Breathe
By Areli Paz Trejo
Bad thought: An idea that seduces, one that protects or one that could kill you.
One night you wake up with tachycardia, with a shivering and cold body, tingling lips, "chattering" teeth, agitated breathing, dilated pupils and the worst thoughts invade each of your cells.
You feel like dying, but you don't do it, even though you try to...
Once and a thousand times that feeling comes back, it appears suddenly.
You feel deep sadness, but you have to go on and you have to do it with the best face, attitude and smile.
You must be a functioning adult, no one should notice that something is hurting you.
You look through a thousand windows, then you think that's where the exit is...
It's called generalized anxiety and depression, a rare and highly dangerous mix. Ailments more common than they are confessed.
You disguise it, you learn and congratulate yourself every time you manage to make sure no one notices.
Every day you search and search for ways to fill that inexplicable void, you have everything going for you but your mind does not recognize anything .
And there we go, many of us surviving, like broken humans.
I'd love to say it's the story of a friend's cousin, that I heard about it online or saw it in a series, but no, it's mine and that of 300 million other adults who go through episodes like this.
Anxiety is a feeling of extreme worry. Depression is an extreme feeling of hopelessness. There are humans who suffer from both and the mental, physical and emotional shock is brutal.
In the process of acceptance you run into everything, pills, gummies, hundreds of self-help, breathing and emotional detox books; psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, shamans, witches, gypsies, concoctions, numerations, magnets, nails, pins, fakers and true friends, because this is when life puts them to the test.
You feel embarrassed, ashamed and even ashamed that the world knows about it.
After the pandemic, the World Health Organization warns that if not addressed by 2030, depression will be the leading cause of social disability.
Is it cured? No, but you learn to live with it, you become patient and careful.
Accepting it is a first step. It's not easy, it doesn't sound sexy and the people around you will never see you the same again. It's not a sentence, it's reality.
Change habits, you cannot be the same before and after such a diagnosis. You are already a puzzle that needs to be put back together every day.
Weave a strong network of friends and family. The process will hurt, there are people you love who will have to leave.
Use everything that makes your life happy and fun, make the most of every moment.
Recognize that you need professional help, don't be complacent with the pain or sadness, don't think "it will go away soon". Because it does not magically go away.
Anchor your life to what you are passionate about every day. Don't be silent, you are not alone, there are many of us trying to fight with our minds and emotions.
It can be done, it is not easy but it is worth it... Every day is worth it.
*Journalist by vocation. Early riser by necessity.
Radio and TV host, speaker, brand strategy and media training. 28 years of experience in different media; currently at W Radio with Carlos Loret de Mola. Lover of travel, soccer, good food and the best mental health.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of Opinion 51.
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