MUMBAI: Mental health is as important as physical health and must be taken care of in the same way, urge these actors on World Mental Health Day, which is observed on 10th October 

Dhruvee Haldankar- Health is wealth in all ways. It should always be given first priority. Mind and heart play the most important roles. To have a strong mind, one must keep it relaxed and away from stress and pain. Happiness is key. If you are happy and you know it, life will be beautiful to live. Usually, problems are created by our own minds, so we suffer. The best is to not think a lot, control the ocean of thoughts. I usually try to divert my dirty thoughts by thinking about good times, meditating or talking to my parents about it and trust me I always find my answers. 

Bhavesh Kumar- When I feel low, I spend my time with my family; my dadi, my cousins. I feel that spending time with your family really helps you relax and rejuvenate your mind. It is very important to do whatever makes you happy when you are feeling low. This is as important as taking medicine when you are running a fever. 

Vijayendra Kumeria- Taking care of your mental health is very important and people are getting aware on this topic. It depends on a person to person, how they deal with stress or their inner thoughts... some meditate, some workout, some talk to people while some just keep things to themselves and that’s very dangerous. Apart from taking care of our own mental health and peace, I feel we also have an added responsibility to keep a check on our near and dear ones mental health and help them deal with stress issues if any. I am a very positive person and I don’t get stressed out easily... I meditate every day. I keep myself busy with creative activities like reading, writing and conceptualising new projects. I spend a good time with my family and share my thoughts and hear theirs too. I think these are some things that keep me far from mental stress. 

Urvashi Upadhyay Sharle- Mental health is really very important because it is a vital part of your life. Mental health impacts your thoughts, behaviour and personality so being mentally healthy is very necessary because who are mentally healthy. They can focus on their work and showcase his or her creativity. Head is the most important part of your body. Mentally healthy or unhealthy is not recognised easily that when we start thinking about negative things and when we get into depression physically when we are unhealthy. it is seen obviously we can feel that but mentally we don’t get to know. All diseases have medicine but if we don’t take care of mental health then later it becomes difficult to come out from that. Sometimes, I also feel low and coming out from that point becomes very difficult for me. It takes time so when I feel low I listen to ghazals, eat something sweet or I keep quiet for some days and try to keep myself busy.

Ashok Kumar Beniwal- Mental health is directly connected to your mind and unfortunately, since childhood, no one has educated us about the mind. The brain is a hardware and the mind is a software and there is nothing much about mental health in our education system or in our culture. Per day thousands of thoughts come in our mind and in that, 90 per cent of thoughts are negative. Now social media plays a very important role rather than motivating others, we only see people saying negative things. Already we are listening to so much negativity and if in between that, some incidents happen and that becomes problematic.  It is not easy to come out from that so for they consult experts to clean themselves. Still going to a psychiatrist is very challenging in our society but in recent times, little changes have come after this Sushant Singh Rajput case happened, everyone is opening up. I am very curious about this topic and I have done research also on this.  

Rishina Kandhari- There is a lack of understanding about mental health disorders and there are major barriers in society in seeking help. Of late, there has been an increasing acknowledgement of the important role mental health plays in our lives and I'm glad people take it seriously now. I’ve always been very open about my emotions and have never hidden anything ever regarding my mental status. I don’t let emotions bottle up inside, I prefer telling or sharing it with my family and friends. Whenever something bothers me, I discuss it with them and get clarity on that thought. Food peps me up so whenever I feel low, I eat something sweet or do a cheat meal. One should involve oneself in laughter, art, music the things which make the heart happy. I try to be optimistic and indulge in positive reading. 

Saanand Verma- It is a very important day to celebrate because what we are in life is just because of good mental health. If we are mentally strong then only we can do good work and be happy so being mentally strong is very important. Whenever I feel low, I watch some shaandar movies, I do yoga and try to think of  only good things which had happened in my life. I feel my life is an interesting film with lot of ups and downs. I feel that I have some supreme powers who take care of me and because of this power, I always feel happy and celebrate my mental health. Remember being happy and keeping others happy is very important because if you will be happy then people around you will also be happy and if you will be mentally strong, then you can be happy. Do exercise daily and keep in mind that nothing is more important than your mental health. 

