Mind the mind

Manpriya Singh 

It’s just like stomach ache, but actually not quite like it. Maybe worse, considering talking about stomach ache is not a taboo and chances are you’ll go see a doctor, and be diagnosed just as easily. Thankfully, celebs have been telling us for a while now that it’s normal to have depression, anxiety is not rare and any other mental disorder should be no more embarrassing than, let’s say, digestive issues. 

A day before World Mental Health Day we revisit the lives of the celebs who’ve fought the brave battles, but it all started with accepting and seeking help. 

Far from reality

Ironically, Deepika Padukone was the first one to openly admit it. Her Instagram feed is filled with posts meant to help people identify the issue. “It’s like that pittish feeling in the stomach…I didn’t know how to describe it. I am still scared of the sound of an alarm bell,” she said as she broke down in the video message posted on World Mental Health Day itself. 

What’s the hardest part about depression? As posted by Deepika Padukone herself, “To put on a front every single day like everything is okay in your life.” A fact that Ludhiana-based, 19-year-old Shivani Tuli can vouch for. “Every time I stepped into participate into any pageant, I was crying from inside,” says the girl, who was diagnosed with clinical depression at the tender age of almost 17. “It started with body issues because we attach too much of importance to certain sizes,” adds the girl, who is now one of the youngest plus-sized models,  a scriptwriter, and, most importantly, a “happy soul”. All thanks to a few key things, “Family support, inner circle of friends, meditation and a hobby.” 

Positive way

Shraddha Kapoor has also talked about anxiety. “I didn’t even know what it was. There’s this pain happening, but there was no physiological diagnosis because we got tests done.” Which is why as she admitted, “I’ve had anxiety issues now for almost three to four years, but now I am dealing with it in a very positive way,” she said in an interview to a web portal. 

Alia Bhatt has jokingly spoken about separation anxiety every time she wrapped up a shoot with Varun Dhawan and he in turn has spoken about anxiety to do with failure! But on a serious note, Alia, has spoken about anxiety attacks and the, “feeling like crying for no reason at all.”  

Live in the moment

Anushka Sharma spoke about depression and getting treated for anxiety while she was at the top of her game, with PK having just released.  “I’m on medication for anxiety,” she said in one of her interviews, adding, how, “More and more people should talk about it because it is nothing to be ashamed of.”  

Chandigarh-based beauty pageant contestant Rammya Singh, who’s currently penning a book, doesn’t recall when exactly depression set in, but having successfully fought hers, today, there is something she can vouch for - live in the moment! “Live one day at a time, what you’ll eat for the next meal, the next person you’ll meet and what will you do for the rest of the day. Living in the moment truly makes you live.”