Following the disappointing reception of Zero, actor Shah Rukh Khan did something rather unexpected. Instead of rushing into another film, chasing a comeback or trying to prove that he still had it in him, he pressed the pause button. He stopped listening to film scripts for a while, set up a small kitchen and took to making pizzas. It turned out to be his turning point as he learnt perseverance through the seemingly simple task of making a pizza. “To make the perfect round pizza, you have to first make a million square ones,” he had said.There was another revealing admission. After enjoying years of success, he told himself that he should allow himself to experience a little bit of “un-success.” Similar bounce-back stories from the book Legend, Icon, Star, now available on Audible, are a lesson in mental grit. “In a culture that celebrates achievement, a trough is always seen as a low point instead of the space and freedom it allows to zoom out of the chaos. Once you disconnect with the immediate world around you, you can connect with yourself better, let go of your ego. As you stop complaining about the past, your disappointment melts into newer realities, which you master. Then you can recover easily from your old loss, resume and even reclaim your old life,” says Mumbai-based psychologist, psychotherapist and educator Alisha Laljee. Excerpts:The psychological value of a pauseWe tend to interpret periods of low motivation, professional disappointment or emotional withdrawal as something that needs fixing immediately. We worry that we are losing our edge, falling behind or becoming irrelevant. The instinct is to get back into action, sometimes before we have had the opportunity to process what went wrong.But the mind, much like the body, needs recovery time. Sustained pressure and the constant demand to perform can lead to emotional exhaustion, reduced motivation and burnout. Stepping back offers an opportunity to process disappointment, replenish emotional resources and reconsider what matters.A setback can also affect our identity, particularly when we have spent years defining ourselves through professional achievement. We begin to mistake a disappointing outcome for a personal failure. Taking a break creates some distance between the person and the performance. It reminds us that we may have failed at something without becoming failures ourselves.Also Read | Anurag Kashyap more focussed after moving to Bengaluru: Is relocation good for your mental health?Why doing something completely different helpsInterestingly, Khan did not simply stop working. He started doing something entirely different. When we are stuck in a difficult phase, continuing to think about the very thing that is troubling us can become exhausting. Engaging in an unfamiliar activity redirects attention. Cooking, gardening, painting, cycling or learning an instrument introduces novelty, curiosity and a different kind of challenge. More importantly, it allows us to experience the satisfaction of learning without the baggage of expectations attached to our usual pursuits.We get to be beginners againDoing something new reminds us that we are still capable of learning, creating and experiencing pleasure. The caveat? A hobby should not become another performance project. The moment we start demanding perfection from ourselves, we recreate the very pressure we were trying to escape.Story continues below this adCan disconnection help reclaim an old passion?Quite often, yes. When we spend too long immersed in one pursuit, even something we once loved can begin to feel like an obligation. Deadlines, expectations, competition and the need to constantly deliver can overshadow the original joy.Also Read | ‘I didn’t sit on my sofa for a year’: The hidden cost of living with OCDA little distance can help us rediscover what drew us to it in the first place. It can also change our relationship with the pursuit. Perhaps we need different goals, a healthier working rhythm or greater creative freedom. Sometimes, we discover that we still love what we do, but no longer want to do it in quite the same way. The key is to make the disconnection purposeful rather than use it to avoid difficult realities.How to navigate a troughNot everyone can afford an extended break from work or responsibilities. But creating breathing space is possible.Resist the urge to fix everything immediately. Give yourself time to absorb a setback before making major decisions.Separate your identity from your achievements. You are more than your job title, reputation or latest performance.Find a new distraction. Choose an activity that offers pleasure without the pressure to excel.Story continues below this adReconnect with the basics. Sleep, exercise, nutritious food, time outdoors and meaningful conversations help restore emotional balance.Reduce the noise. Step back from social media comparisons and the pressure to constantly demonstrate that you are doing well.Return gradually. Start with manageable goals rather than demanding your old level of performance overnight.Also Read | Depression, anxiety crisis deepens in India: Lancet study shows cases surged 123% between 1990 and 2023It is important, though, to distinguish a restorative lull from prolonged emotional distress. If sadness, hopelessness, anxiety or loss of interest persists and interferes with everyday functioning, professional mental health support may be necessary.Story continues below this adUltimately, Shah Rukh Khan’s pizza-making episode offers a lesson that extends well beyond cinema. The million square pizzas are not wasted attempts. They are part of learning how to make the round one.