I have been through depression and anxiety and have tried multiple times to put these disorders into words so that I can explain to the world what depression and anxiety feel like. Unfortunately, every time I have failed. I am still trying though. So, a big round of applause to Rohan Joshi for finding words to describe anxiety. Explaining this to people who have never experienced something as scary and as draining as anxiety is a tough job. Because I still believe that people who haven’t been there will never understand what these two do your mind and your life. I have an entire book written on how I beat depression but still haven’t found the courage to publish it because deep down, I still feel, people won’t understand. So, once again, hats off to Rohan Joshi and every other person who tries to make people understand, ‘with words,’ what anxiety feels like and to what extent does it suck the life out of you.
And this is true that the positivity around makes it worse for people dealing with anxiety (not all positivity is bad though). Because there is a huge gap between our normal and your normal and unfortunately, we cannot see the bridge that you so desperately want us to cross. I am not sure if Rohan Joshi’s Anxiously Yours would make any difference, but performances like these are the beginnings that are the need of the hour.
Here are the few lines that I loved the most:
“Stop telling people things like, it is not you who is depressed, it is reality which is broken.
The next time you are sick, I’ll come to your house, throw your medicines out of the window and say, it’s not you who has malaria, it’s mosquitoes who are assholes.”
“….On that day, a voice in your head will say, ‘I am glad I stuck around for this. I am glad I fought off the abyss, I am glad I stared it down, and I am glad that I am here.” I loved this line the most because today, I am one of those people who say that ‘I am glad I stuck around for this.’
To sum it up, I would say that ‘Anxiously Yours’ would make you feel much better than than positivity ever would.
P.S: Anyone who is currently dealing with depression and anxiety, constantly thinking that these disorders are here to stay – GOOD NEWS guys, it is not. I never thought that I would ever say that depression is just a phase but trust me, IT IS, ‘JUST A PHASE.’
The Digital Popcorn 