The Healing Space with MannMukti - Episode 1

Sruti and Ishani discuss the dynamics of self-care, mental health, and social dynamics during the college years and compare how things change between Freshman year and Senior year to look at their growth journeys. We used the music Jomon Grove by The Mini Vandals in this episode.

The Healing Space with MannMukti is a podcast produced by WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2, student-run radio from NC State University. Like what you hear? Consider supporting it with a gift to the WKNC Enhancement Fund. Visit our podcast page to hear more and follow us on all social media platforms @WKNC881. Thanks for listening.

Creators and Guests

Host

Nithya Burisetty

Host

Sruti Bontala

What is The Healing Space with MannMukti?

The Healing Space with MannMukti is a safe, uplifting podcast dedicated to breaking the silence around mental health in South Asian communities. Each episode features honest conversations, expert insights, and personal stories that empower listeners to heal, grow, and feel seen. Together, we’re creating a space where vulnerability is strength and community is medicine.

00:03
Sruti
Welcome to the first episode of the Healing Space with Manmukti. We're so glad we have you listening today. This is a space to just slow down, sip your tea and talk honestly about our minds, our cultures and everything in between. My name is Sruti and we're here with Ishani. And every episode we will be unpacking the stories, emotions and healing journeys that make us who we are. From mental health and identity to community and self compassion. So let's jump right into this week's discussion.

00:31
Ishani
First, we would like to briefly introduce our club Manmukti here on campus. Manmukti is a South Asian mental health organization and is intended to help people of our community find a safe space where we can destigmatize mental health, improve awareness. We hold many fun, informative and self care events on campus. So make sure to join us as we break down walls on misconceptions of mental health. And for our first episode, we are going to explore how our board members navigate their mental health throughout college and what advice they would give us. And more specifically, I'm a freshman and Sruti's a senior. So we're kind of also going to incorporate that on the differences and similarities on how we manage our mental health here.

01:09
Sruti
All right, so mental health is such a hot topic, but as a freshman with having everything new in college, are you often aware of your mental health and how often do you prioritize it?

01:22
Ishani
Okay, I think definitely being a freshman, first semester especially, I was not very aware of like my mental health because I think freshman year is just a complicated time because you're kind of like grieving your old life and then you're kind of like stepping into your new life. So it's definitely hard to be like aware of like how you're feeling. So I figured just so like caught up trying to do a bunch of things. But I think slowing down into second semester, I've really kind of like gotten to know myself better and be like, okay, this is what trusted me out. Or like, you know, like, I'm not going to drink like coffee at like 5pm because I know it's going to stress me out later. And just doing stuff like that where it's like, okay, like I'm gonna take a moment for myself.

01:55
Ishani
One thing I personally been doing is attending yoga classes on campus that are free. So I think another part is just like utilizing the stuff that you do have around you. And I think just things like that just helps me prioritize my mental health and just kind of doing One thing for myself, like every day, like maybe I'll go on like a 15 minute walk or I'll do like just dance for like 30 minutes. So just something that like I love doing. And I can also do it incorporated like daily. Because I think consistency is also very important with taking care of your mental health.

02:22
Sruti
Oh yeah, of course. I think freshman year is one of the first times you're really by yourself in the world after high school and just living at home and everything. Yeah, definitely. I think from the beginning of freshman year to now, there's been so much change in who I am also in how I think about mental health. Because I think the concept of being alone really changed for me. Because when you go through college, there's going to be so many times that you will have to eat alone, you will have to do your schoolwork alone, because your friends really just cannot be there the whole time with you.

03:02
Sruti
So as you said, I think it's so important that you have certain things that you do for yourself, like the yoga and just other ways to decompress and take your mind off of the pressures and everything. Especially if you're in a very competitive field or expecting to go into a very competitive field. It is really important to have time to decompress because if you don't, that leads to burnout so fast. And that's when the loneliness hits a lot more differently because you have to be able to be your own support sometimes as well as also relying on other people for social support. Support. But it's important to have that foundation for yourself.

