6 Lessons that Dear Zindagi Teaches Us

Every movie seeks to entertain us, but some try and do more than just that. Dear Zindagi is a youth centric movie that revolves around the life and troubles of the free spirited girl Kaira (Alia Bhatt). After getting out of yet another relationship Kaira finds herself seeking help from Dr Jehangir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) who doles out advice that could apply to all our lives. Here are a few life lessons from the movie.

1. Find your inner circle: Being constantly surrounded by people does not mean that you have a lot of friends. Differentiate between quality and quantity and find your inner circle of people you can count on. It’s okay to let go of people from time to time.
2. Seeking help is normal: You go to a doctor for a fever so why not talk to someone when you’re emotionally unwell. Dear Zindagi tries to change the mindset that only crazy people seek mental help and tell us that it’s okay to consult someone even for day to day issues.
3. Express yourself: Putting up a strong face to the world may be okay once in a while, but it’s always better to express yourself. Allowing emotions to be bottled up inside you, will make you feel suffocated and can be the source of a number of problems. It is as important to cry and shout as it is to love.
4. Don’t be too hard on yourself: No one is perfect and trying to make yourself perfect is a futile exercise. Being honest with yourself is a good exercise, but don’t put yourself down and criticise yourself too much. In Kaira’s case, it is having too many boyfriends that make her feel cheap. In yours, it might be changing too many jobs. But as Dr Khan puts it, you don’t select furniture in one go so why should you stick to one boyfriend, job or anything else for that matter until you find the right one.
5. Don’t hold a grudge against your parents: It’s easy to blame your parents for things that are going wrong in your life, but does that really do any good. You may feel like your parents don’t understand you, but it is important to know that they always have your best interests in mind. Make an effort to talk to them and understand their lives instead of shutting them out of yours.
6. Let go of the past: Everyone makes mistakes. Holding on to them will keep you from moving on with life and hence, let go of your past. If you must, analyse the past to see if there’s anything to learn from it and only keep those lessons. Invest in your present and the future is sure to be bright. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist.