Mumbai, Nov 4 : 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai' actress Samridhii Shukla has opened up about going through a difficult mental phase in her life.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, the actress reflected on how she dealt with emotional challenges while continuing to focus on her work and personal growth. Samridhii shared, 'I think I was also going through, I don't know if I can say depression, but I was going through a phase where I really struggled because I wanted to live a life where I could do everything. We all know doing a daily soap takes a lot of time out of your life, so there's not much time left to do. I do miss out a lot of recreational or social activities that I wanted to be a part of.'

'That was a phase where I felt like I didn't have time to do anything else. But with so much extra thought, I had to understand and thankfully, my friend helped me understand that if you're living an extraordinary life, you cannot think of ordinary things. You have to let go of certain things, which also come under your discipline and sacrifice. If you have this beautiful career, you have to give it time. If you have this beautiful opportunity, you have to find happiness in it; you have to be here and be present. There will eventually be time for all the other things you want to do, but you cannot do them while you're here. And that thought process gave me a lot of peace and perspective.'

Samridhii shared she has no qualms on discussing her mental well-being with others. 'As I've mentioned that myself gone through the darkest of the dark thoughts, and my mind was not a pretty place to be in. But I think gratitude and perspective and just focusing on the present, along with breathing techniques helps a lot. I think a huge role in this is played by books and the endless amount of good podcasts and informative videos that tell you how to deal with all these things. And also, because of the Internet, you realize that you're not the only one who's feeling this way.'

The actress went on to explain, 'Family, friends, society'everyone plays a huge role in your mental well-being. In making a person feel less alone, less lonely, more like they have somebody to bank on. You hear about so many people, mostly young people who battle depression for the longest time and then, unfortunately, take their own lives. I just feel like I wish they had a safe space with some people. Like, I wish they had one or two people'it could be a parent, a friend, a boyfriend, a companion, anybody'one person in the whole world to whom they could say whatever it is that comes to their mind. And I'm sure anybody who loves and cares for you, if you tell them you have these suicidal or dark thoughts, they would stop you. They would shift your thoughts, and they would compel you not to do so.'

Samridhii Shukla is currently essaying the lead role of Abhira, opposite Rohit Purohit, in Star Plus's long-running and popular television show 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai.'

/IANS