03:49
Ishani
I think adding that in the being alone is a really great point because when I came into college, I felt my expecting rotation was like to have like magically have like a big group of friends that we all do everything together. But I didn't really realize how much like alone time college really is. So I think that's great that you also brought that point up and like just not letting get. Get it to you because I remember I saw this one thing where it was like, loneliness is a feeling, but being alone is just a situation.

04:12
Sruti
Yeah, yeah, no, exactly. I think when I was a freshman, I used to be so embarrassed to eat alone because yeah, especially in high school, there's weird social dynamics.

04:23
Ishani
No, I agree.

04:24
Sruti
Yes, but it's really not like that. Once you step out into the real world, everyone's just minding their own business. And if they're not, I'm sorry, but they're just weird. But yeah, I think what you said, being alone is really different from being lonely is such an important thing, because I'm someone who also really values my solitude and I need to be alone many times to decompress. But yeah.

04:53
Ishani
And then we're going to move on to our next question because I think we did a great job of talking about that. So in college, like, there's obviously a lot going on. You know, you have, like, your clubs, classes, extracurriculars. Like, how do you, like, what's your best way to, like, also incorporate your mental health into that and, like, balance everything that's already on your calendar.

05:12
Sruti
I think the best way to go about this is really understanding what organization looks like for you. And this is something that I really didn't even grasp until my senior year of college, which I really wish I paid more attention and gave more time to develop organizational skills earlier on in college. Because when you allocate time for schoolwork, for friends, for everything that you deem important into your life and you time block everything, it sounds really mechanical, it sounds robotic, but it really saves you so much brain power and so much decision fatigue that people say you don't have to constantly be thinking, oh, I should be doing something else right now. I should be spending time with my friends right now. It really gives you time to chunk everything out. And when you do that, there's less chaos in your life.

06:16
Sruti
So when you can actually pay attention to what you are thinking, what you're feeling, and dedicate time to doing things that help your mental health, when you're constantly procrastinating, when you're just not on top of, makes your mental health so much worse, at least in my opinion, because now you have so much on top of you, and if you're not already feeling well, that's so much additional stress. So I think the best way to really balance your mental health and everything else is organizational skills. Whether that looks like Getting Notion, which is a website that I use to organize my whole life from, like, personal goals to school goals to really everything. I think just finding out how you do it and what works for you, because Notion works for me, but that might not work for everyone else.

07:19
Sruti
And I think you need to put in a lot of research to really figure out what works for you. It goes with a lot of trial and error, but I think that is something worth putting a lot of time into and a lot of thought into as well.

07:36
Ishani
Yeah, I think that's a good idea because I'm not going to lie, I'm not the best at, like, you know, having a schedule and stuff like that. So I think what Shruti said was really helpful for me as well, because, yeah, it is a struggle sometimes, I will be honest, because it's like I just. There's just so much I want to do and, like, you know, sometimes I just don't want to do stuff. And that's just like.

07:54
Sruti
Exactly. I think really it comes down to the discipline of it all, and it. It's such a hard thing to develop. I'm still trying to develop it better in myself and everything, but really sticking to the things that you're supposed to do that day, regardless if you feel too lazy for it. And it's not to say that if you're sad or something, you shouldn't take time off, but if you're just, I guess you're just not feeling up for it, at least do a little bit of what you're a little bit supposed to do.

08:29
Ishani
I think that also helps because there's these times where, like, I want to go to the club meeting, but I really don't feel like it, but I'll go for, like, a little bit and then I'll actually end up, like, really enjoying it.

08:36
Sruti
Exactly. Yeah. Like, you don't know what you're going to enjoy or not unless you really stick to something.

08:42
Ishani
Yeah.

08:43
Sruti
What you said earlier about consistency. Yeah, Again. So going off of that. Ishani. , what do you do to strengthen your mental health sometimes? How do you help the others around you strengthen it as well?

