Bigg Boss 18 contestants speak about their mental health after the show

In the wasteful moments that intercepted the tasks that they were meant to perform and the umpteen squabbles that made the show what it is Bigg Boss 18 participants Shilpa Shirodkar Karan Veer Mehra and Chum Darang would indulge in lighthearted conversations ldquoWersquod talk about all the food that we would eat and the pedicures and massages that we would get once we were out of the housemdashall things that seemed like luxuriesrdquo recalls Shirodkar who was evicted on Day 102 of the 105day show Five days after her eviction Shirodkar says she is still struggling to eat a proper meal and hasnrsquot had the urge to indulge in the things that interested herEisha Singh says she finds herself searching for her mic at her homeldquoFollowing my eviction I met my husband and daughter who were both happy to see me And when they both went to rest I also assumed that Irsquod fall asleep in a while But I simply couldnrsquot sleep Moments ago I was in the house and after my eviction I found myself watching the live telecast of the showrdquo she says attempting to find a reasonable justification for her aching desire to be back in the house ldquoThe next morning I woke up feeling fresh but something was missing I canrsquot tell you what it was because I still donrsquot have an idea eitherrdquoFollowing her elimination Shilpa Shirodkar in blue met her daughter Anoushka and subsequently began to watch the showrsquos livestreamBack at her home Eisha Singh recalls walking out of the shower with a sense of confusion searching her room for the mic that served as a uniform of sorts for the housemates Giving midday a peek into the mental toll that the show has taken she shares ldquoOften when my mom serves me food I begin to ration my meals in a bid to ensure that everyone in the house has a sizable portion My mom has to remind me that I could eat as I pleased and I no longer needed to divide the food among 18 contestants She also stopped me when I went to do the dishes reminding me that I didnrsquot have to do that anymore either I often find myself zoning out Itrsquos like Irsquom physically here but mentally I donrsquot know where I am Itrsquos an outofbody experience and that is puzzlingrdquo confesses Singh who was evicted on the finale episode that concluded on January 19Shirodkar right now understands the importance of having meaningful conversations like she did with Karan Veer Mehra and Chum DarangHaving interacted with individuals whorsquove been part of the game across its 18 seasons itrsquos easy to see that the Salman Khanhosted show toys with both onersquos emotional state and their mental health Itrsquos precisely why contestants confessedly eager to leave the house due to the bickering battleground that it eventually becomes are desperate to head back in as soon as theyrsquore evicted ldquoI canrsquot put a finger on itrdquo says Shirodkar ldquoI donrsquot know if I am missing the mic or the morning anthem or Bigg Bossrsquos voice But Irsquove understood the importance of being able to cope with circumstances and having people in your life with whom you can openly discuss situationsrdquoMehra right says the fights as seen in the house do not take a mental toll because they occupy a small and insignificant part of their dayWhile Shirodkar believes the show has changed her ldquofor the goodrdquo Singh acknowledges that spending days in the house with your guard up at all times can take its toll ldquoEven though Irsquom out of the house my mom keeps asking me lsquoWhy are you so hyper Are you hiding somethingrsquo I have to remind her that I am not and even if my expression suggests otherwise I am happy in my headrdquo In a bid to adapt to normal life Singh says that shersquos keeping an armrsquos length from the criticism that she was met with due to her stint in the house ldquoIrsquom focusing on the good reels available on social media I know people are using certain terms for me and I will accept both hate and love I can only try to turn that hate into love and I think I am slowly getting thererdquoMehra who lifted the trophy in the finale episode after defeating Vivian DSena says that while viewers may believe a stint in the house could be mentally challenging to deal with the quarrels make up only a small part of the entire day ldquoPerhaps in this season we were lucky to be surrounded by people who belong to good homes The fights last less than the blink of the eye I was always referred to as Karan bhai And people were cordial with me despite the glitchesrdquo he says Shirodkar backs his claim asserting that the bickering rarely took a mental toll on individuals ldquoWe were a cool lot Even if we were having arguments with someone we were the type of people who would go on and ask them if they were alrightrdquoFor Mehra his desire to return to the Bigg Boss home stems from the luxuries it afforded ldquoI think not having access to the phone and staying away from the noise of city life are luxuries There was no honking or pollution We were simply chilling and doing some small tasks nominating people we donrsquot like I told the team Irsquom willing to go back in for another 105 days Right now Irsquom stuck in a middle ground Irsquom not in the house but outside the house Irsquom only talking about what happened in the house Some people called it captive reality I found it to be a luxurious detoxrdquo