‘It’s ok to be not ok’: DJ Sanya Smith opens up on battle with anxiety, depression

Image: Instagram/@carlocasas, @casasphotos via @sanyasmith007

DJ Sanya Smith, the other half of dynamic duo The Zombettes and daughter of the late Filipino rock icon Joey “Pepe” Smith, has opened up about her battle with depression and anxiety.

Smith took to social media recently where she openly shared to her friends and fans that she was self-admitted into a mental ward last December 2018.

“January 24, 2019, I was released. Days later I learned the news of my father passing,” Smith wrote via Instagram on March 24. “And on the day of his burial, I found out someone dear to me also passed. It was a rough road but I’m healing.”

Her dad, Pepe, was 71 years old when he died in the early morning of Jan. 28.

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Smith further shared she finally freed herself from the wristbands connecting her to the mental ward last March 11 as she goes through her healing. In a video she shared in her post, she can be seen cutting off the wristbands with a pair of scissors.

“I’m not ashamed to admit any of this. Some of you already know that I have been battling depression and anxiety for many years now,” she added. “I tried to handle it in my own ways, but it wasn’t enough. I had to seek professional help.”

She also said she has no regrets admitting herself to a mental ward, as it was the day she finally took her life back. And with friends and loved ones rallying behind her, Smith knew she was not alone in her journey.

She gave words of encouragement to those who may also be struggling with themselves, saying it is okay not to be okay sometimes.

“It took me a long time to decide to post this or not but I want this to be a safe space for myself and those who also struggle with themselves,” she said. “Know that it is ok to not not be ok sometimes and that it’s also totally ok to ask for help. You are not alone.” JB

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