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Journalism of Courage
Ever since Alia Bhatt gave birth to Raha, her life has taken a 180-degree turn, with much of her pre-motherhood period being a daze. “I don’t think you can prepare yourself for what you are about to feel. I have forgotten a lot of pre-motherhood feelings, life, or the way my brain functioned at that time. My days are so full now. I wonder what I was doing with my time earlier. Even if I wasn’t working, what was I doing in the day? Now, it’s a full day. I wake up at 7 am. She is asleep by 8-30-9 pm. I am asleep soon after 10.30 pm. From 7 am-10.30 pm, it’s like you are on a treadmill. It’s just like you are running,” Alia told motivational speaker Jay Shetty in a podcast.
She also spoke about her bond with her two-year-old daughter. “There are multiple surprises on a daily basis currently because she is a toddler. She is really bubbling. The feeling of motherhood is definitely ever-evolving. I have become incessantly protective ever since she was born. I enjoyed the instant sort of nurturing. I was also filled with so much worry, which is a very normal feeling. Over time, the worry doesn’t go away. It changes form,” Alia, 31, added.
During the conversation, Alia admitted to transforming when around Raha, ensuring to always be present in the moment. “I become very child-like when I am with her. The one thing I am mindful about is to enjoy her childhood. I try and be present with Raha, which is something I don’t do with other moments in my life. I am always 10 steps ahead otherwise. But with her, I try to be present and in the moment. It happens more naturally because I want to enjoy every second,” the Gangubai Kathiawadi actor shared.
Speaking about Ranbir, she said: “He is very creative when it comes to entertaining her. She entertains him as well. They both have a very special friendship. When he looks at Raha, it’s like stars in his eyes. I have known Ranbir before and I know him now, I see the difference. He is so full. It’s sweet and special to watch their conversations and very often, I am sneakily videotaping a lot of their random moments until one of them looks at the camera. I then switch it off.”
As a mother, she also admitted that she fails to adhere to many daily habits.
“I have to be very frank here. There are multiple habits that I try to set for myself. But I have not followed through with either. I am not talking about getting a workout in. That’s a daily habit which has become a part of my life now. Looking outside the window, listening to music and unwinding – I am not talking about those things. For a brief period, I used to write things down so that I could remember it but I don’t do that anymore. For a brief period, I used to meditate because it used to help center me. I don’t do that anymore. For a brief period, I used to colour and paint whenever I used to feel anxious. I don’t do that anymore. I just don’t do anything anymore,” shared Alia.
According to her, it is “important to acknowledge” that not going through with new tasks that you set for your self-growth is okay. “As long as you are mentally conversing with yourself, and being aware of the areas of growth, that’s enough. I am very eager to grow in life – spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally. You can do that through listening and through conversation and through talking to yourself. I think that is my non-negotiable. But I don’t call that a daily practice. That is an hourly practice. That’s constant and that everybody does. But I have to say that it is therapeutic for me to see other people go about their regime on Instagram reels when I see Sunday, Saturday resets. I love it. It’s so relaxing. It’s a guilty pleasure because it feels as if it was me. But it was not,” shared Alia.
Taking a cue from her revelation, let’s understand how important it is to acknowledge stressors, especially as mothers.
Balancing roles can often be complex and disrupt a person’s emotional functioning. “For a woman, this can emerge because of multiple responsibilities that stem from caring for home, children, family, work, and self. Maintaining a balance requires recognizing where the stress is emerging from, identifying how that can be mediated, reducing the pressure on the self and reformulating the expectations one has, developing a realistic understanding of all that is possible,” said clinical psychologist Kamna Chhibber. “It also involves utilising the support of others around and deploying resources effectively to manage situations and scenarios,” added Chhibber.