08:57
Ishani
One thing that's really been helpful for me is honestly just like, working out. Whether that's like, going to the gym or just like, going on, like, a quick run or walk.

09:03
Sruti
Yeah.

09:03
Ishani
I think that's just been, like, something that been consistent with me because it's just like. It's also helping you to, like, clear your mind, but it also helps work out your body. So I'm kind of getting like a two in one deal. So that's also great.

09:14
Sruti
Yeah.

09:16
Ishani
Gyms, it's like. I mean, it doesn't have to. Look, you do the same thing every day. Like, you can do, like yoga one day, you can do, like, you know, you can hit arms the next day. You could go, like a walk the third day. I think that's just one thing that has been, like, super helpful for me. And I think also just like, opening about my experiences to other people because I'm the type of person where it's like, I kind of tend to, like, not tell anyone what I'm feeling and just act like everything's okay, but I have been kind of, like, slowly, you know, opening up to the people. And, like, I've learned that, like, people are actually, like, willing to help you.

09:43
Sruti
Oh, yeah.

09:44
Ishani
So that's just another thing I feel like, in turn, that also helps, like, other people threaten their mental health. Because, like, look, I can use one of my friends, for example. Like, we started opening up to each other and then it. It got to the point where it's like she would tell me something, I would tell her something, and then, like, now we just, like, build it off of that and, like, we both have, like, a safe space to within each other that we feel comfortable in. Yeah, just like. I mean, you can always just watch for a little bit because some people will not be receptive, But I feel like when you find the people that do, it'll be so great.

10:11
Sruti
Oh, yeah. I think putting out that bit of vulnerability in yourself, it invites other people to also share what they're feeling vulnerable about. And I. That's where connection happens, I think, when two people open up to each other. Because when you just don't open up at all, what are you really developing a relationship about?

10:35
Ishani
Yeah, no, I, like, totally agree because I feel like. I mean, I love talking about surface level stuff. I feel like sometimes it's like when you go in deeper, you'll kind of realize, like, other aspects about yourself, and also, like, the person you're talking to.

10:45
Sruti
Oh, yeah, And I completely agree with you what you said. I think it helps you learn so much about yourself and it helps you learn, like, different perspectives on the same thing that you and another friend might be going through. They might have such a brilliant way of looking at things that you've never thought about before. And. Yeah, it's just, I think it really feeds your soul to have, like, really strong friendships that you can share everything with. And also about what you said about exercise, I think that's so important. I always undermined exercise on how it relates to mental health, but there's so many studies and research showing that exercise helps with brain health, helps with mental health and everything. I've been trying to go to the gym more recently as well. And. Yeah, I think also finding out what you like, too.

11:36
Sruti
It can be like any form of exercise.

11:38
Ishani
No, like, sometimes I will literally just, like, put on the writing music and, like, dance, and I'll put out, like, my workout for the day. Like, it doesn't have to be like, you're like, lifting like, £200 every day. Like.

11:47
Sruti
Exactly, exactly. It doesn't have to be strength Training, it doesn't have to be building like the perfect body or anything. It can just be just any light movement, yoga, dance, whatever you want it to be. And again with the exercise, I think getting yourself the right nutrition as well, eating right.

12:08
Ishani
Yeah, I agree.

12:09
Sruti
And sleeping right. And when you have that schedule as we talked about before, like the organizational skills, it becomes easier to do all those things that can help you keep on track as well.

12:21
Ishani
I totally agree with that. Because I feel like, also tying into the schedule thing, I feel like if you have your schedule planned out, like it's easy for you to like go on bed and time and like stuff you're supposed to eat. Cuz I feel like sometimes I'll just let my work pile up. Like I will choose to have a good afternoon so all my work will pile up during the night time and then I just won't get to bed.

12:37
Sruti
Exactly. And then that sets you up to wake up late the next morning and then now you're off schedule and then you're going to procrastinate again.

