Conversations around mental health have gradually become more open in recent years. However, many people still struggle silently with emotional difficulties, often feeling pressure to appear strong or ‘normal’ while dealing with them. Entrepreneur and mental health advocate Radhika Mukherji, who is also Bollywood playback singer Shaan’s wife, recently shared a deeply personal reflection on social media, opening up about her experience with depression and the role support systems played in helping her through it. Marking her birthday with an emotional post, she wrote, “Thank you everyone for the beautiful birthday wishes, the love, the calls, the messages and the warmth. I felt every bit of it. This year feels different. Personal. Powerful. Full circle.”
Radhika also spoke candidly about the emotional challenges she faced over the past year and acknowledged the people who stood by her during that period. She wrote, “I’ve never hidden the fact that I went through depression. It was one of the hardest phases of my life. But I also never stopped believing that healing was possible, and I know I could not have done it without the unwavering support of my family…my husband @singer_shaan, my children @sohamukherji @maahiforyou, my sisters and my parents who held me through it all.”
Reflecting on where she is now, she added, “Today, I stand in a very different space. Happier. Lighter. More aware. More authentic to who I truly am.” She also revealed that earning a diploma in Integrative Counselling Therapy became a deeply meaningful personal milestone, saying, “My present to myself this year was growth. And I think this may be my proudest birthday yet.”
What role does hope or a belief in recovery play during periods of depression?
Sonal Khangarot, licensed rehabilitation counsellor and psychotherapist, The Answer Room, tells indianexpress.com, “Hope plays a clinically significant role in recovery from depression because it acts as a psychological buffer against helplessness, hopelessness, and emotional paralysis — all of which are central features of depressive states. In therapy, hope is not viewed as ‘blind positivity,” but as the ability to believe that one’s emotional condition is treatable, temporary, and manageable with support, structure, and intervention.”
When a person retains even a small sense of possibility, Khangarot notes that they are more likely to seek help, remain engaged in therapy, follow treatment plans, reconnect with routines, and practice emotional regulation strategies. “Research also shows that hope can improve resilience, motivation, and problem-solving abilities, which are often impaired during depression. At the same time, recovery is rarely linear. Healing often begins not with feeling better immediately, but with choosing, repeatedly, not to give up on oneself.”
Why experiences of emotional struggle can also lead to greater self-awareness
Emotionally difficult experiences often force people to confront parts of themselves they may have ignored while functioning on autopilot. “Psychologically, periods of distress can disrupt old coping patterns, beliefs, relationships, or identities, creating space for deeper self-reflection and emotional insight. This process is sometimes linked to what clinicians call post-traumatic growth or meaning-making after adversity,” states Khangarot.
During emotional struggle, she adds that individuals may begin questioning external expectations, unhealthy dynamics, perfectionism, people-pleasing tendencies, or lifestyles that no longer feel aligned with their emotional needs. Therapy, introspection, and recovery work can increase emotional literacy — the ability to recognise, name, and understand one’s inner experiences more clearly.
Difficult phases can reshape priorities, boundaries, relationships, and self-perception. “While suffering itself is not necessary for growth, navigating it consciously can sometimes lead to a stronger sense of identity, self-awareness, and emotional honesty,” concludes Khangarot.