Ananya Panday opens up about her mental health and seeking therapy due to social media hate: ‘I could not…’

Ananya Panday recently talked about being a poor mental space, especially in the first year of her acting and how she tackled it.

Ananya Panday has been the center of nepotism debate, heavy trolling countless times ever since she made her debut with Karan Johar’s ‘Student of the Year 2.’ Recently she opened up about dealing with social media hate, trolling that would make her simple break down and not want to go on sets. In a recent interview with Barkha Dutt’s We The Women, ‘Call Me Bae’ actress reveals seeking therapy owing to be shamed as ‘nepo baby’ and more.

Ananya Panday on Mental Health

Mental health has a lot of stigma surrounding it. However, things are ona positive path as people have started to openly talk about it more and more. Several actors like Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Sanya Malhotra among others have shared their tryst with struggling mental health and how they tackled it. In this technology and media driven age, it social media is a major contributor to mental health. Speaking with Mojo Story, Panday recalled how her confidence was shaken owing to social media criticism and hwo it affected her sister Rysa Panday too. ” “When I was in school, social media had just started. I was called all sorts of things, like hunchback, flat screen, chicken legs… That was in school, we were in our bubble. Now, because of social media, the smallest voice can be amplified. It did affect my self-confidence, it still does today. Self-love is a journey, not the destination,” she said.

Sharing about her mental health from the start of her career till date, Panday says, “I have done therapy in the past, I am not as regular now. I could not articulate my emotions. I used to just feel very, very down. The thing, I sometimes feel with mental health and social media, is that you may read something in the moment and you may not realise that it is affecting you, because you think ‘I am fine right now, I am having a good day, I am in the car, I am busy’. I will read a comment and I will ignore it. But weeks later, it could still be there in your subconscious somewhere and things that like really pile up. With therapy, I was just able to consolidate my feelings and articulate my thoughts a little better.”

‘I was in therapy for a year…’: Bhavana Panday

Mother of Ananya Panday, Bahavan, who recently featured in ‘Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Lives’, recently opened up about taking therapy. “I was in therapy for about a year, maybe a little longer. I still take therapy off and on when I find things I can’t handle on my own. Her (Ananya) trolling affected me more than it affected her. I was an overly sensitive person, but I’ve become stronger. Even now, I sometimes take therapy during such times. I also talk a lot to Chunky, who is my best friend, but it’s biased sometimes,” Bhavana said.

Social media is a double-edged sword. It is on one’s own purview and judicious use of it. However, the contemporary lifestyle is all about hustling till the tee. It is important to understand that seeking help is absolutely okay. One may try and inculcate lifestyle habits like healthy diet, regular exercise, meditation, maintaining schedules, sleep cycle, socialising, expressing emotions  and seek help as and when required.