Lady Gaga Talks Mental Illness
Earlier today Lady Gaga opened up about her recent visit to the Ali Forney Homeless Shelter in Harlem for LGBTQ Teens. It was here she had the chance to share with the teens about her everyday struggles with mental illnesses like PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety.
Gaga (real name Stefani) opened up to the kids specifically about her daily struggles with PTSD. Which is something she apparently had never told anyone about, because it stemmed from a violent rape she had experienced at the age of 19. Gaga told NBC’s Today Show this morning that, “I told the kids today that I suffer from a mental illness — I suffer from PTSD,” the singer-songwriter, who in December 2014 shared that she was raped at age 19, told Today during a one-on-one interview. “I’ve never told anyone that before, so here we are. But the kindness that’s been shown to me by doctors — as well as my family and my friends — it’s really saved my life.”
Many people unfortunately feel like they have to fight these demon’s on their own. I personally have struggled with my fair share over the years and let me tell you, it’s hard! There are many days when you don’t wanna get out bed, talk to people, or even exist. You basically feel like you’re the only one going through it and you basically lose hope of the idea that happiness exist. That is until you start reading about other’s testimonies, like Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga continues to restore faith in our young people that the end is not today; and that whatever you’re going through doesn’t have to define you. Yeah you’re gonna have those really hard days, but on the other side of those hard days will also be better days too.
Gaga went on to say, “Meditation helps me to calm down. I don’t have the same kinds of issues that you have, but I have a mental illness, and I struggle with that mental illness every day. I need my mantra to help keep me relaxed. You are brave. You are courageous.”
Gaga is an inspiration to a lot of people. I know she is for me. Ironically, not even as a musician but as an activist and a human being not afraid to show her flaws.
In closing I’d like to say NEVER be afraid to seek professional help. NEVER think you’re the only one suffering from mental illness. Most importantly, NEVER let anyone validate your feelings for you. Again, no you’re not the only one with these feelings, but you’re the only one who knows how YOU feel.
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Photo credit: Tattletailzz.com
This blog is in reference to an article written by usatoday.com December 5, 2016