Shama Sikander, who has been away from television for a long time now, has revealed that she once tried to die by suicide after quitting the industry. In a recent interview, Shama opened up about the time when she was going through depression and shared that it was her parents who supported her during that difficult time.
The actress admitted that she felt “burnt out” while working on television and therefore, it took a toll on her mental health. “That’s the reason why I decided to leave. I had worked without a break for quite a long time and it started to take a toll on my mental health. I started to feel uneasy and I decided to stay indoors. I stopped going out and socializing. I was going through depression and even tried to commit suicide but thankfully my parents saved me at the nick of the time,” she told Pinkvilla.
“Depression isn’t caused because of one reason. It is caused after an amalgamation of various thoughts and reasons. During that time, in the early 2000s, there wasn’t really much awareness about the same. My parents weren’t able to gauge the reason for me wanting to be home and not being productive at all,” the actress added.
Shama mentioned that her parents were “extremely supportive” but it was the showbiz world that pushed her into darkness. “I feel the industry has a lot of unrealistic expectations from people. It requires you to be what they perceive of you and slowly and steadily you lose yourself completely in the darkness. When I felt the burnout, I gave up the stardom and industry and took my own time for healing,” she said.
The actress further called her a ‘people pleaser’ and shared that it was the pressure of being ‘perfect’ which took a toll on her mental health.
However, Shama explained that she is fine today and tries to concentrate on positivity around her. “I credit that phase of my life for helping me become the person that I am today. I have my boundaries set, I don’t entertain people beyond a limit, and I know the value of my time and my emotions,” she said.
On the work front, Shama Sikander has worked in several shows including Baal Veer, Ye Meri Life Hai and Maaya: Slave of Her Desires among others.
DISCLAIMER: This news piece may be triggering. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata).
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