Namita Thapar opens up about the importance of mental health; says, ‘Learn to say no without feeling guilty’

Shark Tank India’s Namita Thapar, an entrepreneur and one of the show’s judges, recently opened up about the importance of mental health. She shared a video on her Instagram handle, highlighting the importance of saying ‘no’ and prioritizing oneself.In the video, she said, “Did you know that 80% of autoimmune patients are women? One major reason could be something we’ve been conditioned with since childhood: ‘Be a people pleaser, be a caregiver, take care of everyone, and saying no is a bad thing.’ Researchers have spoken about this idea: when you constantly suppress your emotions and never express your needs, that unspoken ‘no’ stays inside you and can eventually manifest as illness.”Namita further added, “Basically, suppressed emotions, negativity, chronic stress, and emotional overload can increase cortisol and inflammation levels in the body, which may contribute to various health conditions over time. So friends, prioritizing yourself is not a bad thing. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s decide that it’s time to take care of our own needs too: set boundaries, speak up, and learn to say ‘no’ without guilt.”While sharing the video, she captioned it, “This is the last post in my series for Mental Health Awareness Month/May! Women, you need to learn to prioritize yourselves and say NO more often. Always putting others before your own needs is one of the reasons 80% of autoimmune patients are women! Being non-stop people pleasers and caregivers is making us sick. Time to change.”Soon after she shared the video on social media, many people commented and shared their views on it. They praised her for discussing the importance of mental health. On the work front, she is a successful entrepreneur and a judge on Shark Tank India. She also often shares videos on her YouTube channel.