Actor and writer Mira Sethi recently opened up about her divorce and the lessons it taught her, speaking on a podcast about responsibility, instinct, and the pressure to please others.
Mira said she entered her marriage as an adult, full of hope and affection, and made the choice herself. She was clear that she did not blame anyone else for how things turned out. “It was completely my own decision, based on idealism and affection. I have no one to blame but myself,” she said.
She also spoke about the extra judgment divorced women often face in Pakistan, including being blamed for not “adjusting” in marriage. Mira said she never felt pressure to marry in the first place, and over time she learned to stop caring about public opinion, even avoiding googling herself.
Looking back, Mira shared two big lessons. First, don’t ignore your instincts, something she says women often talk themselves out of. Second, stop changing yourself to make others happy, whether it’s a partner or a boss, because “people really like it when you mould for them, but it’s not a good thing.”
Rather than calling her divorce a failure, Mira said it helped her grow and become more herself. She also spoke about reconnecting with her parents in recent years and how writing her book, Are You Enjoying?, helped her work through feelings of loneliness.
She summed up her outlook simply: nobody is coming to save you, and every choice, mistake, and success is ultimately your own responsibility.
