VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 01 | MAY-JUNE 2019
A BI-MONTHLY DIGITAL MAGAZINE FOR E MOTIONAL W ELLNESS
VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 01 | MAY-JUNE 2019
A BI-MONTHLY DIGITAL MAGAZINE FOR E MOTIONAL W ELLNESS
WE MAG
VOLUME O1 | ISSUE 01
MAY - JUNE 2019
Vira Komarraju EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jolly Vin
DESIGN
&
LAYOUT
WEQIP
PUBLISHED
BY
WE MAG takes constant and utmost care to ensure that the content is accurate, original, and complete. WE MAG & WEQIP assume no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, inauthentic or incomplete information. The views and opinions expressed in the articles are that of its author(s) and are not necessarily the views of the publisher and editor. The published material, editorials and all other content is published in good faith and WE MAG carries no responsibility for the opinion expressed thereon. The materials and content contained in this publication are for general information only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. WE MAG reserves the right to change any information without notice. WE MAG & WEQIP cannot be held responsible and shall not be liable for content of other websites, resources, external organizations and people that might be mentioned in the articles. If you have any query regarding article submission, feedback, errors & omissions, or any other comment please mail to us at info@weqip.com Any form of reproduction of any content of this digital publication without the written permission of the publisher or the editor is strictly prohibited. For more information and exclusive digital content, head over to www.weqip.com WEQIP is a trademarked organization. All rights reserved.
From The Founder's Desk
My Dear Friends,
May is the month of Mental Health Awareness and we could not have thought of a more appropriate time to launch WE MAG. Along with my entire team I welcome you on this journey! WE MAG was a latent thought since 2009 and has taken a decade to materialise. Exactly two years back, we founded WEQIP – an organization where we are trying to create initiatives and platforms to enhance emotional wellness. WE MAG is an extension of that vision. Although I often expand WEQIP as ‘Equipping Wellness’, but its true meaning for me is, ‘We equip each other’. Similarly, WE MAG is for you, me, us – WE. This magazine is not just about creating and curating content on emotional wellness, it is about collaborating and building a community of mental health warriors, of people who have something powerful to share, of those who have lived these stories, of people who care about emotional well-being. We are a tiny team of volunteers with big ambitions and undying passion for emotional and behavioural health. Our editor and art director are on-board with us out of pure love for the cause; all our mentors have tremendous belief in us and our purpose; and even our partners, volunteers and interns work with such immense fervour, love, and commitment – considering this magazine as their own. In an era where content and platforms are abundant, WE MAG would not have seen the light of the day, had it not been for our contributors. Our heartfelt gratitude to them. They readily agreed and took time out to write for our inaugural issue. We are also blessed to be surrounded by well-wishers and friends (and friends of friends) who connected us to these wonderful writers. Thank you for starting this journey with us. No doubt we have a long way to go, but we have taken the first step. We'll learn, grow and improve as we go along. I would love to hear from you. Share not only your feedback and views, but also your thoughts and ideas with me at saumya@weqip.com. May God bless us all with Shanti, Shakti, & Sadbuddhi – Peace, Strength, and Virtue. Much love and with you on this journey,
Dr. Saumya Goyal
Founder - WE MAG & WEQIP
Letter From The Editor
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the inaugural issue of WE MAG! This is a new adventure for us – an adventure which began with our responsibility to create a content platform which brings together people to write and share openly about mental health, its whats and whys, stories and strategies, misses and hits. It is about time that we treat mental health and emotional wellness with as much candour as any other aspect of physical health. In this issue Vaibhav – a young actor – teaches us how to niftily handle rejection. Remya lists 5 simple yet important life lessons based on her life experiences. Jolly, WEQIP's nutritional mentor and guide urges us to forgo junk food for the sake of our mind and shares a quick power packed smoothie recipe which is a regular in my house now. In her photo essay, Rashmi captures the ‘happy’ moments amidst the most mundane life situations. Our column ‘School Bell’ showcases mental health initiatives taken by schools and in this issue the spotlight is on Hyderabad’s leading ‘Sentia – The Global School’. Two very different and very touching artworks by Alokparna and Willie are presented in ‘Medium’. Dr. Swetha, a psychiatrist, throws light on the dark world of drugs and teen addiction. A nutritionist