During her appearance on Pariksha Pe Charcha, an annual academic event held on Wednesday, Deepika Padukone reminisced about her school days and imparted some words of wisdom to students. As she dived into a Q/A session with young fans, she shared tips on how to keep oneself mentally grounded during moments of academic pressure.
"Focus on the things that you can control. For example, if you're prepared or not," Deepika began. "If you're feeling stressed the night before an exam, talk to your parents or teachers about it. Identifying the cause of stress and expressing it with someone you trust can be a good way to deal with that stress. Even meditation and exercise are helpful factors that are within your control."
The Piku actor also shared mantras she follows when striving for success. "Firstly, I need to have clarity on what I want in life. Secondly, I must have the conviction that I am capable of doing this. Will I fail along the way? Will I make mistakes? A hundred per cent, I will. It's not going to be smooth sailing. And most importantly, have fun," she advised.
When taking care of one's mental health during stressful periods like exam preparation, Deepika believes that there are certain habits that positively influence one's mood. These include sleeping properly, receiving adequate sunlight, and getting fresh air.
The Bollywood actor also views competition, be it in an academic or professional setting, as a healthy part of life. She believes that as long as an individual focuses more on their strengths and works on their weaknesses, there is much to learn from one's competitors.
"It sounds cliché but I'm always competing with myself. If I've performed a scene in a certain way, how can I go back and do it differently? Challenging myself is how I would approach it," she said.
Fighting the stigma
After grappling with her own mental lows over a decade ago, Deepika founded the Live Love Laugh Foundation in 2015 to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health. However, the journey leading up to the initiative was anything but smooth.
Having a busy life without breaks took a toll on the Chennai Express actor, who worked tirelessly till she fainted in 2014. "After a few days, I realised that I was depressed," she said. "For a long time, I didn't share this with anyone because I lived alone in Bombay then."
Deepika only reached out for help after her parents visited her residence. But even that didn't go quite as planned since she burst into tears. "They had many questions. But I just said, 'I don't know what's going on. I feel completely helpless and hopeless, and I don't want to live anymore.' I was very lucky in that moment because my mother understood me and suggested that I call a psychologist," the 39-year-old actor said.
Deepika observed that the stigma surrounding mental health causes a patient to be in denial of what's happening to them, which holds them back from contacting anyone. "As soon as I started talking about my illness, I started feeling so free, so light. And that's how my journey with mental health awareness began," she said.
"Sharing really takes a lot of weight off your shoulders. When you're preparing for exams in particular, you feel as if you can finally focus on them. That's because you've expressed your issues, and you're able to live a healthier, better life," she finished.
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