Deepika Padukone Opens About Her Battle Against Depression

Bollywood bathing beauty Deepika Padukone, who has always been vocal about coping with depression, has said that her battle against it has been one of the most powerful experiences.

In her piece written for Hindustan Times, she said, “I look back, I can truly say that the last four years have been life-changing in almost every way. There have been some dark, immensely tough times. There have also been triumphs. But without a doubt, one of my most powerful experiences has been my battle with, and recovery from depression.”

Speaking at an event, the ‘Padmaavat’ starlet said that she had wanted to be honest with herself and fans, ever since she started fighting depression for the first time.

“For me coming out with my experience and sharing it with the world really was about being honest. At that point, four years ago, I didn’t think about it as being brave. I didn’t think that it was meant to be revolutionary” she said.

The lady who has given blockbuster movies consecutively further opened up as she felt it was important for her to share “something that had changed my life. And something that I felt had a lot of stigma when I was experiencing it. There wasn’t much awareness…even we weren’t familiar with what I was going through.”

“There was also this feeling that maybe we should not talk about it and keep it hush. So there was a lack of awareness and there was a lot of stigma,” she added.

The model turned actress acknowledged that it was her mother Ujjala Padukone who reckoned that Deepika is suffering from depression:

“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 who immediately recognised that I needed medical help,” Deepika said.

While opening up and sharing her story of depression made her feel that “a huge weight is off my shoulders”, she said.

“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.”

“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,

The Padmavat star also reiterated that her experience has made her aware of her mental and physical 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. I would never want to experience that again. So I’m always aware of my thoughts, feelings and emotions,” she said.