Channelizing your passion in the right direction is important to make a cause work says Swati Mathur discussing her CauseAChatter Project
CauseAChatter Projects at Blogchatter opened an opportunity for passionate advocates of a cause/s like Swati Mathur to take their cause to another level. Recently we had a conversation with her about the campaign she curated called ‘Share and Seek Help as Every Story matters.’ With a goal ‘To reduce stigma around mental health and to normalize seeking for help’ in mind, she shared her journey from being an image consultant to a CauseAChatter Champion. Let’s dive into the interview:
Swati, you’re a certified image consultant. Tell us about your journey from there to advocating for mental health as a cause.
As a certified Image consultant, I help my clients develop their inner strength and reflect the same on their outside appearance. Here developing inner strength refers to having a positive self-image, positive body image which in turn makes you more confident and results in higher self-esteem. So, while working with them I have realized that most of them wanted to improve self-image, self-worth, self-confidence, capability, and credibility or wanted to get an idea across to someone else, to influence opinion or action be it at home, school, community or workplace. And all of these cannot be resolved until and unless you understand a person’s emotional and mental state. And during this process, I have decided that this is not just about people who come to me for help but also about all those people who find it difficult to express and share due to societal taboo concerning mental health conditions. That’s when my journey of advocating mental health began.
As an EQ coach, you enable people to master their emotions. How does this add value to your writing?
Every client I work with comes up with different needs depending upon their life circumstances. And as an EQ coach, I not only help them in understanding their emotions but also make them aware of these emotions to master them. In this process, I appreciate human emotions better, can feel more connected to them and this cause and that shows in my writing too.
Tell us more about your CauseAChatter Project. How did you develop the idea and bring it to execution?
CauseAChatter is one thing I have been part of, from the day I became part of Blogchatter. I think it is a wonderful initiative and there is always something new. When CauseAChatter Projects was announced, I was pretty sure that I would want to be part of this and will create awareness around mental health which is my niche. My CauseAchatter Campaign “Share and Seek Help as Every Story Matters” aimed to reduce stigma around mental health and to normalize seeking for help. Social Media is the catalyst when it comes to creating awareness to a larger audience and that’s why I went for live sessions with some renowned personalities in the field of mental health and discussed about it in detail. As a trainer and a coach, I truly believe that if anybody can bring change it is the youth of our nation.
Addressing 100+ students on this issue and not just creating awareness but collaborating with them made this campaign a real success.
I also conducted a survey to understand the awareness level of people and realized that task shifting is one method that needs to be introduced as we face an immense shortage of mental health professionals. India is a huge country with a 138 crores population and if we want to create an impact, we need more helping hands.
How is organizing a social cause campaign like this different from writing on social causes in general? Do you think it has had more impact?
Absolutely! When you write on social causes you do reach your audience but when you organize a campaign like this you not just reach your audience but connect with them at a personal level and can see the outcome right in front of your eyes and that’s what makes all the difference. Outcome-based strategies always work better and are more impactful.
What is your biggest learning from the project?
I had passion, I had wings but after doing this project I have learned to channelize my passion in the right direction and learned to fly high. I believe that I am a lifelong learner and every learning gives you power not just to be part of any change but be the change. Now, I truly consider myself as an influencer who has the credibility and power to make this society a better place to live.
Conclusion
People are aware and know that there is a stigma attached to conversations around mental health. That is good news, and even better news is that several people want to change that awareness into action. Join us in this shift, champion a cause and become a part of CauseAChatter with us!
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