Noyz's Story:

 

As someone who has seen alcoholism impact three successive generations of my family, mental health is a matter of life and death for me. I've had relatives pass away because they let their troubles spiral out of control and refused to seek help. The code of silence in many South Asian households has hurt us deeply. Even my own struggle with depression went untreated for close to a decade because I didn't feel like there was anyone in my family I could talk to who would understand what I was going through. We're told that being strong means being able to handle things on our own, so we often feel it's a sign of weakness to let go of control and admit there are some things we can't make better without outside help. To accept help from someone else and letting their love, care and empathy in isn't a sign of weakness though. Being able to acknowledge that we need support just means we're human. 

 

For me, it was a terrifying, isolating and sometimes hopeless experience dealing with the lows of depression all alone, so I try my best to spread awareness about mental health and the services that do exist. The more we can drive the conversation forward and normalize these heavily stigmatized topics, the better off the future generations will be. I want to help create spaces that didn't exist when I was in their shoes. I use my music to engage with youth through writing workshops where I share stories of struggle and resilience, and provide them with a creative outlet by which young people can express themselves and hopefully find a sense of community. They're not alone in facing whatever mental health challenges they may be dealing with, and they shouldn't have to feel like they are.