12:45
Ishani
Exactly.

12:46
Sruti
Yeah, it's just an endless cycle and I think it's so important to like nip it in the bud as soon as you can.

12:53
Ishani
I agree.

12:54
Sruti
Yeah, I fully agree with that. Yeah. Especially like early into your college career as well. Because once you hit that junior year mark, it becomes, the course load becomes a lot heavier. So it's hard to implement new things when you're so stuck in like a groove that you've been in since forever. And that is something I did struggle with a lot.

13:19
Ishani
No, you're fine. I'm honestly still struggling with that.

13:21
Sruti
Yeah, yeah, I think also getting off of your phone. Yeah, I know everyone's moms tell them that, but honestly, your mom is right.

13:30
Ishani
No, cuz like you will catch yourself on Instagram. Real like it needs to stop.

13:33
Sruti
Exactly. Like I, it is such an addicting thing, especially for me. I feel like I get sucked into it and when I'm trying to get off, I feel my brain like urging me to keep scrolling.

13:50
Ishani
Yeah, yeah.

13:51
Sruti
Even when I'm not even on it, I'm like, oh, I should do this again. But I mean, it's an addiction and all addictions basically are the same in certain ways.

14:05
Ishani
So.

14:05
Sruti
So it, again, it takes a lot of discipline to get out of that. But getting off your phone is such an important thing for mental health as well.

14:14
Ishani
Yeah, I agree with that as well. Because it's just that like everything ties into like everything just like ties together, in my opinion.

14:21
Sruti
Yeah, yeah.

14:23
Ishani
And then I think, like, there's also some other questions that we wanted to ask. So it's like, how comfortable are you talking about your mental health? Because I was kind of talking about how like, me and my friend opened up to each other, but I wasn't really the most open person. But also like, what do you think that like, being South Asian, like, means for like, talking about mental health? Because I know personally, like the experience I've had, it doesn't really seem like people in the South Asian like community are too like, keen on talking about mental health and just stuff and like, stuff that they've been struggling about.

14:51
Sruti
I think we often think as second generation Indian Americans that we are kind of beyond some of the cultural conditionings that our parents had and previous generations had. But I think very definitely South Asian people do have a hard time talking about mental health even in our age group. And I think I'm someone who's pretty comfortable talking about my mental health. I, of course it's to a certain level, more intimate things I would share with closer people. But overall I've been fine talking about it. But I do know that it's hard for a lot of people to open up about and that's why we have banmukti to have conversations that other people of the community can relate to and to make them see that it's not something weird and it's something that everyone goes through something.

15:51
Sruti
Everyone has mental health struggles and we can only get help if we do open up.

15:57
Ishani
Yeah, I honestly fully agree with that. Just because, like, I feel like I've had times where I'll try to open up to someone and, you know, I won't get the response that I wanted back. But I feel like that also doesn't mean that you should stop trying to open up to people.

16:08
Sruti
Yeah, I think sometimes when we face rejection a little bit, we close off even more.

16:13
Ishani
Yeah, yeah.

16:14
Sruti
But I think it's important to not close up, but to find the right people to talk to. And that only comes with trial and error. And I think there's a certain pressure in the South Asian community to project this image of perfection.

16:31
Ishani
Yeah, I agree.

16:32
Sruti
Yeah. And hide things like our struggles and our academic issues, anything like that. But it's okay to not be perfect. And although people, it seems like people are constantly watching you like a hawks almost, it really doesn't matter because your life is yours. At the end of the day, you need to get the help that you need. And.

16:57
Ishani
Yeah, Yeah, I agree with that. I also just feel like your pace isn't gonna be as, like, same as anyone else's. Like, you're always gonna be, like, in your own lane. So don't even, like, you know.

17:06
Sruti
Exactly.

17:07
Ishani
Don't even try to compare yourselves like other people, because, like, no one's gonna experience the stuff that you're experiencing.

