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1.What has living in Mumbai meant for you?

It was mostly a move for work opportunities though I was clear about the fact that one moved to a city to make a life and not simply a career. Focusing on just one aspect of life is an easy path to misery and unfulfillment. Mumbai, though expensive, has been generous with opportunities. I was quick to realize that what a city means to you is also from what the city means to the company you keep. My friends will agree with me that it's a singularly liberating city because all the women we know feel most secure and free here.

Mental Health in the city, Mumbai, GPS, Healing

2. How was your mental health in this urban and fast paced environment? Please elaborate.

Its a luxury to focus on one's mental health in a place like Mumbai. Anxiety is a work issue one learns to deal with, if at all one learns to. But Burnout and loneliness would be the biggest issues faced so far. Unstable relationships and lifestyle is subsequent by product. The fast paced nature of the city makes one anxious when one is free. I am yet to get over that.Mumbai also is very divorced from nature. Its in all sense a megalopolis bereft of much greenery. Noise pollution I am sure can be avoided but its the light pollution of this city which reminds me that this is not a city which sleeps. I have often concluded that this too affects my mental health in some way.

3. Did City living make your mental health better or worse and how?

The changes in my life are not something I would attribute to Mumbai. I have pretty much lived all my life in a city. It has only been pleasant and thankfully often joyous. Once one finds a decent accommodation, its all about making your house. Come back to a place you genuinely like living in.

4. What all steps did you take to own your mental health in this dynamic environment?

I found speaking to a counsellor tedious and unhelpful the one time I sought it (not in Mumbai) Cooking has been a great help. The company of friends and long strolls has been my go to coping mechanism.

5. Was technology(Social Media, GPS, Internet, Apps etc.)of some help in living through your time in the city? Please explain.

Maps, yes, given how geographically challenged I am. But technology helps one stay connected when one is travelling. Its during travel that I feel most disconnected. It gives me time to reflect and its quite often unpleasant when its fallow (a book is a great companion but impractical in local trains).Dating apps actually have been equally rousing and deflating. Deflating because it is not easy. But quite rousing when it yields friendships and company.

6. Best places for you to relax/ or take it easy after a tough day in Mumbai. It can be as many as possible.

The Malad backroad and Aksa Beach. I take long strolls there. The other places are dive bars. Its the conversation and friends more than the alcohol. The alcohol is of course a great plus.

7. Do you think a city like Mumbai can offer healing in some way to mental health troubles?

If it stems from any of the following - stasis/ lack of security/ freedom/ employment. Or if you have family/friends in Mumbai. There is only so much a city can do.