Shaheen Bhatt: I wish I had opened about my depression to Alia Bhatt

Shaheen Bhatt has always been vocal about battling depression ever since she was 12, and has even written a book on the same. And now, she pours her heart out once again in a post that must be read by one and all!

Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt (Picture courtesy/AFP)

Shaheen Bhatt has always been vocal about battling depression ever since she was 12, and has even written a book on the same. And now, she pours her heart out once again in a post that must be read by one and all! Talking to Humans of Bombay, she was as candid as one could get. It was an emotionally transparent confession that highlights the vitality of speaking about your emotional turmoil.

She said that mental illness has been a part of her life ever since she was 12. She woke up every day and felt empty and confused. For six years, she avoided therapy because she didn’t want to seem weak or crazy. She also confessed that it took her becoming suicidal to realise she couldn’t keep it a secret. And she also said she wished she had opened up about it to Alia before.

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ðÂÂÂu00c2u009fÂÂÂu00c2u008dÂÂÂu00c2u0080ðÂÂÂu00c2u009fÂÂÂu00c2u008dÂÂÂu00c2u0080ðÂÂÂu00c2u009fÂÂÂu00c2u008dÂÂÂu00c2u0080 ••• #repost @officialhumansofbombay ãÂÂÂu00c2u0083»ãÂÂÂu00c2u0083»ãÂÂÂu00c2u0083» “Mental illness has been a part of my life since I was 12. I woke up one day & felt empty & confused. Even without doing anything, I was so fatigued that tasks like brushing felt impossible. I’d look out the window for hours, trying to make sense of how broken I felt, but didn’t find an answer. No one really spoke about mental health back then. At first, I thought I was being a ‘teenager’–one who’s irritable, sleeps a lot & never leaves her room. At that point, everything triggered my anxiety–like the photoshoot incident with Alia & Pooja where I was asked to step out of the frame as I was overweight & much darker. Incidents like these, along with schoolmates making fun of my weight made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. For 6 years, I avoided therapy because I didn’t want to seem ‘weak’ or ‘crazy’. It was my ‘problem’ & I could ‘fix it’! So, I tried to write away my depression in a journal–I believed that when the pen hit paper, I’d heal. That was my version of self-care! But it didn’t work. It took me becoming suicidal to realize I couldn’t keep my struggle a secret. So I started seeing a therapist, pushed myself out of hiding & shared my feelings with my loved ones. My family was really supportive. When Alia told me how guilty she felt about not knowing, I almost wished I’d opened up to her earlier. They made it so easy for me to talk to them! In 2016, I went public with my depression & was flooded with messages from people who were going through something similar. So I shared myself in the biggest way I could & wrote a book about my journey with depression–all in the hope that I could help even one person feel less alone. Today, I accept & love myself in ways I never did before. I don’t wait for things to go bad to take care of my mental health–I deserve to be loved & cared for even on good days! If I’m having a bad day, I don’t beat myself up–it’s kind of like the weather; when it’s raining, you don’t yell at the skies to stop! I simply take a deep breath, chill with my cats & just have faith that eventually, it’ll pass.” ---- HOB with @converse.india are celebrating stories of those who have learnt fearles

A post shared by Shaheen Bhatt (@shaheenb) onMar 9, 2020 at 1:52am PDT

However, it also must be added that it takes a lot of courage to come out in the open and publicly acknowledge your miseries. Celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Karan Johar, and Ileana D’Cruz have also spoken about battling depression.

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