MUMBAI – The beautiful actress of Bollywood Deepika Padukone has never hidden her feelings and experiences of her battle with depression. Apart from speaking at events, she is the founder of the Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF), which creates awareness on mental health in India.
Recently, The Padmavati star shared that when she first went into depression there wasn’t much awareness on the topic and “even we weren’t familiar with what I was going through.”
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“There was also this feeling that ‘Maybe we should not talk about it and keep it hush. So not only was there was a lack of awareness, there was also a lot of stigmas,” said the Om Shanti Om actress.
However, her mother was the first to recognise the problem and immediately seek professional help.
Deepika also stated that “In my case, I didn’t know what I was feeling or going through and fortunately, it was my mother who was my caregiver and recognised my symptoms in the early stages. I was not feeling motivated anymore, I didn’t know why I wasn’t happy in my life and she was the one who took me to a counsellor”.
The Bachna Ae Haseeno star also shared her story with the world made her feel that “a huge weight is off my shoulders”.
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“I felt completely transparent. There was no fear of being judged and today I think it just made me a much happier person. It made me understand how fragile life is. It’s made me much more sensitive to people’s thoughts, feelings and emotions,” she continued.
Padukone also spoked that everyone has a story to tell and people should not be quick to judge and label others.
The Bollywood diva also shared that “We very easily judge people and label them. Everyone has a backstory…. it is very easy to pass a judgement about someone and say something about someone. But when you understand what someone has been through, it just makes you a lot more aware of the people around you”.
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The actor said her experience has made her more aware of her physical and mental well-being. “When I start feeling anxious, I feel a knot in my stomach. I immediately know that I need to take care of myself and control my thoughts. Maybe breathe better and sleep more.”
“It has created so much awareness about my physical well-being. Because it was such a bad experience for me that I’m always aware now. Obviously, that fear of slipping into it again is there.
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She further added that “I would never want to experience that again. So I’m always aware of my thoughts, feelings and emotions.”
Padukone ended her speech saying, “Obviously, that fear of slipping into it again is always there but I would never want to experience it again. That’s why I’m always aware of my thoughts, feelings and emotions.”
Depression is not something to hide, we should always help others and should be aware of the condition of our loved ones. Before it’s too late to handle the situations.
