Introduction: When Your Truth Is Too Loud for Their Comfort Priya, 26, told her mother she was struggling with anxiety.The response? “Stop watching too much YouTube. You’re just overthinking. Nothing’s wrong.” It wasn’t the first time her feelings were dismissed.And it wouldn’t be the last. For many South Asian daughters, pain is not something to be addressed — it’s something to be silenced.When you speak up, you’re told you’re “dramatic,” “ungrateful,” or “too emotional.”That’s not parenting.That’s cultural gaslighting. What Is Cultural Gaslighting? Gaslighting is when someone manipulates you into doubting your reality.Cultural gaslighting is when entire belief systems are used to deny your emotional truth. In South Asian households, this…