UnHIDE: not just an open mic 2020

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NICHE Advocacy Foundation is an organisation working for emotional fitness and mental health. 

Our vision is emotional fitness for all. In our mission, we have developed a cafeteria approach for orienting and educating different individuals and varying layers of society for concepts of emotional fitness. 

UnHIDE (not just an open mic), a web based version, is our frontline program that we started on 15 April 2020 during lockdown. 

There are several psychological issues prevalent in society. With the target driven lifestyle that starts from the age of 14 years, or even earlier in our country, we as practitioners see functional neurological disorders and life style related disorders from a very young age. If addressed in time, we can prevent aggravation and development of these situations into a permanent disorder or disease. However that becomes difficult as our society takes a narrow and judgmental view towards people who express their emotional states. There can be a conspiracy of silence surrounding these sensitive issues. 

On one hand there are people who need help, the earlier the better, and on the other hand, some people can fake situations to grab attention. What is needed is discussion and debate. Speak out and share. 

The concept of UnHIDE as an open mic was born in December 2018. Our early sessions of unhide were conducted in cafes, terraces and later even and parking lots. Over time we transitioned and matured into a better understanding of human expression. We have changed our format based on several feedbacks. 

UnHIDE is a unique platform to discuss life milestones blended with the hurdles that can arise. H stands for Heartbreaks and Headaches. I stands for Insights and Insomnia. D stands for Dreams and Depression. E stands for Epiphany and Epilepsy. One HIDE is Headache-Insomnia-Depression-Epilepsy. These are common problems we see in the Neurology Clinic. Their presence in our lives can become hurdles for us. These are medical conditions. Some part of these are related to lifestyle. Many aspects are preventable and manageable through awareness and education. And that can be done only when we learn to speak up about them without the fear of being judged. 

The other HIDE is related to life around us. Heartbreaks, Insights, Dreams and Epiphany. We have gone through many of these. Heartbreaks are important milestones in our life. They teach us about life and also about ourselves. Heartbreaks, when handled well can lead to Insights. Insights develop when we stumble ahead successfully over life’s hurdles. Listening to insights of others can help us learn from other people’s experiences, which is really a very smart thing to do. Dreams are essential. Dreams are born in our minds and have a mind of their own. We owe it to our dreams, to get up every morning and go after our goals. And sometimes dreams are born out of Epiphany. Epiphany is defined as a moment of sudden and great revelation or realisation. What in marathi is called a sakshaatkaar. Having an epiphany about something, a dream, an insight or a self awareness moment can truly be a turning point in a persons life. 

So UnHIDE is what it is – a sharing platform – not just an open mic. Sometimes it is an open forum to discuss important issues of personal growth, dreams, insights, depression or any other revelations. Sometimes we have experts give their talks on specified topics. Sometimes it is a panel discussion and an open Q&A session, sometimes we have an interview of someone who followed a dream with crazy passion and achieved it going against the current. Sometimes it is a debate. Sometimes it is full of songs and poems. Sometimes it is heartfelt sharing of unique experiences. Sometimes it is just an open mic. More often it is not – just an open mic. 

During lockdown for COVID-19, We started UnHIDE (not just an open mic) as a platform for the expression of difficult and overwhelming feelings and situations which deserve to be shared either for accessing help or to inspire others.

A lot of networking happens through UnHIDE. Getting exposure and attention for your thoughts, work, ideas and efforts is also a positive side effect. 

So join us in this venture, this adventure. Enrol and stay connected.

Talk to us, Share and care

rejuvenate and refresh.

We offer inspiration through interaction. 

UnHIDE – definitely not just an open mic…it is much much more.