Bollywood actress Ileana D’Cruz was awarded the Woman of Substance Award in 2017 at the 21st World Congress of Mental Health held in New Delhi.
In conversation with Organising Chairman Sunil Mittal, a report has given us details on what Ileana had to say about going through various issues and recovering.
Talking about battling depression and body dysmorphia, she said, “I was always a very self-conscious person and was picked on for my body type. I used to feel low and sad all the time but didn’t know I was suffering from depression and Body Dysmorphic Disorder till I got help. All I wanted to do was to be accepted by everyone. At one point, I even had suicidal thoughts and wanted to end things. However, all of it changed when I accepted myself and what I was going through. I think that is the first step towards fighting depression.”
Referencing the cartoon character Winnie The Pooh she mentioned, “It is a chemical imbalance in your brain, and needs to be treated. Don’t sit back and think it will get okay but go get help. Like you have a sprain and go get yourself checked if you have depression, seek help. He (Pooh) wore a crop top, ate his favourite food all day and loved himself, you can too.“
“I am not saying that I had this miraculous recovery, every day is a process, every day is a step towards healing yourself and getting better. You are a human being and are allowed to be imperfect, and you are allowed to be flawed. There is a lot of beauty in your imperfections, in your uniqueness,” Ileana spoke about her recovery.
“You may look at us actors and think that ‘Oh my God, they are so pretty, so perfect’. But that’s not how it is. It takes two hours to get ready and look like this. Love yourself for who you are and trust me if you are happy from within, you are the most beautiful person and your smile is your best asset,” she continued.