we have assumed for them - and thereby, invalidating the purpose and beauty of their bodies.
Acceptance is one of the purest forms of appreciation and the words we choose to use to describe someone’s body must be said with a lot of care, and without comparison to any standards of beauty or gender. All bodies are unique and wonderful, just as they are.
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TRIGGER WARNING : The following section talks about suicide and the support we can offer for anyone going through a difficult time.
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What To Say : Suicide and Support
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On account of September being Suicide Prevention and Awareness month, we would like to bring back to surface the carefully created What To Say guides that outline how to have empathetic and thoughtful conversation with those who are survivors of suicide, those grieving the loss of others who have died by suicide or those who are experiencing suicidal thoughts themselves.
This month is a reminder to engage with compassion, hold space without judgement, especially when someone chooses to share that they are going through trying times.
TRIGGER WARNING : The following content mentions suicide, suicide related thoughts and invalidating questions that people are asked regarding the same.
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If you’re talking to someone who is considering suicide and would like to be supportive, these cards might help. You can access the full guide here.
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If you’re talking to someone who is bereaved by suicide and would like to be supportive, these cards might help. You can access the full guide here.
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If someone you know has shared their story of attempted suicide and you would like your responses to be helpful, thoughtful, and considerate, these cards might help. Created with @hanknunninstitute . You can access the rest of the cards here.
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If you know anyone who is thinking about suicide or is undergoing a very painful time and would like to access emergency helplines, click here for resources.
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Sky Is The Limit : Mental Health at Workplace Award
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We are extremely delighted to share with you that our Asia-wide storyboard mental health campaign “Sky Is The Limit - Mind Gym” won the “Best Mental Health Strategy Award: Multinational Implementation” for Northern Trust, as a part of the This Can Happen Awards - 2020.
The campaign is aimed at bringing about mental health awareness at the workplace through colourfully made, friendly, fictional characters, namely Sky and gang. The idea behind the campaign is to bring about dialogue around mental health through the conversation that Sky and their friends have with each other, who come with intricately designed personalities, which are easy for one to relate to.
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The campaign brings to light a deeper understanding of depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns as well as gratitude, resilience, forgiveness and more.
Since 2019, over 10,000 people across India and Asia Pacific have been engaging with Sky on a weekly basis.
To learn more about mental health at the workplace and to get in touch with us, click here.
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The Meh® Sessions in September
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Please note the changes in schedule that have been made for the Meh® sessions in September.
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Let's Discuss The Meh®️:
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“It really helped me find safety and feel taken care of and heard in my struggles that have made me feel very alone. Just to be able to talk and not be silenced or ridiculed, but be so respected and loved, made all the heaviness slide off of my back..”
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Doodles For The Meh®️:
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“Letting my emotions out, talking to the inner child was something which I really loved as I had never done that before. Sometimes it's tough to have conversations with oneself. This event gave me an exposure on the things that I can work on myself..”
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Writing for The Meh®️:
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“It helped me so much in getting out that torment that sadness that void I was feeling inside. And now feeling loose and comfortable..”
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