To mark World Mental Health Day over the weekend, model Mushk Kaleem opened up about the time when she was underweight and struggling to be okay with her looks and appearance.

Sharing pictures of her journey on Instagram, Mushk 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,” she continued.

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“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. 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.”

Mushk then said that her story has a happy ending.

“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. 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,” she added.

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– National Mental Health Day: 10th October.♥️ 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. 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. 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. Happy National Mental Health day!♥️

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Several of Mushk’s colleagues and members of the entertainment industry, including Sheheryar Munawar and Anoushey Ashraf, appreciated her for opening up and sharing her journey.

Winner of the Lux Style Award for Best Emerging Talent in Fashion, Mushk is a regular at all fashion shows across Pakistan, opening and stopping the show for many renowned designers, along with being the face of many designer brands. Late last year, she also walked the ramp at the Milan Fashion Week for Italian designer Stella Jean.