Therapy art

It was following a difficult period in life that Sonaksha Iyengar channelled her energy into art. She was always doodling, but the fine amalgamation of strokes, drawings, colours and comforting words came in a quest for relief from her own agony.

As she gradually posted her artwork, originally simple watercolour painting and sketches, now digital art, she built a community that is today more than 10,000 people strong.

"It felt incredible to put it out there and let my thoughts loose – like a liberation of some sorts," she recalls. Soon, people responded to her art, appreciated it, even shared their own stories. Often, Iyengar also receives grateful Direct Messages (DMs) that say, "I really needed to hear this today", or those seeking solidarity with "I'm so thankful that I am not the only one feeling this today".

Along with these, the independent illustrator also receives unwanted advice. "There are people who send messages to me doing exactly what I talk about: trivialising it. I often talk about my own mental health on my Instagram stories. Sometimes, people take that as an invitation for their advice and opinion. "Why are you having medication?" they ask followed by why I shouldn't."

In an attempt to answer this lot at once, Bengaluru-based Iyengar started the Public Prescription series, which documents the responses people with mental illnesses receive. "Over the next few days, I'm going to share some incredible and precious pieces of advice I've heard and received about coping with a mental illness. After conversations with many other people living with mental illnesses, I've compiled some of them. Nothing has helped more than these gems... A lot of people just throw unsolicited and often inappropriate advice at people living with mental illnesses. Of course, this is a daily occurrence for most of us, but with the holiday season upon us, the rolls and rolls of all these prescriptions pile up. And it's not okay," she wrote on her Instagram on November 3, when she put up the first post from the series.

Before Public Prescriptions, Iyengar authored two series addressing different issues surrounding mental health – A-Z Mental Illnesses and 0-9 of Self Care. "The idea was to tell people about things related to mental health that they didn't even know existed. Often when you talk about mental illnesses and health, people are quick to jump to depression because it is widely spoken about and they don't know about the other disorders," she explains. She admits that she obviously hasn't had experience with the several illnesses she has posted about, but spent a lot of time on forums and speaking to people for research. The second series, 0-9 of Self Care, was an extension of the alphabets, but with numbers elucidating self-care and mental health.

Her ongoing series Garden of Kindness extends a reminder to people to not only be kind to others suffering from mental health issues but also to take care of their own individual health.

One thing that irks Iyengar along with other advocates of mental health is the ignorance and stigma surrounding it. 'Solve your with these five steps' is one thing that doesn't sit well with her. "People think it is as simple as having a good night's sleep or just having to calm down, but it doesn't work like that. I think a lot of this ignorance stems from a lack of awareness around mental health and illnesses and also from the associated stigma," she says, adding that these 5-10 steps stem from the innate desire of human beings to simplify things. "Mental health is complex and unique to each person. There is no-one-size-fits-all solution because something would be great for me but could backfire for another person," she says.

On November 27, Iyengar was on a panel hosted by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Priyanka Chopra speaking about mental health and how social media is a tool to cope, express and collectively find comfort. She also took Garden of Kindness offline in Mumbai, meeting people, engaging in discussions and making art together.

She urges people to be kind and empathetic. "It is not about understanding what the other person is going through. It is about giving them the space to feel whatever they're feeling and giving them the support. Even if it is just listening to them. Not judging them and being there for them when they need you."