As the festival season approaches, homes light up with joy, traditions, and the promise of togetherness. For many, it’s a time of warmth, blessings, and celebration. But behind the bright decorations and hearty feasts, a quieter reality exists—one of exhaustion, financial pressure, and emotional strain.

ApEx spoke to three men from different generations to understand how they experience festivals—not just the joy, but also the stress that comes with them. Their reflections show us how mental health is not only essential but felt differently depending on age, responsibility, and experiences.

Alish Pradhananga

Mental health is important because if someone is troubled then he/she can’t be happy. It’s even more stressful for those who have a lot of cultural norms and rules to follow and feel pressured to gather everyone for a feast. There’s pressure to look good, meet people, and be involved in everything. 

I enjoy the food and fun but I can see how much pressure my parents face. They do so much, and I think we should help them more. To tackle stress during festivals, my siblings and I mostly go trekking or hiking. I think that makes our parents more stressed. I feel we should help out more at home but we also need breaks.

Bimal Shah Thakuri​​​​​​​

Mental health is one of the important aspects to focus on. With work, family, and responsibilities, if your mind isn’t in a good place, everything else starts falling apart. Festivals can be stressful and we have to make time for ourselves. Between cleaning, shopping, cooking, and making sure everything is perfect, I hardly get time to enjoy the moment. I realize now that my parents used to hide a lot of the stress just to make us happy. It makes me appreciate their efforts more. Planning ahead, delegating tasks, and not aiming for perfection every time may help with overcoming the stress during festivals. Also, it’s okay to take small breaks and it’s also okay if everything isn’t flawless.

Ram Krishna Lohala

When we were young, we didn’t talk much about mental health, but now I understand how crucial it is, especially in old age when loneliness and overthinking can become serious issues. I mostly enjoy meeting family during festivals. Though it can get tiring, the happiness of everyone around keeps me going. 

Before it was tough to manage clothes for the family, I have seen the struggle of my parents too. Now, my son looks after us but the struggle is even more different. They need to buy clothes, maintain relationships with everyone, and take care of us. So, I think they are stressed but they rarely share things with us. I want them to share what they are going through, to keep things simple and focus on their well being too.