For her entire 24 years of life, Indonesian Actress Anya Geraldine has been drinking from a baby milk bottle. Yes, you read that right.
She confessed to her habit in a recent Twitter update with a picture of her drinking from a baby bottle while lying in bed.
Her tweet posted on 27 June 2020, was accompanied with the caption “My Sunday night”, along with an angel emoji.
But what was revealed to be a strange habit to some, if not many, is actually a struggle that Anya had been facing growing up.
In an earlier tweet, the actress sought to explain her baby bottle drinking habit. While some netizens were surprised by the confession and thought that her behaviour was strange, some netizens believed that it was just a prank.
Photo: Twitter screengrabs
In her tweet, she details that she was forced to hide her habit due to her parents’ disapproval. She was told to stop her baby bottle drinking habit when she was in the sixth grade.
Even though her parents discarded all her baby bottles, Anya said that she started to drink from them again when she went to college. She had been teased in school as a result.
For many years, Anya has tried to kick the habit but to no avail.
In her tweet, she wrote that she continued with her bottle drinking habit even after moving out to live on her own. Still, Anya said her parents would discard the baby bottles whenever they visited her.
She, too, is deeply puzzled over why she is unable to overcome this habit.
In a subsequent Twitter update, Anya also posted a screenshot of a Whatsapp conversation with her mum.
Photo: Twitter/@Anyaselalubenar
According to the screenshot, Anya’s mum warned her not to drink from the baby bottle because it would damage her teeth.
And it appears, according to some netizens comments’, Anya is not alone in her habit. Twitter user Dinda Y wrote: “I’m not alone”.
Another user also revealed that she stopped her habit in middle school. However, she would still be tempted to drink using the baby bottle if someone were to offer it to her.
A Coping Mechanism?
Whether or not one might find this habit weird, everyone has their own idiosyncrasies and quirks. And these individuals themselves could be battling their own inner demons day in and out.
While yes, it is not fairly common to see a grown adult sucking from a baby bottle, experts are suggesting that it could be a self-soothing behaviour where an individual reverts to childlike behaviour to seek a sense of comfort.
It is just like how we might still hold on to our chou chou—beloved comfort object such as blankets or plushies many of us had from young.
“Comfort food, comforting smells, and certain textures can also act as self-soothing techniques that remind someone of their childhood,” said Greta Hirsch, clinical director at the Ross Center for Anxiety Disorders in an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle.
According to her, this occurs when an individual experiences anxiety over a childhood fear. While such a coping mechanism might not ease bigger stresses in life such as work and bills, it can provide a sense of security.
Plus, if Anya’s man even helps her fill her baby bottle with coffee, what does it matter to anyone else?
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