The facade of happiness is often hard to decipher.

It may just seem to be a happy normal face to the society but there are often deep stories in the background that play just like a playback song. When all seems to be fun and wonderful, dark shadows of our life can often haunt us in the unknown/known corners of our mind. To the world, they are happy faces, but there are tears falling in the silence of the night for many.

We should certainly appreciate the smile, but we should also try to reach out to someone who's shut up in darkness. Just a small step can lighten up someone's day. By trying to cover up depression we are not doing anything humane. Avoiding the reality will not enable us to make someone, including ourselves, happy. We all have clutter on the platter..to keep it or dump it is our responsibility. 

I lost a friend to suicide last night. She seemed all so happy, never complained about anything in her life and was younger to me. She smiled all along, was super energetic, very ambitious, extremely successful, fun loving, and of course a great friend. However, my friend just could not bring herself to be like everyone else, laughing at what she find shallow and meaningless and being positive despite the hiccups everyone faces in life. She was what she was. 

Having worked on mental health issues on various platforms, I have often wondered why people fake happiness and makes it seem like everyone is having the time of their lives? and yet strangely all one can do is stare wonderingly, portraying the same apathetic and detached face whose mouth would just open to talk in the most insensitive way! What are you doing these days? Hey, great to see you after so long! You have lost / put on weight! Did you tie the knot? (If yes is the answer, a series of questions will follow and if someone says no, you're dead!) On the occasions where you’re taking pictures and you’re donning a fake smile , everything is made to seem perfect. That's life if something is wrong, it's like one has committed a criminal offense. 

 She was and is not alone. Our lifestyles, specially over the last two years, have changed drastically, more so for the worse. There are people fighting with mental health issues all over the world, and in a country like ours, sadly, raising a discussion on any problem bugging you mentally, is finely wrapped under the table. I am quite sick and tired of this actually. I have myself experienced it and come on! I am a normal human being just like others who can have multiple challenges to deal with in my daily life. The process of emerging out of one's own trapped mind completely lies in believing in oneself and self worth and looking forward to living one's life without trying to meet the expectations of our so called civilized society.

Mental health issues are hard to detect, and harder to cure with wrong diagnosis. “Smiling depression” is about appearing happy to others while internally suffering depressive symptoms which is something that has spread far and wide. People with smiling depression may seem on the cover happy from within, which however is not the case. To the society and people around them, their life is perfect with a great job, great earnings, a busy schedule and a happening lifestyle.

Internally, however, they may be having depression pangs, a stressful life that has gone beyond control.  They may be feeling low day after day, missing the feel of living a grounded life. There are several things they feel internally and again, in the initial stage, are unable to identify it themselves. The is no short cut for recovery. With mental health issues more often than not getting undetected in the initial phase, and counselling or medication going haywire, it is important and vital to enable humans to thrive in a stigma-free space to explore, communicate and get real answers on how to solve mental health problems.

Mental health caregivers and the society should allow every human to walk  on a path that would enable them to seek help without any shame or taboos. It is important to understand that people with mental health issues need to seek help and break free from the shackles of depression that have been holding them back.

We need to realize that people with mental health issues takes years to be detected and with help at bay, it takes longer to overcome the fear of admitting that one needs professional help to cope with depression or anything related to stress disorders. Defaming the shame is another thing people with mental health issues should aim at achieving. It is just like achieving success in life, if one limits the meaning of success to a career, a happening lifestyle, a fat pay package.

Stigma can be worse that the mental health issue itself. It is expected people will judge our lives, but it is vital not to allow anyone dictate our life and try to fine tune it according to their dreams and fancies. If all one wants to achieve what one has dreamt of, then one should find a worthwhile goal and try to make regular progress towards it, even if it is a small amount of time everyday, as this can really have a positive impact. One should aim to understand themselves better and realize gradually that a mental health issue can be solved just like a physical health issue. When things get hazy inside the head, it is imperative to reach out for therapy, and medication should be suggested only if it is needed. Getting therapy does not mean one is crazy, it means that one is strong enough to face one's  mental health conditions and resilient enough to learn how to cope with the symptoms to become a more functional person.