Dealing with work pressure may not be everyone's cup of tea, but actress Bipasha Basu admits that's just what has been driving her through her nearly decade-long career in Bollywood.

"When I started out, I was called this unconventional, dark, tall and sexy woman, and these were taboo for being a film actor at that point of time. I had to deal with all that, " Bipasha told reporters here Saturday.

"There was also a point six years back when people said - 'Bipasha is fat'. So for me it's been a growth with all these pressures, and yes, I do play very well under pressure, " she added.

The 31-year-old actress, dressed in a white, crochet dress, braved the Mumbai rains and flew to the capital to introduce a new range of shower heads by bath products manufacturer Kohler.

The range is unique as the shower heads have been custom designed for Indian homes which often have low water pressure. Hence, Bipasha ended up talking about the pressures in her life.

"I believe in 'love yourself' and you have to be always confident of who you are. That always helps. The pressures will always remain, " she said.

"Somewhere all these pressures actually make you fight back, make you understand yourself and you become a wholesome person at the end of the day, " she added.

The secret behind her happiness is that she hopes for "realistic things", Bipasha said.

"I believe in realistic goals and that's one reason for my contentment. There's no end to what you may want from life but you will always be happier if you set achievable goals, " she said.

The actress has earlier starred in movies like "Ajnabee", "Raaz", "Jism", "Omkara" and "Race". Among her forthcoming releases are "Aakrosh" and "Dum Maaro Dum".