Several celebrities have opened up about their battles with mental health issues in the recent past. They have bravely accepted living with issues ranging from anxiety to depression. The World Health Organization estimates that every 40 seconds, someone loses their life owing to suicide.

Pakistani model Mushk Kaleem opens up about a time she was struggling to make peace with her looks, the scuffle crippling her well-being and distorting it both mentally as well as physically.

Taking to Instagram, she shared her story and wrote:  “2019 was probably the most rewarding year of my career, but when I look back and think about all that I went through last year, I realise that my mental health had completely taken a back seat. I was a model, adapting to fame, success and accolades. Of course, everyone thought I was okay, living the dream. I knew then, that to complain about anything would be unthankful. I was hospitalised on my 25th birthday last year. I was almost 48 kilos and I was suffering from severe body dysmorphia. I would spend hours obsessing over my weight, about losing those few inches on my waist, about getting those perfect hips, or about just looking the part.”

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She further added, “I had started starving myself, not eating for 24 hours and more, I was abusing drugs, I was unhealthy. I was a 6ft girl suffering from severe anorexia. I would occasionally blackout. I needed help. I think it had less to do with my field of work and more to do with how I was okay with being so self-destructive. I was comfortable with being unhappy. But this is a happy story, I promise.”

“Now a year later, I’m a happier person. I’ve been clean for more than a year. I have found support and happiness in my family, friends, and my pets. I have set boundaries that I never let people cross.” She said.

Mushk concluded saying: “I decided that I could still be beautiful, no matter what number the weighing scale would say. I took therapy. I put myself first. I tackled my issues head on, and at first it was scary and it aggravated my anxiety, but I’ve grown, and I’ve healed. It’s still an ongoing process of recovery that I’m on. But I’m glad I started somewhere. Our mental health impacts our thoughts, our actions and our lives. Here’s to taking care of our minds, our bodies, our souls.”