By Dr. Laitonjam Valentina
On World Mental Health Day 2026, the need is to move beyond awareness and build a society where people can speak about their struggles, find support and participate in decisions that affect their well-being.
Mental health is often viewed as an individual’s ability to cope with stress and overcome difficulties. However, our mental well-being is closely connected to the circumstances in which we live. Family relationships, financial security, education, social support and access to healthcare all influence how we experience life’s challenges.
For Manipur, this understanding is particularly important. Prolonged uncertainty, conflict and displacement have affected many lives, disrupting livelihoods, education, family relationships and people’s sense of security. Alongside these visible consequences are emotional struggles that may remain unspoken. Addressing mental health therefore requires us to look beyond individual coping and consider the social conditions that shape people’s lives.
Observed on 10 October every year, World Mental Health Day provides an opportunity to reflect on these concerns. The 2026 theme, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change,” reminds us that people experiencing mental health difficulties should not merely be the subjects of discussion; their experiences must also help shape the support and services available to them.
The invisible burden of everyday life
Mental health concerns are not limited to times of crisis. They can also arise from the everyday pressures of family life, employment, education and caregiving.
Women managing household responsibilities, childcare and the needs of elderly family members may experience considerable emotional exhaustion. Men may feel compelled to hide their worries because of expectations to remain strong and provide for their families. Parents may conceal their own distress while trying to protect their children, and caregivers may neglect their well-being while attending to others.
These experiences remind us that emotional well-being cannot be separated from the support people receive in their daily lives. Encouraging individuals to remain positive or become more resilient is not enough when they are struggling with excessive responsibilities, financial insecurity or a lack of support. Families, workplaces and communities must also recognise these pressures and help address them.
Listening to children and young people
The mental health of children and young people deserves particular attention. Academic expectations, family difficulties, peer pressure, online harassment and uncertainty about the future can affect their emotional well-being.
Children may not always have the words to explain what they are experiencing. Their distress may appear as irritability, withdrawal, fearfulness, changes in sleep or difficulty concentrating. Rather than immediately labelling such behaviour as disobedience or laziness, parents and teachers should try to understand what may be causing it.
Schools and colleges can contribute by creating supportive learning environments, addressing bullying, helping students develop healthy coping skills and guiding those who need professional assistance. Parents and teachers also need to be approachable enough for young people to discuss their concerns without fearing ridicule or punishment.
As digital media becomes an increasingly important part of young people’s lives, conversations about online safety, cyberbullying and unhealthy social comparison are equally necessary. The aim should not be to blame technology for every difficulty, but to help young people use it responsibly while recognising when online experiences begin to affect their well-being.
Breaking the silence around mental health
Despite growing public discussion, stigma remains a major barrier to seeking help. People may hesitate to approach a mental health professional because they fear being judged, misunderstood or labelled. In close-knit communities, concerns about privacy and social reputation can make these fears even more difficult to overcome.
We need to challenge the belief that emotional distress is a sign of weakness. Experiencing mental health difficulties does not diminish a person’s worth, abilities or contribution to society. Seeking help should be regarded as a sensible step towards understanding and addressing a problem.
Family members and friends can make a difference by listening without judgement, offering practical assistance and encouraging professional help when needed. At the same time, persistent or severe emotional difficulties should not be dismissed as something a person must simply endure. Compassionate support and appropriate professional care can work together to help people recover.
Listening must lead to change
The theme of World Mental Health Day 2026 raises an important question: what happens after people share their experiences?
Listening must go beyond inviting individuals to speak at awareness programmes. People with lived experience can help us understand why services may be difficult to access, what forms of support are helpful and where existing systems fall short. Their voices should inform the planning and improvement of mental health programmes.
In Manipur, this could mean consulting students, caregivers, affected families and community organisations when developing local initiatives. It also means making mental health information accessible, protecting confidentiality and improving links between communities and healthcare services. Educational institutions, healthcare professionals, community organisations and public authorities all have a role to play. Colleges and universities, in particular, can promote mental health awareness, help students identify reliable sources of support and establish clear arrangements for seeking professional assistance. Such efforts should be ongoing rather than confined to a single annual event.
Making support accessible
Awareness can encourage people to seek help, but accessible services are equally important. Individuals need to know where to turn, feel confident that their privacy will be respected, and receive appropriate care without unnecessary barriers.
India’s Tele-MANAS service provides free, round-the-clock tele-mental health support through 14416. Publicising such services and helping people understand how to access them can be a practical step towards reducing the gap between needing help and receiving it.
For Manipur, sustained attention to mental health must accompany efforts to address the wider challenges affecting people’s lives. Restoring a sense of security, strengthening social connections and ensuring access to appropriate care are all important parts of supporting well-being.
Beyond a single day of awareness
World Mental Health Day should be more than an annual event. Its real value lies in the changes that follow—in how families respond to distress, how educational institutions support students, and how communities treat people experiencing mental health difficulties.
A supportive society is one where students can ask for help without fear, caregivers are not left to manage every burden alone, and people seeking mental health care are treated with dignity rather than discrimination.
For Manipur, the way forward lies in combining compassionate community support with accessible professional care and greater attention to the social conditions affecting everyday life.
A mentally healthier society begins when we stop judging people for their struggles, start listening to their experiences and take meaningful steps to address their needs. This World Mental Health Day, let us make listening the beginning of change.
(The writer is Assistant Professor, Department of Home Science, Dhanamanjuri University)
