Navya’s honest revelation
Amitabh Bachchan’s granddaughter opens up about having severe anxiety issues, and seeking treatment. She has started ‘ Aara Health’, a virtual platform for mental health awareness
Amitabh Bachchan’s granddaughter and Shweta Bachchan Nanda’s daughter Navya Naveli Nanda is one of the most sought- after star kids in Bollywood. The young woman has not made any attempt to pursue an acting career so far, but has now co- founded a mental health awareness platform called Aara Health. As part of its launch, she opened up in a video about having suffered from severe anxiety for some time.
“I go for severe anxiety. I get really bad anxiety sometimes and I just don't know why — there’s no one reason. I could be outside and it just kicks in. You don’t have control of it,” said Navya in conversation with the other founders of the platform, Mallika Sahney, Pragya Saboo, and Ahilya Mehta.
Till recently, Navya was not comfortable talking about her mental health or even seeking therapy. However, after hitting rock bottom multiple times, she changed her approach “I was like okay, obviously something has to change, I need to talk about it. I think it helped, coming to that conclusion,” she revealed.
Discussing the progress she has made, Navya said, “Now once a week, I am in that routine and I don’t think I am even close to hitting rock bottom because I have everything in control; I am talking to someone. Now I can identify what are the things that get me to hit rock bottom,” adding, “People realise too late sometimes that they need to get help.” Navya’s honest revelation is a reminder that mental health issues don’t discriminate between people on the basis of their social standing or bank balances. It can affect the rich and famous too.
I go for severe anxiety. I get really bad anxiety sometimes and I just don’t know why — there’s no one reason. I could be outside and it just kicks in. You don’t have control of it
— Navya Naveli Nanda
“Just like diabetes and hypertension are biological disorders, where there is a problem with your body’s chemical composition, anxiety is also an illness and can affect anyone,” says consultant psychiatrist Dr Alpes Panchal.
However, there are external influences that aggravate anxiety. “There has been a steady increase in anxiety in younger patients in the past decade. This rise could be because youngsters need to keep up with the world around them. A part of it is also fuelled by social media,” feels Dr Panchal.
For Navya, a part of the stress was caused by the people she was surrounded with. “There have been times in my life when I haven’t been surrounded by positive people, and I have seen how negatively it has impacted the way I think, not just about myself but about the world. I have learnt to surround myself with people who make me feel good and happy,” she said.
Till recently, Navya was not comfortable talking about her mental health or even seeking therapy. However, after hitting rock bottom multiple times, she changed her approach “I was like okay, obviously something has to change, I need to talk about it. I think it helped,” she revealed