Akanksha Singh's mental health 'fist bump' initiative gets good response

After her successful campaign in her hometown Dehradun, Miss Asia Beauty winner, landed in Hyderabad to Promote Awareness about Mental Health.

She began her campaign in Hyderabad during the early hours on Tuesday at the popular walkers delight KBR Park grabbing the attention of many walkers and health enthusiasts. She spent more than 2 hours with a banner behind stating: "DO YOU KNOW: Depression can be treated with medications and therapies, and then her interactive message FIST BUMP with a message to fist bump her – If you take care of the mental health of yourself and your loved ones".

She interacted with many walkers at the venue asking questions about the myths and concerns about their mental health. It turned out to be very interactive.

Mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. Further, it helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy alternatives. Mental health is key at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood, Akanksha Singh said.

Miss Asia Award winner 2017, Akanksha Singh is a professional model, actor, and fitness enthusiast from Dehradun, Akanksha took a tour around Hyderabad parking herself in prominent malls and parks. End of the day she was happy that she could inspire many with her awareness program and covered 4 different locations, 2 prominent parks and malls in the city to interact with people.

Akanksha's motivation behind this initiative is her mother Santosh Pundir who herself has suffered clinical depression, and her father Bhanwar Singh Pundir, who has been a constant support in her mother's journey of battling depression.

Talking about her upcoming initiative, Akanksha says, "In today's world, mental health is one of the most growing concerns, especially among youth, I aim to promulgate the importance of talking about it and taking control of one's thoughts.

In our country, mental health issues like depression are still considered taboo. It is high time we try to change this mindset of people and undertake initiatives to spread awareness regarding mental health among the masses. I hope that through this upcoming feat of mine, I can do justice on my part towards spreading awareness regarding mental health, she added.

In 2013, the World Health Assembly approved a "Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan for 2013-2020". The Plan is a commitment by all WHO's Member States to take specific actions to improve mental health and to contribute to the attainment of a set of global targets.