Don't Settle: Anshula Kapoor Advocates For Uncompromising Mental Health Standards

Writer, creator, body positivity and mental health advocate Anshula Kapoor shines with her unique identity in the world of glitz and glamour. Her unfiltered honesty on Instagram about self-acceptance and navigating life's challenges sets her apart, inspiring others to embrace their true selves boldly. In her interview with SheThePeople, Anshula Kapoor candidly discussed various topics, shedding light on important issues affecting women today.

Kapoor emphasised the significance of prioritising mental health and seeking support, highlighting the tendency for women to neglect their well-being while caring for others. Kapoor also encouraged individuals to reflect on and consider external advice regarding their mental health, emphasising the importance of finding the right therapist. Additionally, she addressed the impact of societal comparison fueled by social media, suggesting that individuals curate their online content to promote authenticity and positivity.

Excerpts From The Interview With Anshula Kapoor

Your journey with mental health and self-acceptance has resonated with many. What advice do you have for those hesitant to seek support?

If anybody in your close circle, who always has the best interest of yours and their heart, is telling you or advising you that maybe you will benefit from speaking to a therapist or speaking to somebody who is coming from a place of a little bit more knowledge, insight, and understanding, what are they seeing in you that you perhaps may be missing out on actually seeing in your self, because so many times we're so attuned to look and think outside, we always end up ignoring our selves. 

So, maybe take five minutes or half an hour and introspect and just do due diligence on your mind of your health, understand where your mind is at, understand what place your good wishes were coming from, if they were suggesting that you may not be at your best mental health wise, and also understand that they are doing this and saying this to you, from the goodness of their hearts, they're not saying this to make you feel bad, they're not saying that there's something wrong with you. All they want is for you to be the best version of yourself. So maybe pay a little bit of attention to external advice in that sense if it comes to you.

And I think the other piece of advice that I would give is that it doesn't always happen that the first therapist that you speak to is the best fit for you. It's like finding the best pair of jeans for us girls; the first jeans that we try on are not always going to be the best fit. So until you don't find one that works best for you, I would also suggest that you maybe do a trial session or do a session with maybe one or two different types of therapists because, yeah, there are different types of therapy and different types of therapists in terms of their approach to how they will communicate with you and how they will help you. So until and unless you're not 100% satisfied, don't settle.

Constant exposure to curated images and lifestyles on social media impacts individuals' perceptions of themselves, considering the prevalent phenomenon of societal comparison. Do you have any thoughts or tips for breaking this cycle of societal comparison?

Actually. There are always two sides to social media. There is always going to be a side of social media that's extremely curated. Some people or brands are going to maybe post the best version of themselves, of their lives, of their products. And that is one aspect of it because that's the only aspect that they want to sell to you because, for them, that's aspirational. There's also another side of social media where there are a lot of creators and even a lot of brands are now understanding that aspiration can be real. So if you're portraying your honest, real, authentic self on social media, a lot of people will relate to that. 

I personally agree with even the second thought. So if you are one of those who gets extremely influenced by the media that you're consuming, you can't change what the TV is showing you or what the OTT platforms are showing you. But you can change who you follow on your social media platforms.  So just choosing to follow and put your energy into the kind of accounts that you feel a little bit more authentic, I think, is a self-decision that you can take because, at the end of the day, the follow and unfollow button for any account that you see is in your hands.

As a mental health advocate, you've openly shared your journey through numerous hormonal changes and health issues. How do you believe these experiences underscore the importance of women prioritising their health?

I don't know if this is a cultural thing, if it's a gender-based thing, or if it's a societal thing, but I have noticed and have been guilty of doing the same thing myself, where we as women tend to always look at everybody else in our family or in our social circle as somebody we need to make sure they are doing okay. My father is not feeling well; let me make sure he's okay. My sibling is not feeling well; let me make sure they are okay. And because we get so stretched, we take care of everybody else around us. We ignore ourselves. So we ignore it when we're feeling tired, and we write it off, saying, It's okay, like it." 

However, with changing times and increased awareness, there's a growing trend of women advocating for their health and that of others. This shift is evident in more mothers being attuned to their daughters' health needs. Moreover, they're a lot more aware of the symptoms to look out for, and there's a lot less stigma involved in things that previously came with a lot of stigma. So if a girl had facial hair, she was laughed at and then she was told,' Oh, because of your genes, you have to take care; you have facial hair growing.' But now people know that this could be a sign that maybe we need to get a blood test done to check our hormones. Or maybe we just need to get to a doctor to understand if there's anything beyond regular hair growth happening here. So I think that a woman advocating for another woman's health care is something that we're seeing a lot more of now. And I'm hoping that this isn't just a trend or a fad; it's a lot more holistic, and it continues in that sense. I think things are changing. And we are looking more inward and always looking outward.

As someone who values sisterhood and solidarity, how do you think women can support each other better?

I truly believe that. If we come together and help other women and girls rise, as opposed to pulling them down, and we encourage them, we give them resources to be able to thrive. We will create a happier environment to be in because women aren't going anywhere; we are always going to be part of this ecosystem, our world. And we want the same kind of opportunities that we've seen others get all their lives. And we've reached a point where we are now getting those opportunities, be it financially or where education is concerned; we're in our own personal lives. And it's still not easy to navigate with a lot of families. And I'm just hopeful that if you have a woman in your inner circle who you think can benefit from maybe positive talk or just a little bit of encouragement like we would say, give it to her.

Don't be shy about complimenting her, even if you think it's a superficial compliment to begin with. Give it to her, because you don't know how that can happen. That encouragement can change her life. So I think if women support women in all walks of life, there's no stopping us.