There’s nothing wrong in consulting a psychiatrist for mental health issues: Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia on her breakdown

The actress, who took a 40-day break from her

show Choti Sarrdaarni

after a breakdown a few months ago, talks about her ordeal and how she bounced back

Mental

health has always been a taboo topic in our society. Despite struggling with it for years, many people prefer to keep mum and hide it. For celebrities, whose lives are always under scrutiny, the baggage is much heavier. Actress

Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia

, lead actress of the show Choti Sarrdaarni, also battled mental health issues and had to take a 40-day long break from the show. With the love, care and support of her family and fans, the actress bounced back.

Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia

‘I never thought that I could break down so easily’Talking about her journey,

Nimrit

shares, “I stepped out of my home when I was only 18 years old. I have always been an extrovert and fiercely independent girl, living on my own terms. With name, fame and an established TV career, life seemed perfect. I never thought that I could break down so easily. The entire experience was very daunting for me.” She says that she noticed the initial signs of it in October 2020. She says, “Our work takes up so much of our time that we don’t have time for ourselves. While shooting continuously for daily soaps for 27- 28 days in long shifts, we don’t realise what we are losing in the process. This creates an imbalance in our personal and professional life.”

‘My psychiatrist advised me to take a break from work’
There were days when Nimrit didn’t want to get up, dress up and get back to work. Describing the anxiety, she says, “I thought that it was due to some hormonal imbalance, so I consulted my gynaecologist. But it didn’t help me much and I also consulted a psychiatrist, who told me that I was completely exhausted and stressed. He advised me to take a break as my work was keeping me away from the balance that I needed in my life. On my doctor’s advice, I even got admitted to a hospital for two days. This eventually forced me to take a 40-day break from the show. And then, I came to Delhi to stay with my parents for the next few days.”

‘I used to sleep, eat and sleep again’
It wasn’t easy, but Nimrit managed to fight it out step by step. She recollects, “I was on heavy medication for the initial 15 days as I was suffering from insomnia. I used to sleep, eat and sleep again, or I used to sit and cry for no reason. This was my daily routine with mood swings and despite my mother being next to me, I felt claustrophobic.” As advised by the doctors, she took time to heal and indulged herself in activities she enjoyed the most. “I listened to music, read books, did colouring; and it really helped me rediscover my own self. I reconnected with my college friends. Also, I made a deliberate attempt to take a break from social media, which was much needed for my mental well-being,” she says.

‘People suffering from mental health issues shouldn’t be looked down upon’
The entire experience made her realise that if she is going through anxiety disorder, it’s because of certain factors. “I took my time to talk about it and the moment I did, I felt way stronger. I want to tell everyone that whoever is going through any mental stress or anxiety issues, they should immediately talk about it and take expert help,” she says. And that’s the reason why she decided to talk about it and wrote a long note on social media. She adds, “I knew that such issues needed to be addressed, people suffering from mental health issues need to come out in the open and talk about their problems, struggles and thoughts. And those who are suffering from it should not be looked down upon but comforted. It’s ok to feel low in life but it’s not ok to suffer and hide. So, I shared about it on social media. There was nothing to shy away from. I feel that if social media is used in a constructive way, it can work wonders.”

‘I intend to create a platform where experts can address the issue of mental health’
The actress went public and shared about her struggle with mental health issues on social media. She says, “My social media post talking about the issue was my first step towards it. I intend to create a platform, get experts who can come on board to address the issue. Through social media, I also want to run a campaign where I would like to post helpline numbers, where people like me can seek guidance and help from therapists. Since everything has become virtual, I would like to post about it, talk about my struggles, my experience, its signs, etc. There has to be some kind of awareness to be generated among masses. If we have a problem with our teeth, we visit a dentist. Similarly, what’s wrong in consulting a psychiatrist for issues related to mental health?”