Namita Lal: People are getting more and more isolated in a very, very connected world

We need to find our footing in a world dominated by social media, says actress-producer Namita Lal, who is known for her projects Before Life After Death, Lihaaf: The Quilt, Country of Blind as well as Oxygen. She adds that we are leading lives that are replete with stressful days, and our mental health is getting impacted considerably.

“Mental health has become a huge issue, and Covid has just made it worse. We are all leading very fast paced lives, full of stress. There is this huge impact of social media and people are getting more and more isolated in a very, very connected world. It is also becoming a very lonely world. So, it definitely is impacting the people who are probably in their 50s and leading them to a midlife crisis,” she says.

She adds, “The competition, the isolation, the comparisons that youngsters have to go through are so intense. They have many more opportunities than we ever had, but they also have that much more isolation. And I think the world is acknowledging the issues around mental health.”

Ask her how she takes care of her mental health, and she says, “I think, to manage it is to understand it, accept it and then move towards all the things that are available. Spirituality, good nutrition, exercise – these are the pillars for a healthy life. So, there are a lot of options, a lot is being written about it, which is a good thing. People are still not openly talking about it, I guess, to going to therapists, et cetera. But there've been a lot of actors, both in Hollywood and the Indian film industries, who've come out openly with their need for help when they have had mental health concerns. That's very important, people need to acknowledge and understand their concerns. And that help is available.”