International Women's Day interview: Actress Shweta Kawaatra, best known for her role as Pallavi in the hit drama Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, has been suffering from postnatal depression for many years, experiencing symptoms such as anxiety, brain fog, irritability, panic attacks and social anxiety. I've been fighting. It took her a year to realize what she was experiencing and almost five years to fully overcome her mental health condition. The actress credits her Buddhist practices, including chanting and meditation, with helping her recover. Talking about her symptoms and connecting with others to help her deal with her problems also helped Kawaatla cope with her own symptoms. “I tried alternative medicine with acupuncture and Ayurvedic diet, which helped me overcome my symptoms. By changing my lifestyle, I was able to recover,” Kawaatla said. said in an interview with HT Digital. (Also read | International Women's Day 2024: Her 6 tips for working women to overcome workplace anxiety)
Even after her recovery, Kawaatla continues to spread awareness about postpartum depression, and one of the initiatives she's involved with is her own community on the mobile app coto called “My Mental Wellness Journey.”
On the occasion of Women's Day, Shweta Kawaatla reveals how she overcame post-natal depression and also shares tips for new mothers to deal with this mental health issue.
How did you deal with postpartum depression for you and when did you learn about the issue?
It was tough! I wasn't provided with any education about postpartum life, hormones, or hardships, so the day I gave birth, something hit me hard and I felt like I was out of a dream. Then came the anxiety of being a new mom. Most days I cried a lot, not knowing why I felt so helpless. I was blaming myself for not understanding what motherhood was like.
Gradually, anxiety leads to brain fog, making it difficult to process one's thoughts and express oneself, creating a feeling of helplessness that escalates into irritability, anger, panic attacks, and social anxiety. Did. The feeling of helplessness in not being able to understand what is happening to you can lead to suicidal thoughts. I didn't understand why I felt like a loser when I had always been a fighter.
I gained about 30 kg during my pregnancy and didn't know how to get my life into a positive spiral. I lost all confidence. It took me a year to realize I might have depression, and five years to fully recover.
What strategies did you employ to overcome it?
I have been practicing Buddhism for 20 years. That's one thing I've continued to do no matter what. Our practice also includes being sensitive to the suffering of others and helping them overcome their problems. Whenever I felt overwhelmed, I chanted and visited others to help them overcome their difficulties and become happier. As a result, I realized that my struggles were small and I had to keep finding my own solutions without giving up or acting cowardly. As a result, I tried alternative medicine with acupuncture and an Ayurvedic diet, which helped me overcome my symptoms. I was able to recover by changing my lifestyle.
During this time, in order to regain the confidence I had lost and expand my horizons, I also tried a show called 'Baal Veer'. Most importantly, talking about the fact that I had postpartum depression saved me and made me feel more empowered. It has allowed me to connect with many other women who are facing the same issues and to empathize with them even more.
What advice would you give to new moms battling postpartum depression?
1. It's natural to have negative and overwhelming thoughts after giving birth. Seek the help of a gynecologist and ask if hormone tests are performed. Don't let your doctor treat this as a small thing. They should be able to give you advice and give you hope. If not, seek a second or third opinion. Ideally, if your symptoms do not improve after 3-4 months and all hormone tests are normal, a caring gynecologist should be able to guide you correctly. If all else fails, seek a more holistic doctor.
2. Seek support in offline and online communities, read and listen to stories from other moms, new moms, and older moms. Gaining perspective is important. In my community, I not only share my experiences with postpartum depression, but also learn from the experiences of all the other women who connect with me there.
3. It is essential to seek support from your family as well. I used to share my feelings with her husband Manav, but I didn't know that what I was experiencing could be depression. I also confessed my feelings to some close friends and received a lot of support from them. So my advice is to find support in your partner, family and those around you.
4. Please allow some errors. As new moms, we often feel pressure to do everything perfectly, but give yourself time and space to make mistakes and learn from them. After all, being a parent is hard.
