Running with eyes closed

When she woke up she was no longer in the car where she was traveling and she was not rolling on the road either. She was now traveling in a helicopter over the sky because he was faster than a simple car. Artificial oxygen was what was allowing her to breathe. The small space was full of unknown people, they were nurses and doctors, she did not understand anything, she only knew that they were trying to save her life. This was Astrid’s last memory before she fell into a deep sleep and lost track of time.

When Astrid woke up in the hospital, she realized that she physically looked different, she had wounds all over her body that were still healing. She could see clearly with her left eye but felt she had missed something. Her right eye was gone. Astrid felt incomplete. But her parents’ presence made her realize she was complete.

“So what happened to me?” she asked.

“You had a car accident, caused by a young man who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol,” said her mother, while she combed her hair. “Your sister only had a few bumps, she’s fine. You are too, that’s what matters ” added her mother.

For Astrid, it was the most shocking moment that she could ever have imagined. It seemed that her life had changed 360 degrees.
The next few months were filled with tears, anger, and endless questions. Why me? Why did this have to happen? What if I never got in that car?

“I can’t go on like this, I don’t want to go on like this either,” said Astrid. And that was the moment when she decided that she would learn to lead her new life.

Years later, she decided to study psychology. She graduated in 2006. Astrid wanted to help others who had once felt that her life had no meaning as she once thought.

“At the beginning of my career, I really wanted to learn to help. But shortly before finishing, an even deeper thought came to my mind: There was another reason, and I didn’t understand” said Astrid.

5 years later the Psychologist Astrid began to feel that she was losing sight in her left eye. It was 1 year full of endless visits with doctors and specialists in different hospitals. It was a pretty painful fight. Astrid was tired of trying and not finding answers, nothing helped her. She felt that she was losing sight of her more and more. Until I get to the point of not seeing anything. She was like that until the visit of Octavio, a dear friend of the family.

“Have you thought about going to the Mexican Institute of Ophthalmology?” asked Octavio. “Try one more time. It may be the answer and if it isn’t, at least you tried.”

Astrid did. She discovered that a tumor had been created in her head for the last few years. This tumor did not stop growing and she measured 18cm. She had already affected important organs, especially the organs, and cells that allow us to see. The tumor was removed.

“The tumor has already damaged the cells enough. It is not certain that you will recover your sight again. But when it is extracted it won’t hurt you anymore” said the doctors who were treating Astrid’s case. And the expected happened. She did not recover her sight.

This is the life of the acclaimed and renowned psychologist Astrid, who after much pain and struggle has managed to lead a happy, fulfilling life with many achievements.

Running with eyes closed is the title that Psychologist Astrid has given her famous conference focused on mental health, touching topics focused on anxiety and depression.

“Running with my eyes closed means that part of me wants to keep going because there is no impossible. I want to see with spiritual eyes and feel with my heart” said Astrid.

The purpose of this conference is to provide help and motivation to people living with mental disorders. Provided from the experience of psychology itself, inviting the public to receive professional attention without fear of the stereotypes that are held about it.

According to current evidence, in Mexico, 3.6 million adults suffer from depression; of them, one percent are serious cases, reveals a study carried out in 2021 by the Psychiatric Care Services (SAP) of the Ministry of Health

Some of the most frequent questions answered through this conference are the following:

What is resilience and how can we develop it?
The psychologist Astrid who has more than 17 years of experience. She is an expert in risk behavior, anxiety and depression.
she teaches that resilience is the ability that all human beings have to strengthen ourselves through adverse situations. It’s not just the fact of overcoming or overcoming them.

Resilience is a matter of choice. It is not the fact of resigning. It implies action, how am I going to handle what I am experiencing? “Focus your mind on the activities you enjoy”
She also gives some tips to avoid loneliness. She teaches us that our interior will always need company.

Psychologist Astrid teaches us that resilience is the ability that all human beings have to strengthen ourselves through adverse situations. It’s not just the fact of overcoming them.

Resilience is a matter of choice. It is not the fact of giving up. It implies action, how am I going to handle what I am experiencing?
“Focus your mind on the activities you enjoy”
She also gives some tips to avoid loneliness. She teaches us that our interior will always need company.

What is depression and how to treat it?

She defined depression as a mental disorder characterized by decreased mood, feelings of sadness, difficulty concentrating, and disturbances in sleep and appetite patterns. In severe cases, suicidal behavior and somatic changes such as pain, tingling, and muscle stiffness occur. The symptoms prevail throughout the day and for two consecutive weeks.

The lack of specialized medical care causes the disease to evolve, become chronic and limit people in all social spheres. Treatment depends on the intensity and type of symptoms. It can be only with psychotherapy for mild cases, or with therapy, medication and community support for serious patients.

How can I be more in control of my emotions?

“Emotions are not controlled, what happens is that little by little one realizes how their emotions change and the actions we take begin to make sense,” said Astrid.

You just start living and experiencing; You begin to recognize that you are a child of God and that it is normal to have emotions. But it is not correct to stay in this state that becomes depression, anxiety, etc.

How can we identify the progress we are making in terms of our mental health?

“You start to have more life and that indicates that you are progressing” said Astrid.

Finally the psych. Amanda concluded with a simple phrase
“Living is the best and feeling is living”.