#YouthMtaani: I quit my Job - I was struggling with depression not knowing I was actually depressed [Part 2]

Wairimu became suicidal Pulse Live Kenya

She adds, “I got a second job and the environment never changed from the first one. There was a lot of shouting, noise, and it was not even necessarily directed to me. It was to other people. I could feel the stress that people were going through and it’s like I was carrying all that stress on myself. I figured out that I could not go on like this. I woke up one morning and could not leave my bed. I called my trainer and told him that I don’t think I want to do this anymore. That was my last day there.”

She stayed for months in her house all by herself and avoided being around people as much as possible. Food became her best companion and before she knew it, her weight had gone up high. With no one around to talk to, Wairimu became suicidal as well. She remembers struggling so much not to give in to her suicidal thoughts.

“If I cannot be out there helping people as I want to, then what is the need for me to live?” she would think.

Wairimu locked herself indoors for months and in the process, she lost friends and lovers who could not understand her. She then decided that enough was enough; she braced herself for the job market and finally found a job that makes her happy.

Wairimu's desire to help mental health victims

Wairimu can now smile Pulse Live Kenya

Wairimu tells Pulselive.co.ke that her burden is a deep desire to help all those people being mistreated and those in pain whose emotions she deeply feels. She has, however, come to accept that she cannot help everyone.

As we come to the end of the interview, Wairimu tells us that she would like to help people with personality and mental health issues as a way of giving back to society.

“I feel like I am not doing enough as it is right now, and would be able to help people much better if I dedicate my life to clinical psychology.

In regards to that, Wairimu who holds a B.Sc. in Medical Science from Egerton University is currently looking for a scholarship to help her pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology.

Psychologist explains Wairimu's condition

To understand more about Wairimu’s condition, we spoke to one Dr. Steve Ndegwa who is a psychologist and a lecturer at Daystar University.

According to Dr. Ndegwa, it’s normal to be empathetic but there should be boundaries. In as much as one feels other people’s emotions, they should be in a position to limit the extent to which other people’s emotions affect them.

Dr. Ndegwa also tells us the condition is in most cases triggered by something a person went through in life although the patient may not know it.

He goes on to tell Pulselive.co.ke that people with this condition also experience physical symptoms.

“Since the person is carrying too many emotions from other people, they feel exhausted and can also feel physical pain in their bodies. They also get anxious and are more prone to depression” adds Dr. Ndegwa.

About treatment, he advises one to seek therapy from psychologists since it’s a psychological and not a biological health condition. The therapy will help the patient learn how to draw a line when it comes to absorbing people’s emotions.