‘IT IS NORMAL TO FEEL ANXIOUS’

Sania Mirza says that it is okay to feel depressed or cry, but when that happens, we must talk to people who are close to us

All of us, at some point in our lives, have struggled with mental health issues, feels Sania Mirza. It’s just that we don’t understand until it hits hard. The ace tennis player urges that one needs to accept it at times, to find a way out of it. “It’s normal to feel anxious, nervous, and not be able to sleep. I am saying this from my personal experience. Recently, I suffered from anxiety. There was nothing that actually triggered it. It was something that was probably going on and we mask it so well that we don’t even recognise it,” says Mirza. Like many, Mirza, too, agrees that this unprecedented Covid-19 crisis has affected the global economy, which in turn, has led to many worrying about their future. Doing her bit, she’s supporting a few local small business ventures by giving them a shout out on her social media.

The idea is “to give back to the society”. Urging everyone to help each other, Mirza says, “Throughout our lives, we’re so busy that we ignore our mental health. It’s fine to feel depressed and even cry. Whenever that happens, talk to someone who’s close to you.”

Irrespective of how the day is going by, Mirza, 33, says “staying positive and close to our family” is all that matters. She continues, “I get strength from my family, especially my son Izhaan. No matter how bad my day is, his smile makes everything better.”

She recently spoke about how difficult it is for her to stay away from husband, cricketer Shoaib Malik, who is in Pakistan. Mention that, and she shares, “We’re stuck in different countries and we don’t know when this is going to end. That’s a big to deal with even though we’re constantly in touch with each other.”

Looking forward, Mirza says that once things get better, she and her son would like “to spend quality time” with Malik. “Izhaan misses his father, and has started calling out ‘baba’. We’re grateful that we have food on our table. We know now that we can win over any difficulty with our family,” she says.

SPOTLIGHT: MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS THIS FORTNIGHT, HTCITY WILL THROW THE SPOTLIGHT ON MENTAL HEALTH AND RELATED CHALLENGES IN THE WAKE OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS