Asian Network presenters share lockdown mental health tips

Talking about mental health in the South Asian community can be taboo but BBC Asian Network wants people to think about their wellbeing during lockdown.

There are concerns that the coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on peoples' mental health, fuelling feelings of loneliness and anxiety. The proportion of adults showing symptoms of depression has almost doubled since the start of the pandemic, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Some communities are feeling the impact more than others. According to Public Health England, men of Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani descent, as well as white British men, reported a significant decline in their mental health.

To help break down the stigma around talking about mental health, BBC Asian Network's presenters have shared their lockdown mental health tips in English and, below, five South Asian languages: Urdu, Sylheti/Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil and Gujarati.

Dr Pardeep Kaur Sandhu, along with Asian Network's Harpz Kaur, Nikita Kanda and Raj Kaur Bilkhu, give their tips for dealing with lockdown, in Punjabi.

Cognitive behavioural therapist Shah Alam, along with Asian Network presenters Qasa Alom, Poppy Begum, Nadia Ali and DJ Kye give their tips for dealing with lockdown, in Sylheti.

Psychologist Dr Juliet Anton, along with Asian Network's Ashanti Omkar and Nalini Sivathasan, give their tips for dealing with lockdown, in Tamil.

Cognitive behavioural therapist Nijda Dogar, along with Asian Network's Mobeen Azhar, Haroon Rashid and Shehzaad Lohar, give their tips for dealing with lockdown, in Urdu.

Dr Zahera Kapasi, along with Asian Network's Ankur Desai and Sarika Unadkat give their tips for dealing with lockdown, in Gujarati.