turned storyteller Nupur emphasizes upon nurturing children on stories. Occupational psychologist Aakriti dwells on why HR needs to focus on mental health at work. Academicians from Xavier University Bhubaneswar explore the importance of spirituality at workplace. Vaishnavi writes on the stress faced by and coping strategies for caregivers. Archana, a Mrs. India finalist, writer, artist, and entrepreneur – captures the essence of being a bipolar in her poetry column ‘Respire’ and lastly Saumya, our founder, describes her tryst with self-doubt. Thank you to the authors who submitted their work to a new untested digital magazine. We hope the company of their fellow contributors make them proud to be a part of this first issue. I am hoping that you find the stories and pieces here inspiring, thought-stirring and valuable. I encourage you to share your views and engage in discussion on these stories. If you wish to contribute, an article, thought piece, viewpoint, photo essay, art work, recipe, poem, book review – or anything related to emotional wellness, send in your work to write@weqip.com. I hope you enjoy WE MAG Volume 1, Issue 1. Here’s to building a healthier tomorrow– in mind, heart and spirit
Vira Komarraju
Editor - WE MAG
ON THE COVER
Iced Lemon Drop - Abstract Art By Sharon Cummings U s e d
w i t h
p e r m i s s i o n
Sharon Cummings' art collections can be found on Fine Art America
"BUT I KNOW THAT I SPENT A LONG
TIME EXISTING, AND NOW I INTEND TO
LIVE"
- An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
PAGE 20
W E
M A G
VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 01
C O N T E N T S Your Voice
0 9
Playing with Rejection – From an Artist's Eyes - Vaibhav Mehta Life Lessons
1 5
5 Insanely Simple Life Lessons that I Learnt the Hard Way - Remya Vivek Nutrition For The Mind
2 2
Junk the Junk Food - Your Mind Will Thank You - Jolly Vin Faces
2 8
Street Photography with 'A Twinkling Eye' - Rashmi Choudhary School Bell
3 7
Bringing the Mental Dimension in Holistic School Health - A. Sunita & Anshu Medium
4 1
Moon on Earth - Alokparna Das Teen Aid
4 3
Drugs! Disguised Heaven or a Misguided Hell? - Dr. Lakshmi Swetha Gullapalli Insight
4 9
Nurturing Children with Stories in this Digital Age - Nupur Aggarwal
W E
M A G
VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 01
C O N T E N T S Workplace Diaries
5 7
Mental Health at Work - Why HR Needs to Focus On It - Aakriti Varshney Watercooler
6 2
'Workplace Spirituality' - The Success Mantra for Employee Wellness - Moitreyee Paul, Lalatendu Kesari Jena, Kalpana Sahoo Medium
7 1
Black Cloud - Willie Barker Perspective
7 3
Who Will Care for the Caregivers? - Vaishnavi Chella Reflection
8 1
Taming the Self-Doubt Monster Dr. Saumya Goyal Respire
8 8
Once a Bipolar - Archana Kapoor Nagpal Bookshelf
9 0
Book Review: Life Is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy
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"HAPPINESS CAN BE FOUND, EVEN IN
THE DARKEST OF TIMES, IF ONE ONLY
REMEMBERS TO TURN ON THE LIGHT"
-Â Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K.Rowling
WWW.WEQIP.COM
EQUIPPING WELLNESS - MIND + HEART+ SOUL
India is home to more than 1.3 billion people and over 200 million suffer from mental illness sometime during their lifetime. Unfortunately, out of these only a few ever muster the courage to talk about it and reach out for help. Why? Because mental illness is still considered a stigma, a shame, a humiliation, and a big stain on one’s personality. We have a long way to create a culture which considers mental illness for what it is – an illness. We at WEQIP are driven by the philosophy that ‘Mind is part of the body too’ and we need to take care of it as much as our body. In line with this, we are dedicated to creating platforms and driving initiatives which bring people together to acknowledge, talk about, and address the elephant in the room. ABOUT US
WEQIP™ FOCUSES ON ENHANCING WELLNESS OF MIND, HEART, AND SOUL THE TRINITY FOR HAPPINESS
Our publications are completely collaborative in nature and our stories are of people, by people, and most importantly for people. They are for those of us whose life is touched by emotional or behavioural health issue at any point in time in their life – a parent, a teacher, a manager, a child, an IT professional, an actor, a housewife, an HR executive, an artist, a friend to name a few. WEQIP Blog or WE Blog as we like to refer it to and our digital magazine WE Mag is constantly on the lookout of people who have something powerful to say about Emotional/ Behavioural Health & Wellness. We encourage experts, professionals, mental health warriors from various backgrounds to share their knowledge and experiences through these media. The ideas can take any form - art, essay, story, poem, interview, showcase, spotlight, or a straightforward article. The content becomes more enriched as we go along this collaborative journey. If you feel you have a story in you, an idea which would help others, a great practice which is worth emulating, or you are just curious to know more, please reach out to us at – write@weqip.com OUR DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS
