# @meenakshi.sharma.co on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CScQgaFlaB5
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/64717848-meenakshisharmaco-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/ed46828200.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-08-11T16:53:32.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Meenakshi Sharma | Ottawa • Mom Life • Community • Creative (@meenakshi.sharma.co) — https://gondola.cc/meenakshi.sharma.co

## Caption

TW: mention of suicide.

Imagine if we held parents with the same comfort as we do with our newborns, to remind them they are loved, they are capable, they are doing the best that they can.

It was this time last year, we were mourning a South Asian mother, #NimaBhakta who lost her battle to postpartum depression where she died by suicide. 

We can’t stop talking about perinatal mental health, especially in communities where it is needed the most. We can’t stop talking about perinatal mental health until adequate resources & help are provided to underrepresented communities. We can’t stop talking about perinatal mental health until friends and families in our communities are in a position to step up and offer help and support. We can’t stop talking about perinatal mental health for the individuals who are suffering in silence for fear of judgement or abandonment.

In my own lived experience, I continue to find days where I am okay and days where I am not okay. My journey is unique to me but it might sound familiar to yours. So, if you’re able and when you’re ready, share yours. I’ve come across individuals in my own community who have insinuated that this is an illusion. Let me frank for a moment, NEVER ever judge or doubt someone else’s challenges or suggest that they are “making it up”. No one has the right to question your mental health. Read that again.

And this is why, I want to stress again, that mindsets need to shift towards how we perceive what mental health is. If we do not approach with empathy or understanding, we will never be in a position to influence changes in our communities. Although the_lotus_movement is currently on a mental health break, please continue to support the genuine advocacy work that is coming out of this non-profit organization. We are here to continue the awareness and offer free resources to our community. 

I am not a professional in this field. But I am an advocate demanding change. I am a human who on the daily deals with my own struggles of postpartum, anxiety, and PTSD. 

For support:
rkmggroup 
lifecyclecounselling 
browntherapistnetwork 
southasiantherapists 
rubikscounselling 
+ so many more.

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## Tags

nimabhakta

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