Influencer Anish Bhagat’s Parents Win Hearts for Standing by Him During Mental Health Crisis; Tips for Caregivers to Follow

Influencer Anish Bhagat shared an emotional video of his parents supporting him during his mental health crisis. Alongside the clip, he wrote a heartfelt caption thanking them for standing by him in his difficult

time. “Anish has not been doing well recently; we both know he needs us. We’re going to meet him,” Anish’s dad, a retired Indian army officer, said on Instagram. “I wish more parents were like this: Thank you, Mom and Dad. This is the sweetest thing you’ve done for me,” Anish wrote in the caption. Anish said he shared the video as an inspiration to those who are struggling with issues like depression and anxiety. “This is what support actually looked like,” he elaborated.

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A post shared by Anish Bhagat (@anishbhagatt)

What is Anish struggling with?

Talking about his mental health struggles, the 21-year-old content creator said he has been dealing with a lot of issues of late. “I’ve been dealing with a lot lately to the point where getting out of bed felt hard. I’m learning to take it one step at a time. I’m learning to be kinder to myself.” He expressed, “And in moments like these, you realise the value of the people who stay," and concluded his post. The latter part of the video showed Anish’s parents spending time with him, going to the gym, and his mother cooking biryani for him.

How can parents deal with their children’s mental health issues?

According to mental health experts, parents can understand and support their children with mental illness issues with empathy, education, and patience. As primary caregivers, parents can get involved in active listening to promote self-care and offer practical support strategies. A few ways parents can help include:

• Fostering strong relationships
• Creating stable routines
• Modeling healthy coping
• Listening actively
• Focusing on open communication and validation of feelings
• Ensuring a safe environment to build resilience and seek timely help

Experts believe that, as parents, you can help your children learn how to deal with their emotions healthily by modeling coping skills at home. You can engage in these skills with your child or talk them through doing them on their own. Activities such as deep breathing, using stress balls, making art (painting, colouring, doodling), or going for walks can be great strategies for coping with feelings. Also, it is important to keep communication open and honest. Your child should know they can approach you with any issue, and that they will be received and listened to with love and support. Simply letting them know that you are there to support and listen to them without judgment can increase the likelihood that they will come to you when they have a problem.