"Just for Goodness!"

Hello there and welcome to my blog! My name is Shalmali Jadhav, and I’m an Indian native and resident, who has finally found a definition for herself that fully satisfies her – Mental Health Advocate. (‘Confused was the undisputed winner before that!)

With my elder sister studying medicine, I was constantly drawn to studies. I was in 12^th when the issue of mental health hit me first. I was going through that phase called ‘depression’. I got through this phase myself but got to know that we need to talk and hear about it. Later, very different experience of my friend cum sister, made me found this organization called ‘Empathy For You’. Initially, I used to counsel people online, It wasn’t prof counseling at that time. At least, I was able to read and understand them. And, up till now I have counseled more than 60 youngsters and adults facing depression and anxiety. Recently, E4U also collaborated with ‘Letters To Strangers’, a California-based organization working in spreading mental health awareness. We are happy to be associated with them!

So, over the past two years, Mental Health has become a recurring theme consistently woven into the fabric of my life. It seems to have become an inherent part of who I am. I’ve studied my patters and done the math – I daydream about spreading awareness about suicide prevention every 5 seconds. This is a legit statistic, my mind is always on the move while my body desperately tries to pull me back to the present. Empathy for you, was born from this ever-restless and defining aspect of my personality.

Nothing has been a greater joy than educating peers about mental health, and after having followed the rulebook for 21 years of my life, I’ve now decided to let this all-consuming passion for Mental Health take the front seat. I’m going to educate peers, and write and work hard to create content that will strike a chord with my fellows. I want to show you that you can be okay despite the struggles life/work throws at you.

This blog is my endeavor to record and share my experiences, advice, tips with a larger community, in the hope that someone, somewhere. Might feel okay along the way!

Let’s begin, shall we?