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Anahita now with Christmas tree in the background. LONDON, UK: THIS WOMAN was called “a one-eyed alien” for her visible difference but thanks to one mindshift trick she is now a fully confident mental health advocate and TEDx speaker. Masters student of psychological therapies and TEDx speaker, Anahita Kalsy (22) from London was born with a rare eye condition called congenital fibrotic syndrome, which is experienced by one in 230,000 people in the world. This meant her left eye appeared asymmetrical to the other. Anahita had no friends, could not look people in the eye or even look up because she faced horrific bullying online with peers in school asking why she existed, being called the “ugliest person ever” and compared to a “one-eyed alien”. Anahita struggled to cope with this bullying and fell into despair about whether her life would ever improve, she would spend up to one and a half hours per day researching plastic surgery to look “normal”. Her world changed thanks to her shift in mindset happened one day when she woke up and realised that she did not deserve to feel this way, that her happiness is her choice and how she feels is only within her control. She stopped caring about what other people thought of her, and focused on the value she gives to others. Now, Anahita is a TEDx speaker who regularly discusses the importance of normalising conversations around mental health and self-love. “I had no friends, I would walk down the hallway with my head down. I was constantly stared at”, said Anahita. “The children at school would call me all sorts of names and often question me why I was born in the first place. “I also experienced cyber bullying, numerous accounts started to use my picture and distort it. “It was gut wrenching. I didn’t know what I had done to anyone to deserve this kind of treatment. “I received comments such as, ‘you are the ugliest person I have ever seen’, ‘what is the point of you existing’, “no one will marry her if she looks like that” and “did you get bitten by an insect, you look like that one eyed alien”. Anahita explained how she wasn't able to cope with the bullying and believed her life would never get better. “I didn’t deal with it, I would weep for hours in my room”, said Anahita. “I hid it from my parents too because I did not want to cause them more trouble. I tried to report it to teachers, but the bullying only got worse. “It was an extremely difficult phase in my life, and I really started to believe that my life would never get better. “One day when I was around 13, I headed to the washroom, and there was a girl washing her hands. As soon as she saw me, the look on her face was as if she had seen a ghost. She screamed and then ran away. “During the 6th grade, I was walking into a lecture, and I saw ‘Anahita is so Ugly’ in bold letters on the wall. Everyone just stared at me as soon as I walked in, even the teachers didn’t say much.” Anahita said she instead tried to blend in to be accepted, and spent hours researching plastic surgery to look “normal”. “I would wear big chunky glasses to hide my eye and I would walk with my head down”, said Anahita. “Whenever I would talk to people I would consciously just show one side of my face. “I would spend hours researching plastic surgery and dreaming of times I could just look ‘normal. "I would change my personality, views, opinions, clothing to feel part of the group. "I would take extra care of my dressing sense so that I could divert attention from my eyes. “I would post pictures online covering or hiding my eye.” Anahita said that her confidence began building when she had a mindset shift, but said that being confident is not concrete for anyone, and it is always a journey. “Being confident and loving yourself is a journey, there is never a point that comes when you can say “I am fully confident 100% of the time and I love myself always”, said Anahita. “In the beginning, what really helped me was TED talks, reading self-help books such as The Secret: Rhonda Byrne. “My mindset shift was the most important transition I had to make in my life, from constantly worrying about what others felt about me to accepting myself the way I am and allowing people to come to me instead of chasing. “I really started to focus on hobbies, talents, skills outside my appearance, and I started to derive value in the work that I did and the people I was able to empower.” Anahita said that her parents were essential for her self-love journey, as well as daily affirmations, exercising and valuing quality relationships over quantity. “My parents are my rock. The unconditional love and support consistently guides me to become the best version of myself. “My daily affirmations, exercising and moving my body have all helped. “Valuing quality over quantity in relationships.” Anahita shared her advice for someone who is being bullied for a vis