We Don’t Need More Awareness. We Need More Honesty.” UNESCO Laureate, Ilashrei Anand’s Radical Message on World Mental Health Day
UNESCO Laureate Ilashrei Anand urges radical honesty this World Mental Health Day — saying India doesn’t need more awareness, but courage to admit pain and seek real healing.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 9: World Mental Health Day is often marked with hashtags, wellness workshops, and polite conversations. But this year, UNESCO Awardee and Certified Yoga Psychologist Ilashrei Anand (इलाश्री आनंद) refuses to play safe.
“India doesn’t need another awareness campaign. We already know stress, anxiety, and loneliness are gravely impacting us. What we lack is honesty, honesty to admit we are not okay, honesty to seek help, and honesty to stop glorifying silent suffering as strength,” declares Ilashrei Anand, who’s studied in various Ashrams, including the renowned, 100+ year old Ashram, The Yoga Institute, Santacruz.
The Real Mental Health Pandemic
Behind every cheerful selfie, curated marriage, or successful career lies an untold story.
- The woman who never says no, and ends up with PCOS, Thyroid, chronic fatigue or mystery illnesses.
- The man who provides for everyone but goes to bed with silent panic attacks or addictive coping mechanisms like porn, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, etc
- The young adult scrolling at 3 AM, drowning in loneliness while surrounded by followers, binge eating or binge watching while feeling emotionally empty.
“We romanticise sadness on social media but demonise healing in real life. We talk about mental health like it’s a fashion or to gain followers, until it’s time to actually book a therapy session. This hypocrisy is killing us,” she says, having worked with over a thousand people across 12 countries through Yoga Psychology and Root Cause Healing.
”This is the real epidemic. Not depression alone, but the performance of being fine,” Ilashrei Anand calls out the elephant in the room.
Yoga Psychology: Not Coping, But Confronting
Ilashrei Anand, who has assisted in healing over thousands of people worldwide, says Yoga Psychology offers what quick fixes and motivational slogans cannot, like confrontation with the truth ,and this is done via Swadhyay (self-analysis), Vairagya ( letting go), Aishwarya (building self-confidence), etc
“Thyroid is not just a medical number. It is your suppressed voice. Migraines are not just about stress; they’re the unexpressed anger. Gut issues aren’t just diet-related; they're our body begging to process fear, anxiety, and insecurity, to heal our relationships. Yoga Psychology doesn’t soothe symptoms, it unmasks them. And that is where holistic healing begins.” Ilashrei Anand profoundly expresses.
She points to the paradox of our times, where we will admit we are “stressed” but never say “I need help.” We spend on branded coffee and clothes to cope with burnout, but hesitate to invest in therapy or counselling that could end it. And, we celebrate #MondayMotivation, while most of us secretly dread getting out of bed.
“This isn’t awareness, it’s performance. And performance doesn’t heal. Truth does,” Ilashrei Anand insists.
A Call That Provokes, Not Comforts
On this Mental Health Day, Ilashrei Anand asks for courage:
- Courage to see therapy as hygiene, not crisis management.
- Courage to call out “toxic positivity” and sit with uncomfortable truths.
- Courage to redefine independence, not as carrying everything alone, but as living without emotional debt.
“Stop asking people, ‘How are you?’ and start asking, ‘Where does it hurt?’ Because only then can we stop pretending, and start healing,” she concludes.
About Ilashrei Anand
Ilashrei Anand is an internationally renowned Yoga Psychologist, UNESCO Awardee, Harvard-certified, and 40under40 Businessworld Wellbeing Winner. Known for her bold voice in reimagining mental health, she has guided over thousands of individuals, couples, both in their relationship issues ( with spouse or others), and career, through root cause healing therapy, psychosomatic healing, and corporate wellness programs. Her work is centered around Yoga Psychology by empowering people with Self Worth, Boundaries, Emotional Independence, Inner Child Healing and Trauma Healing.
She’s also been bestowed with the Yodha Kranti Award for her humanitarian work by providing therapy and healing selflessly during COVID times.
She continues to offer pro bono sessions, believing no one should suffer just because they cannot afford therapy.
Website: https://ilashreianand.com
Email: team@ilashreianand.com
Instagram: @mystic_healer_
LinkedIn: Ilashrei Anand ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilashrei-anand-48040216/ )
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