Mental health matters: Dealing with generalised anxiety disorder

LIVING with a generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) from as young as eight years did not deter Thami Ntimbane from making every breath of his life count. Ntimbane is a friendly face at the Gondola ride in uShaka and spends most of his time interacting with people and sharing his knowledge about the place. 

Ntimbane gives us an insight into his mental health journey and how he faces each day with gratitude and enthusiasm. 

The 44-year-old said he remembers not feeling the same after an incident in his childhood and has had to deal with the repercussions of not knowing what it is that he suffers from.  

“I remember being very fearful and observant of my surroundings because I felt like something or someone was out to get me. I could hear footsteps, and I remember not feeling safe in my home and in my body,” he said. 

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Ntimbane said his condition was hard for his family to understand, and that made him feel left out and lost. 

“Living with a mental-health condition is hard because it is not physical; it can only be felt by you, and it is not explainable to the next person. I used to feel like I was a burden to my family and like I was seeking attention while I was fighting a battle that was in my head,” he said. 

Ntimbane said as he grew, he made the effort to do research, and that’s when he was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder. 

“Upon my research, I found that it could also be genetic and that patterns run through my family – it could also be due to my upbringing, which was not peaceful. I went on to learn about coping mechanisms. 

“Unlike how normal people start their day in the morning, I would have to prepare a few hours prior, especially because I work with people,” he said. 

Ntimbane said he does the following to prepare for his day and to keep afloat during the day. 

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“I do breathing exercises in the morning to help regulate my nervous system. I am easily triggered by other people, so I try to accept people as they are. This helps me to not be controlled by them and their different personalities. I remind myself of my achievements whenever I feel overwhelmed or like I am failing at something. I also take my medications correctly.” 

Ntimbane said he also found refuge in his artistic skills. 

“I am creative – I draw and paint. I am also into photography, video editing and graphic design. My artistic side helps me to express myself in ways that I cannot in my normal state; it is almost like an escape from reality,” he said. 

The 44-year-old said he believes there should be more awareness of mental health to help the public understand it better. 

“There should be more information about mental health – we are in a learning process – a lot of things that were acceptable and deemed normal before, with time, are being corrected as people improve their beliefs and thought patterns. I believe that, too, can be achieved [by taking care of your] mental health,” he said. 

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