Anushka Sharma talks about Anxiety

World Mental Health Day 2022

10^th October 2022

Make Mental Health &
well-being for all a Global Priority

#MentalHealthforALL

“I have anxiety. And I’m treating my anxiety. I’m on medication for my anxiety. Why am I saying this? Because it’s a completely normal thing. It’s a biological problem. In my family there have been cases of depression. More and more people should talk openly about it. There is nothing shameful about it or something to hide. If you had a constant stomach pain, wouldn’t you go to the doctor? It’s that simple. I want to make this my mission, to take any shame out of this, to educate people about this” – Anushka Sharma on Anxiety.

Anushka Sharma like other world-renowned celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Kristen Stewart, Emma Stone dealt with anxiety issues and have spoken openly about it. In 2015, the Filmfare award winner revealed in a magazine interview that about her anxiety and how she is coping with it. She emphasised that it is completely normal to have anxiety and there is nothing shameful to hide. The superstar also mentioned that how anxiety and depression can be caused by biological reasons and existing life circumstances.

Like Anushka we all have faced with anxiety at some point of our life. We have either kept it to ourselves without learning effective ways to deal with it or have rarely spoken about it to someone. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. The estimation of anxiety disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, revealed that globally there has been 50% increase in number of cases since 1990 and 301 million prevalent cases were estimated in 2019.

Anxiety as a mental health concern is seen in form of sensation of worry, dread, and uneasiness due to presenting tough period in life. Individual with anxiety can start to perspire, become agitated and anxious, and experience many other emotions. Physiological they feel rapid heartbeat, fast breathing or sometimes grasping for breath. These physical symptoms can be a some minor response to stress that the person may be presenting dealing with. Anxiety is so natural that it may arise for anyone at any-time, for instance, when confronted with challenges at work, giving a presentation, before appearing for an exam or an interview, while being in social gathering, going to certain places, doing particular thing, before making a crucial decision, or even while asking out to someone for a date. For someone it may seem unmanageable and for some it might feel like the terror of inaction which can be incapacitating and last for a long-term duration. In any such situation, it is completely okay to feel so.

Best Ways to Manage Anxiety

The reason for your anxiety can be personal and unique to you. If you think and are pondering about your nerves bothering you, and you are not able to focus and maintain work life balance, you may be anxious. To gauge yourself on feeling of anxiety you may take free online assessment at best online mental platform of Asia. However, by talking to someone you trust can empower you to choose different ways to manage your anxiety. In most cases, sometimes, even with family or close friends a person become reluctant to express their feelings, which can make your symptoms worse. The best way can be to sit down with your counsellor either in-person or through online counselling and discuss how you feel in difficult situation, discuss your views and the symptoms you are experiencing. People living with anxiety issues often develop negative thinking patterns, emotions and adopt maladaptive behaviour. Through therapy and counselling, one undergoes cognitive restructuring required to let off these negative thoughts and emotions. Your therapists can help you in identifying the such negative thoughts and behaviour, enable you to understand the cause and promote positive effective changes required to cope with anxiety. Your therapist or an online counsellor can offer you a safe space to talk about your concerns and adopt a treatment plan that may includes relaxation techniques, mindfulness therapy, yoga therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). In some cases when physical symptoms of anxiety become worse, online psychiatrist consultation would be a suitable approach.