17:11
Sruti
Exactly. And even if you fail, as long as you're learning from the lessons of as long as you're growing, you're doing okay, you're fine, and that's all you can do. Life is just a learning experience. It's not a race to be the best or anything. Because what even is the best, really, if you're not even happy at the end of the day?

17:30
Ishani
Because, like, I feel like even in, like, South Asian families, there's a lot of, like, academic pressure as well, where it's like, if you don't do, like, a certain, like, career, like, if you don't, like, get like, the highest, you know, job in that career, it just seems like you've kind of, like, failed. Even though I feel like now, like, kind of like being older, I think that isn't true because it's like, it just. Like, people are just, like, multifaceted.

17:48
Sruti
Exactly.

17:49
Ishani
If you choose to do a career that isn't part of, like, academics, like, that's also totally fine.

17:53
Sruti
Exactly. Because, I mean, what matters other than happiness?

17:59
Ishani
Yeah. No, I agree. Because if something is making you happy, like, you should definitely chase after that. 100.

18:05
Sruti
Yeah, I think the whole thing of gossip in the community and just kind of.

18:12
Ishani
Yeah. Gossip as well, because I feel people will be talking behind your back. No one will say to your face.

18:17
Sruti
I think a lot of the patterns that our parents fell into, I think our generation falls into the same patterns. Like, there's so many jokes on aunties and uncles, but I see a lot of people our age do the same behavior.

18:31
Ishani
Same. Yeah, I'm like, okay, guys, like, that's Bring that into, like, this.

18:35
Sruti
Exactly, exactly. I think it's. I think it's hypocritical to act progressive when you're really not.

18:43
Ishani
Yes. That's actually a great point I wanted to bring up because I feel like so many people want to act progressive, but they're really not in reality, so.

18:50
Sruti
Exactly. I think it's okay to have certain opinions and ideas that, you know, are not doing the best for you, but it's also. It's okay in the way that it's important to recognize them, and it's important to work on them.

19:09
Ishani
Yeah, I agree with that.

19:10
Sruti
Yeah.

19:11
Ishani
Because I feel like a lot of us have just been conditioned to be, like, a certain way. So I think it's kind of hard. Like, if you've grown up in that environment, it's definitely hard for you to, like, push yourself up and, like, fight against it, But I feel like we can definitely do that here.

19:23
Sruti
Exactly. I think that's where self reflection and self awareness comes into play. Because you can only really fix these things if you're aware of your patterns and if you're aware of your thinking patterns. And that comes from observing yourself and observing your mental health. So when you make time for this, you're also healing generational trauma. Yeah. And that's such an important thing because we don't want these toxic patterns to go on to the generations after us. We don't want to give this to our children in the future. So, again, it is so important to take time to look at yourself. What are you doing? What thoughts are you having lately? And the people around you surround yourself with positivity. And that sounds like such a shallow statement, but truly be around people who support you.

20:17
Ishani
I think that is also very true because I definitely believe in, like, quality of equality.

20:21
Sruti
Yeah.

20:21
Ishani
Cause I feel like even having, like, one person who really cares for you and really sees you can really just be, like, really up.

20:26
Sruti
Exactly. And I think this is something that people really see over the years of college. Because as a freshman, a lot of people usually have a lot of friends in the beginning of the year. But I think every year that goes by, you kind of weed people out based on their character and how they treat you. I think from the beginning of my college to now, the amount of friends that I have has decreased a lot. But it's shown me, like, who is genuine and who is actually there for me. And it's important to. I cut people out. I guess. Like, you can say cut people out.

21:12
Ishani
Well, yeah. I always say dobling as a lot. Yeah.

21:14
Sruti
I don't think it's like, either. Yeah.

21:16
Ishani
As long as you're, like, respectful about it. Like, I don't think you're doing.

21:19
Sruti
Exactly. I think there's also a way to go about it, too. You don't have to be disrespectful. You don't have to be mean to anyone. But if someone is harming you, and even if someone's ideas and thoughts about themselves are harming you, as in their negative thinking patterns are kind of.

