Alia Bhatt Cheers On Sis Shaheen’s New Mental Health Initiative

Shaheen has been vocal about her battle with depression.

In honour of World Mental Health Day (10 October), Alia Bhatt took to social media to introduce fans to her sister Shaheen Bhatt’s new mental health initiative, Here Comes the Sun. “No one needs to be alone as they struggle with mental health, battling their fears & anxiety. Sometimes all you need is to know that you're not alone!!! Let's start the conversation and raise awareness. Join Shaheen and Here Comes the Sun to get started,” she tweeted.

Currently limited to an Instagram page, Here Comes the Sun aims to be a safe space to encourage a discussion on mental health, allow users to share their experiences and offer resources and access to professional help. Shaheen explained the initiative in a note on the page saying, “Here Comes the Sun was born from a simple idea. The idea that we are not alone. None of us are alone in our struggles and journeys with mental health – we all have the same fears and we all hope for the same things. Here Comes the Sun is a friendly voice reminding you that you aren’t alone, it’s an effort to raise awareness about mental health, to start a conversation, and to help end the taboo and the stigma surrounding it. The first step to all of this is to just say hello our demons.”

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#HereComesTheSun was born from a simple idea. The idea that we are not alone. None of us are alone in our struggles and journeys with mental health- we all have the same fears and we all hope for the same things. Here comes the sun is a friendly voice reminding you that you aren’t alone, it’s an effort to raise awareness about mental health, to start a conversation, and to help end the taboo and the stigma surrounding it. The first step to all of this is to just say hello our demons. So I’m starting off by simply saying Hello to my depression and anxiety. The first time I felt it, I was twelve and approaching my 13th birthday. I thought that the niggling feelings of unease creeping up on me had to do with the fact that I had recently gained a lot of weight and was being teased for it at school. So, I spent 4 months starving myself and lost all the weight before my 13th birthday rolled around. Surprise surprise: not only did those painful, uneasy feelings stay put, they got worse with every passing day. I spent a lot of time oblivious and unaware that those feelings could be something more. I spent a lot time in denial when I learned they were something more. And then, I spent even more time angry and bitter because depression was the big, scary monster under my bed that was ruining my entire life. But here’s the thing about monsters: they can only live in the dark. If you turn on the light you’ll see that what you thought was a monster, isn’t a monster at all. And the way you turn on the light is by acknowledging it and talking about it. So, I turned on the light, poked my head under the bed and said “Hello” to my monster. That simple act has changed how I deal with every bad day that has come since. It didn’t magically fix me - I’m in the midst of a depressive episode as I write this - but at least I no longer spend all my time and energy avoiding the elephant in the room. With my energy refocused I can spend time on what’s important - looking after myself. Now, I just take each day as it comes, secure in the knowledge that there’s nothing hiding under my bed - except maybe one of my cats. #HelloAnxiety #HelloDepression

A post shared by Here Comes The Sun (@herecomesthesunofficial) on Oct 10, 2019 at 1:32am PDT

After the book was launched, Alia posted a video talking about how it had changed her perspective about her sister. “When I read your book, the book you have written with so much ease and honesty, while I struggle to write one letter to you. I feel awful. I feel terrible because despite living with you for 25 years, I have never really understood your silent moments of depression. I never recognized a snappy moment as something much bigger,” she said.