Today we’d like to introduce you to Meera Varma.
Hi Meera, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
So excited to talk with you!
My name is Meera, I am a mental health activist from Los Angeles, CA. I’ve been publicly speaking about my personal journey with mental health since I was 14 years old. As I have gotten older, I has become more passionate about mental health policy and suicide prevention. In May 2022, I was invited to The White House by President Biden and his Administration to discuss the mental health crisis our nation is facing. Being at The White House inspired me to focus on policy initiatives on a grassroots level – specifically working on initiatives in my hometown of Burbank. During the summer of 2022, I worked with Burbank Unified School District and was instrumental in having them print the Suicide Hotline on the back of all student ID cards.
I speak about a number of topics – including suicide prevention and awareness, the stigma surrounding mental health, and how mental health affects marginalized communities, specifically within my Asian-Indian community. Currently I am a graduate student at UCLA pursuing a degree focusing on mental health policy and public health. I graduated with my undergraduate degree in psychology from UCLA in June of 2022. I am excited to continue her educational journey at UCLA as a graduate student with a newfound passion for policy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being an Asian Indian woman in the mental health space, it definitely has not been an easy journey. I was the first person in my family to ever go to therapy. Growing up, we never had conversations about mental health because it is very stigmatized in my culture. When I was struggling with my mental health, my family and I had many conversations about how they can best support me. I am so thankful that my family has learned to be so validating, accepting, and loving towards my struggles with mental health. It took many heart-to-heart conversations to change my family’s mindset towards mental health – and it was so worth it.
As an activist, I love to connect with families and teach them how they can validate their child. I believe that it is so important that young people are supported by their family – especially when their mental health is at an all-time low. Fostering safe and open conversations about mental health is what saves lives.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a mental health activist and am passionate about mental health policy and suicide awareness/prevention. I’m most proud of the impact I’ve made in my community, for my community. Through being able to publicly speak about my personal struggles, I have encouraged more people to seek help and support. A highlight in my career was definitely being invited to The White House and sharing my story with President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. I am also really happy that my school district and I worked to now have the Suicide Hot line printed on the back of their ID cards for students. This seems like a really simple thing, but it will be something that saves lives.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Mental health is becoming more and more normalized, which is honestly so incredible. Being in the field for 8 years now, I’ve seen our society take a complete 180° turn and become more accepting and sensitive to people’s struggles with mental health. I believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us, in a way, to take care of our own well-being. For example, many people in my life went to therapy for the first time during the pandemic. It has been incredible to see our society change our attitude towards mental health. I hope that we can continue to foster conversations around mental well-being as we move forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: meera-varma.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/meeravarma/