Srishti Jain- There’s a lot of stigma around mental health, which I feel needs to be broken. It is just like any other illness and should be normalised. Taking care of ourselves mentally is equally important and I think we tend to take our mental health for granted a lot of times. I personally have dealt with my share of anxiety and depression, and my family and friends were very supportive and I even got the help I needed. By god’s grace, I’ve been in a much better place and I could heal. On my low days, I like being with my family. My parents can lift up my mood and make me feel safe and supported. Spending time with my family and friends meditating really helps make me feel better.

Prakriti Nautiyal- We have been brought up in a society where it is normal to avoid one's mental health. We have been taught that life is a struggle and you have to be strong but no one talks about how to be strong. Having a healthy mind is just as important as having a healthy heart or a kidney. Personally having been through the struggle of dealing with anxiety and depression, be it for personal reasons or professional, I have come to accept that the first step to heal is to self-realise and accept that you have a problem and to open up to the possibilities of finding a way to resolve it. Opening up emotionally be it to a friend, family, partner or professional is crucial. It is important for the person suffering from mental health issues to be guided in the right manner as it is also important to inculcate some activity or hobby that gives you that "me" time .My mom and sister really tried to help me through this but I wasn't receptive as sometimes one may not be as comfortable with family. It was then that Ridhima Tiwari introduced me to meditation and understanding energies and vibrations. Now every time I feel low, be it at home or on the set, I make sure I meditate the moment I feel like I am getting anxiety or feeling sad and of course my cat babies are a great stress buster. 

Aneesha Madhok- I believe that the new generation of India needs to make an effort to bring awareness towards mental health. We need to treat mental health equivalent to our physical health. I’m releasing a book called “How To Be Resilient” which will help people overcome depression with sociological and cognitive factors. Especially for people who don’t have access to therapy. I believe that one should not believe that depression is genetic and that people should try to avoid any kind of medications or drugs to treat mental health. Rather make a conscious effort to be mentally strong and be grateful for every moment in this life. 

Khushbhoo Kamal- In India, people generally talk about mental health but what I personally feel they don’t really take care of their mental health. They just say things for the sake of it. It has become a trend to talk about mental health but people are not really worried about their mental health. I am just talking about my experience and the people I am surrounded with. People are scared to talk about their mental health so that other people don’t judge them. If someone has a mental problem, our attitude towards him changes. When we share our mental problem with someone, even they don’t take us seriously. But I prefer taking mental health seriously because it is very important when you are mentally not healthy you can’t expect things to be perfect around you. I listen to music when I feel low, I watch content which I love to watch. I generally do these two things and when I am not feeling well.

Subuhii Joshii: I think mental health is a topic which needs a lot of awareness and importance, but gets little or none. Opening up and sharing your thoughts is very important, but before sharing it with others it’s very important to share it with yourself, you should talk to yourself and tell yourself what is happening. Till the time you don't know what the problem is how will come out of it. Of course talking to others helps but you need to acknowledge it first. To perk my mood up I play with my pet Majnu. Having pet is a blessing. Sometimes if I feel dull I eat some chocolates. I meditate or chant, that also really helps me.

Shamin Mannan: Mental health is very important and thankfully people have started talking about it but do they really care about their own mental health or they take care of the people around them is a big question. Talking about it is a good start but now it has become necessary to take care of themselves and their near and dear ones. Most of the time they don’t share anything and keep it inside themselves, it piles on and as a result one day the person might get a nervous break down which is not good. I feel that we do not give that importance to mental health if compared with physical issue. Like we go to a doctor once in a year for body checkup, same way we should go to a counsellor once in two months. There is no harm in going to a counsellor, they think people will judge them and will call them mentally weak or mad, that’s another big taboo and we have to fight for it. There have been times I have gone through anxiety, excessive stress and I have been to a counsellor and have shared my problem. When I have to perk up my mood I eat something good, I do yoga sometimes. When you don’t feel like working out that’s ok, you can take a day off, you can be in a corner of your room, in your comfort zone there is nothing bad in it, but then you have to also acknowledge the phase you are going through. I have been practicing yoga since the last three years and now even if I am not willing to do it, I pull myself up do yoga after that my mood lights up instantly.