21:37
Ishani
Yeah.

21:39
Sruti
Spreading onto you, I think it's also important to keep them at a distance.

21:44
Ishani
I agree. I feel like definitely just like, where you are as well kind of like impacts that because I feel like if, like, I was surrounded by, like, people that weren't really great for my mental health, like, last semester, but I feel like now that I'm kind of like, gone out of that. It's been like. I think that's also like a good talking point to talk about because it's like, I feel like college is a time where you can, like, pick the people you want to hang out with. Like, it's not like high school. We were just stuck with the same people for like, years on end. Stuff, like, if you get a chance to pick, which we all have the chance to pick, like, pick why. Exactly. And like, I feel like don't let, like, the feeling of, like, loneliness get to you.

22:14
Sruti
Exactly, exactly. I think it's so important to have a support system. But you only have that support system when you are okay with being alone at the same time, because then you'll actually pick the friends that are meant for you. And also, you need to have friends that support where you want to go in life, support your dreams, support your aspirations. They should be friends that if you say, oh, I want to be an astronaut, I want to go to space, they should be like, hell yeah.

22:44
Ishani
Yeah, exactly.

22:45
Sruti
But you shouldn't. You shouldn't have friends that drag you back. You shouldn't have friends that make you feel like you're crazy or you're naive for having big dreams.

22:57
Ishani
Exactly. Yeah. Because I feel like. It's just like. I feel like some people, like, every time kind of talk about the aunties and uncles, but some people will be like, so sneaky towards you. It's like, kind of scary.

23:06
Sruti
Yeah. The snarky comments, the backhanded. Yeah, it is so common. And it's so unnecessary too, because we. We can all just be people that support each other, that just advocate for our own happiness and for others happiness as well. It's just those kind of behaviors are just completely unnecessary. And yeah, I think the friends that you have in these four years will honestly make or break you, which is kind of scary, but it's also true. And it's okay if you have bad friends right now or like in the past because that also helps you learn about people and about how you want to go about things in the future. I don't regret any of the friends that I've made in college, even if I've had to cut them off, because that's made me learn so much about who I am. Yeah.

24:02
Ishani
Yeah. I feel like once that does happen, too. Like, I feel like we've all been in that boat where it's like we had a really bad, like, friendship breakup or, like, we edit something with someone and, like, realized that they were a bad friend all along. But I feel like that definitely does teach you about yourself and, like, it just proves that, like, you only, like, the more you, like, put yourself out there, the better, like, things will be.

24:20
Sruti
Exactly, Exactly. I think. Yeah. It just helps you learn about what your boundaries are.

24:29
Ishani
Yeah. Boundaries is also a big thing I want to add in.

24:31
Sruti
And you need to do what you can to help yourself. I mean, once you're out here in the real world, I mean, college is not even really the real world, but it's more.

24:45
Ishani
Yeah.

24:45
Sruti
Than high school ever was.

24:46
Ishani
I agree with that. Except, like, stages, it feels like it's almost a bubble, but not as much.

24:51
Sruti
As high school was. Yeah. Like, once you're out here, then you have to be your own biggest supporter, your own biggest advocate, and you need to put yourself first.

25:01
Ishani
No, I, I do agree with that as well.

25:04
Sruti
All right, so that was a great discussion. And that marks the end of our first episode for our listeners. As a reminder, if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to join the Manmukti community by following us and continuing to stay tuned to our new episodes coming out.

25:19
Ishani
Yeah. And then make sure to follow us on our Instagram. And our handle is Unmukti ncsu. And then we really hope you'll join us and keep up with our contact. And some mental health resources are the Mental Health support and Resources center, which houses the campus counseling center. And they also have free sessions there as well. And then they also have other services such as group therapy, individual therapy, and then just other information sessions talking about mental health. Thank you. And we look forward to seeing you soon.