Mental Health Is Everyone’s Responsibility. It Begins With Everyday Empathy.
By Gayatri Kshirsagar
Pune, 31st October 2026: October is considered Mental Health Awareness Month! It just passed, but conversations around mental health should never be restricted to one month, one campaign or one awareness day. They deserve our attention, empathy and action throughout the year..
Mental well-being is shaped not just by how we feel, but also by the environments we grow up in, the relationships we build and the way people treat us!
A child facing bullying
An adolescent dealing with peer pressure,
A parent balancing responsibilities, a teacher managing institutional expectations
A professional navigating workplace politics different challenges, but one common need: to feel heard, respected and valued.
My understanding of Empathy was also shaped by an experience a few years ago, when I was selected by the Lila Poonawalla Foundation – India as a #Peace_Ambassador.
Through leadership and sustainability training at the ASHA Centre in the United Kingdom, I had the opportunity to interact with adults from different countries, including those whose lives had been affected by #conflicts and #war.
Those interactions taught me that empathy is not simply feeling sorry for someone. It is making an effort to understand experiences different from our own.
As a mother and someone with 12+ years of experience across science communication, education, programme management and partnerships, I often reflect on how deeply our surroundings influence emotional well-being. I also strongly believe that #accountability and #empathy should coexist.✨
In schools, workplaces and institutions, we need environments where people can express themselves, disagree respectfully, receive recognition and grow without being discouraged.
Just as organisations have #POSH policies and Internal Committees, shouldn’t mental well-being also receive serious attention through structured support systems, access to professional guidance and a culture??
Over the years, I have realised that positions and circumstances may change, but the way we make people feel and the opportunities we create leave a lasting impact.
The best leaders don’t just build successful programmes or organisations; they build people, confidence and opportunities.
What does empathy mean to you? And how can we practise it more meaningfully in our schools, families and workplaces?
Let every month remind us to practise empathy.
(Gayatri Kshirsagar is a Science Education and Outreach professional with over 12 years of experience in STEM education, science communication, and capacity building. She has worked extensively towards making science education more accessible and engaging, particularly for students in underserved and rural communities. Her work focuses on designing and implementing STEM initiatives, strengthening teachers’ capacities through professional development programmes, and creating meaningful opportunities for children to explore science through experiential and inquiry-based learning.)
