Feel helpless, hopeless at times: Gul Panag on 'coping with bad days'

It’s not often that celebrities bare their hearts and show the world how they look on a bad day.

But Bollywood actor Gul Panag (‘Dor’, ‘Family Man 1’, ‘Pataal Lok’ fame) has decided to show to the world that the life of glamourous celebrities is not always about joy, chasing dreams and achieving goals.

In her latest Instagram post, the actor has posted a picture of herself on a bad day (sans make-up and looking tired and worn out) saying that she can also get “overwhelmed” on certain days. “I also feel helpless and hopeless at times. I also go into a room and have a cry,” she said.

In her long post, Panag wrote that there are days when one feels worthless and you feel that you are going to fail or can’t go on.

During those times, Panag offers some advice to her fans and people out there that one needs to dig deep and find the strength to carry on. “One has to motivate one self, and remind one self that ‘this too shall pass’,” she wrote in her post. That life is like a Sine curve and one has to look for optimism in dark places. And find it. Obviously, one has to work around the road blocks that are often self created, she added.

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But, there are times when one falls into a really dark space and is unable to surface. And, that’s the time a person should seek help from friends and family. And, she advocates that if the need arises, one needs to turn to a “trained professional”.

Panag did not stop there but also shared “some tools” that she had acquired over the years that help her cope on bad days. She often either goes for a “run”, but doesn’t do a workout since that requires greater will. The second is to hit pause, and quickly list out 5 things that she is grateful for in that moment.

And why was Panag shaing all this right now? That is because she is humbled when so many  say kind things to her and that she inspires people. “I want you all to know that it’s not all dream chasing and goal setting and achieving. It’s not all slaying. I don’t have it all together. No one does,” she added.

In her previous Instagram post, Gul Panag had given tips on how she had achieved her dream of becoming a pilot. “Set a goal. Make a plan. Go for it! When I got my Private Pilot’s License five years ago, it was the culmination of a long cherished dream.” she wrote.

However, the dream would not have materialised if she did not have an action plan. “Making a plan isn’t good enough. One has to regularly check-in and see what progress has been made, and re-calibrate the plan if need be,” she advised. Is there a book in the offing now?