Shaheen Bhatt articulates need for self-love, shares inspiring journey through depression

Shaheen Bhatt has recently come out in the open with her struggles with depression which she has even penned in her book I've Never Been (Un)Happier. She has been a force of nature for the many people who have been inspired by her struggle and have come out to seek help in bringing their mental health to order. Shaheen featured in the popular social media page 'Humans of Bombay' which aims at capturing the stories of basic human emotions and feelings in the people of Mumbai.

Have a look:

Read | Shaheen Bhatt reveals she 'couldn't take it anymore' right before her attempt to suicide

Shaheen Bhatt unveiled a lot of details about her struggle with depression starting from its onset when she was merely a 12-year-old girl. She 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 brought out this gap that people usually have in trying to communicate issues of mental health.

Furthermore, she described how she felt that it could only be a phase. Shaheen said, "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.".

Read | Alia Bhatt’s childhood picture with sister Shaheen Bhatt will topple the cuteness meter

Shaheen's struggle with her self lasted for 6 years as she tried a lot of remedies to get out of the negative feeling. She revealed that she avoided therapy and took to writing a journal to pen down her thoughts with a hope that she would heal. However, she pushed herself to see a therapist when her thoughts became suicidal and then started sharing her feelings with her 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!"

Read | Mindy Kaling, Jennifer Aniston give thumbs up to Shaheen Bhatt's book

After getting the love and support from her loved ones, Shaheen wrote a book to share her journey with people who may be going through similar trouble with their mental health. Her book was critically acclaimed by readers and garnered a lot of love from everyone in the film fraternity. It also gave the much-needed push for others to open up about their personal struggles.

"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.”

 Read | Shaheen Bhatt & other celebs who have penned their mental health battles in their books