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Footballer Hajra Khan shares an important message about mental health

Footballer Hajra Khan shares an important message about mental health

"Almost exactly like our physical health, mental health requires hard work, repair and maintenance" said the athlete.
11 Oct, 2019

Amidst Mental Illness Awareness Week came World Mental Health Day on October 10 and Hajra Khan has something to say on this occasion.

The footballer, who has been very vocal about mental health awareness, took to Twitter to open up about her depression and shared a message for all those suffering.

Khan says in the video, "For the past couple of years, I've been having mental health problems and [while] I knew something was off, I wasn't speaking up about it. I didn't get any help, I didn't wanna come across as weak or feel like an outcast because being weak is an anti-thesis of what an athlete is suppose to be."

"But as I read through, I learned that about 800,000 people die due to suicide every year and I wasn't ready to lose my life to an illness."

She went on to describe her experience, saying, "About three years ago, I experienced my first ever anxiety attack after a practice session with a national team and that's when I finally decided to get help. I was clinically diagnosed with high-functioning anxiety and clinical depression and have been undergoing treatment ever since. Getting better everyday."

Khan had an important point to make about the stigma around mental health and how it should be treated.

"Almost exactly like our physical health, mental health requires hard work, repair and maintenance so it's okay to feel unstable, it's okay to disassociate, it's okay to need help and it's okay to not be okay. Your mental health is not a personal failure, it's nothing to be ashamed of.

She ended her note with, "Let's lift the silence and speak up and commit to eradicating stigma."

Comments

Makhdoom Bihari Oct 11, 2019 02:52pm
Mental Health? What is her qualification?
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MBA Oct 11, 2019 04:55pm
A very couragous lady with true spirit of a sport-woman. Someone is asking about her quailification on the subject. It is simple: 1. she experienced it on her own soul 2. she was able to diagonise it as a health problem (most of world population - "ill" and "healthy" is unable to do it) 3. she accepted it and asked for help AND - last but not least 4. she has the courage to speak about it openly. Coming from a sport person this can be a big help for those who are suffering from such problems.
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Sher khan Oct 11, 2019 06:46pm
@Makhdoom Bihari s Her qualification is her personal experiences
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Satya Sidhu Oct 11, 2019 07:04pm
Good to hear someone talking something meaningful in Pakistan.
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Fawad Oct 11, 2019 07:26pm
Best of luck on your journey toward complete recovery. Brave people like you make the world a better place.
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shahid Oct 12, 2019 12:31am
@Makhdoom Bihari her qualification : she is a human being
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Tamilselvan Oct 12, 2019 08:43am
Brave woman to bring up mental issues and depression into public. Just like body mind too can be unwell. Recognize it and take care of it.
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