It is quite natural that we get besotted by the glamourous life of celebrities. The over the top lifestyles, the fame they enjoy, everything related to a celebrity is a treat to our eyes. But behind the glitz and glamour lies a normal life, the constant urge to be themselves. We rarely understand the fact that all that glitters is not gold and behind the glamourous life, there are tumultuous emotions that a celebrity undergoes like a bad heartbreak or dealing with a mental illness. Like a normal individual, they can’t break through the mask and come out in open to discuss their problems because of the so-called expectations. Shaheen Bhatt is one such celebrity, who had broken the stereotype and had come out in open to discuss her struggles with depression. (Also Read: Dipika Kakar Dances With Husband, Shoaib Ibrahim On 'Balam Pichkari' As They Celebrate Holi)
Depression is not an illness as like a normal illness, it does not show any symptoms. It is very difficult to decipher whether a person is undergoing depression, as a person undergoing the same does not understand what is happening to him/her. There are many celebrities, who have come out in open to talk about undergoing depression and Manisha Koirala, Deepika Padukone, Varun Dhawan and Ileana D’Cruz are some names from the glamour world, who did not shy away from discussing what they went through. It was in 2016, when Shaheen Bhatt, daughter of Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan had talked for the first time about her fight with depression in a social media post.
On March 10, 2020, Shaheen Bhatt took to her Instagram handle and discussed about her struggling phase during dealing with depression. She opened up about how even a tiny incident had made her feel depressed. Sharing a beautiful solo picture of herself, Shaheen wrote, “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.”
She continued her post and wrote how even a small incident would trigger her, “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!” (Also Read: Kamya Panjabi Celebrates Her First Holi With Her Husband, Shalabh Dang After Marriage)
She further continued how she realised that she could not keep it to herself and how her family was her constant support when she finally confided in them. Her post can be further read as “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!”
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She ended her post by stating how she thought of penning her emotions in her book, I've Never Been (Un) Happier and hoped to help even a single person to come out of their struggle. She wrote, “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.” (Also Read: Inaaya Naumi Kemmu Plays Holi With Daddy, Kunal Kemmu, Mommy, Soha Ali Khan And Cousin, Taimur)
Isn’t Shaheen’s note heart-touching? What do you think? Let us know.
