Kate Mansi Opens Up About Battling Depression

While Abigail battled and is still battling inner demons on Days of Our Lives, Kate Mansi, the actress who played her until last June, has opened up about her own battle with depression and anxiety.

Back in September, Mansi decided to give to a charity called Bring Change 2 Mind in honor of various mentally ill characters she played in 2016, including Abby. The charity helps educate people about and takes the stigma off mental health issues.

In a guest blog post for Bring Change 2 Mind, Mansi discusses how one of life’s joys and one simple Yoga class helped her acknowledge that the depression and anxiety she feels is not something to be ashamed of.

Mansi spoke of witnessing the recent birth of her twin nephews on November 20 and the incredible sense of joy it brought to her life. A few days later, she attended a Yoga class as usual, and an inspirational thought from the instructor brought out feelings in her she never expected.

“A few minutes in, the instructor offered up a quote for us all to think about as Thanksgiving approached, “It is impossible to feel depressed when you feel true gratitude.”

Immediately my gut reaction was resistance. I noticed the drastic switch of emotions swirl up inside me and then started judging myself before even questioning why I was so irritated,” Mansi wrote.

After the class, she couldn’t stop thinking about the quote and finally came to some conclusions.

“Undoubtedly, I believe the instructor was well-intentioned in offering that quote to her class. An inspirational gesture to encourage her students to embrace gratitude. In my opinion, I have to honor that I found it to be inaccurate, insensitive and a prime example of the stigma surrounding mental disorders.

While I see her point in the great impact gratitude practices can create, it cannot completely absolve depression for someone who struggles…continue reading on the next page —>

Continue reading on the next page…

While I see her point in the great impact gratitude practices can create, it cannot completely absolve depression for someone who struggles with it. Her perspective was confusing, conflicting and isolating.

Confusing because for me, someone who lives with anxiety and depression, that is not the world I live in. It is imperative to my mental health that I remember, nothing is impossible with depression, or anxiety,” Mansi concluded.

The actress also began doing a series of Yoga workshops for Bring Change 2 Mind, which she calls #SweatToStopStigma. To read her entire blog post, click here.

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