At the beginning of this year, Oprah Winfrey, kicked of a tour to talk with some of the most fascinating figures in the United States of America. The singer and actress Lady Gaga was chosen to be part of a panel and she decided to address mental health, sharing her personal story and hoping to offer light to others facing similar hardships.
Here are seven take aways from the capitivating conversation:
1_ In order to heal, you have to feel. Lady Gaga reveals she has been dealing with a lot of pain for most of her adult life and she ultimately discovered she fibromaylgia, which was a response to the intense trauma she had been through after being raped at multiple times at age 19. In consequence of not processing this suffering properly she also developed PTST (Posttraumatic stress disorder) and began self harming. It was only when she hit a mental health crisis with a dissociative psychotic break, that she seeked help and assembled a team of professionals to assist in her recovery.
2_ If you allow yourself to be vulnerable, open and brave, you’ll be in a better position to be self compassionate and also help others. You will have a richer understanding of the human condition because of your own struggles and you will be able to give hope to anyone needing it.
3_ Don’t give up on your dreams, fight for them with discipline and passion. Always keep on going, no matter what. It will take a lot of hard work but it will all be worth it. Lady Gaga created her alter ego to embody a bolder, stronger and more outspoken woman and she ultimately became that.
4_ Accept all of you. Don’t be ashamed of your problems, think of yourself as a survivor. With the therapy of radical self acceptance, Lady Gaga was finally able to start loving herself fully and slowly her pain started to lift.
5_ Take care of yourself in the most loving way. Take medication if necessary, practice meditation, have a healthy diet, exercise and sleep routine. Who you were, made you who you are now, don’t forget that. Love yourself unconditionally, be grateful for everything you do have and try to see the positive in every situation.
6_ Know your triggers. Learn how to calm down your nervous system, train yourself to have a problem solving attitude. Don’t be too harsh on yourself, be aware of what can cause you an anxiety downward spiral, for example. Surrender to God, try to feel centered, focus on your breathing and in the things you can control. Always work on yourself.
7_ Be kind and heal the world. Share your story with the world, make it a better place. Speak your emotions into existence, change your life with your experiences. Believe everything happens for a reason and even if you feel defeated try to a little each day and eventually you will mend and feel better.
The Born this Way Foundation was founded in 2011 by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta and aims to inspire youth in creating a kinder and braver world, to facilitate research in the field of mental health and create better communities, in wellness and empowerment.
For more information visit: https://bornthisway.foundation/
Paula Gouveia