Miss Asia 2017 runner up Akanksha Singh opens up about mental health

By Express News Service

Model, actor and 2017 Miss Asia 3rd runner’s up Akanksha Singh drops by in Hyderabad as part of her tri-city tour to raise awareness on mental health. She speaks to Cinema Express about the struggles she experienced when her mother was diagnosed with depression, the stress that models and people from the entertainment industry go through, and the need to shatter the stigma around mental health issues.

What got you involved in spreading awareness on mental health?
My mother has been grappling with depression over the last two decades. Initially, we couldn’t understand what she was going through. Right from my childhood, our family went through a lot due to my mother’s illness. I’d realised that talking about mental health is still taboo. Though we are living in the 21st century, not many visit a doctor to seek help for their mental health problems, which are not in their control, these are pathological problems. As I have gone through that, I want to do whatever I can to spread awareness about this. My aim is to educate more women about mental health because if you educate a woman, you educate the entire family. I’d be happy even if I can educate one person through this awareness campaign.
       
Every profession brings along its own stresses and tensions. The modelling and entertainment industry is no exception. As a model, what kind of challenges do you face?
Just one word — stability. We all work really hard, be it in any profession, to become financially stable. However, stability in modelling is so precarious that if you slip even a bit, you are done. The pressure of looking beautiful is debilitating; a person cannot look beautiful 24×7, 365 days a year! In the pursuit of achieving that financial stability, we lose our minds. I might have 10 jobs today but maybe none tomorrow. When we are starting out, models and actors have to work for free to make connections and gain popularity. Covid, especially, has hit the entertainment industry. 

We go through a lot of mental stress in trying to achieve that stability. At the same time, celebrities have to live up to people’s expectations, smile all the time, even if they are going through turmoil within. Naturally, they get affected while trying to live this dual life.

The lockdowns have highlighted the issue of mental health. Can you comment on that?
Excess of anything is bad, even too much water is bad for you. If you’re locked in a room that you love the most, you might start hating it eventually. Even if you live in isolation or with someone, balance in life is important. I am from Dehradun, where my parents live, but I live in Mumbai. During the Covid lockdown, I got stuck in my apartment and was all alone. I went crazy because I could not meet my parents. Also, I thought that I would have to find another source of income. If I’m asked about my skills, I would end up saying that I can only walk and act! We are going through these uncertainties because our life has become so competitive, it is killing us.

What is your mental health regime?
This might sound strange but I do water therapy. I get up every day at 5 am, drink one litre of water and affirm to myself that “today is the best day of my life, it is the luckiest day and all is well.” I have been doing this for the last year and it has been working. Then, I hit the gym — my temple. 
I also practise a dance form called waacking. It involves strong hand movements that make me feel like a strong person. I also hula-hoop. In fact, I am thinking of hula-hooping during my next talk, just to get people’s attention!

Who is your role model?
My father. The way he took care of my mother and loved her through her illness, despite people asking him to get divorced. They would even say that she was possessed by a ghost or she was a witch. Whenever I would tell my dad that I am not lucky and nothing is working out, he would tell me, “Beta, kismat ka toh pata nahi par mehnat kabhi dhoka nahi deti” (Child, I don’t know about luck, but hard work never betrays you). Today, whenever I feel stuck, I remember his words.

What’s your advice to people who are dealing with mental health issues?
Do that one thing you love, which gives you happiness, every day.  It will act as medicine and keep you going. Even after my affirmations, not every day of my life is the same. But that one hour of workout keeps me sane. People have said hurtful things to me – you are not beautiful; you are not fair. There have been times when I couldn’t even pay my rent. I have also been in an abusive relationship. I don’t know why but my mind goes into this meditative state when I work out. People should seek professional help.

Therapy is expensive and maybe people from poor economic backgrounds cannot afford it. Does that mean they can never resolve their mental issues?
I would urge the government to work with NGOs to provide therapy that is more accessible to those who cannot afford it. I am planning to start an NGO under my mother’s name, where I will donate a part of my earnings to make therapy more affordable.