Former ‘The Longest Date’ Contestant Opens Up About Mental Health and Finding Purpose in Helping Others
- A young media personality who was a contestant on South African show, The Longest Date, has opened up about her mental health challenges
- Zinhle Nkosi says that, at one point, giving back to others was the only thing keeping her alive
- Talking to Briefly News, the young woman opened up about the importance of mental health awareness and the value of caring for others
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Zinhle Nkosi, who was a contestant on The Longest Date and Temptation Island South Africa, has decided to speak about her mental health struggles.
Source: UGC
The successful media practitioner residing in Pretoria East explained that after losing her job as a TV producer in the edutainment field in 2018, she started feeling suicidal and struggled to sleep.
At that stage, Zinhle had no idea that she had depression. In fact, it would take years for the young woman to be officially diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
Speaking to Briefly News, the 29-year-old opened up about her struggles, finding peace through Buddhism, and how giving back to others saved her life:
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“I decided to seek spirituality by exploring Buddhism to have something greater to give me more hope.
“One day, I was feeling so low that I couldn’t sleep because I had this overwhelming feeling to end my life because I felt useless on earth.”
Zinhle explains that what saved her life was remembering one of the Buddhist teachings she had read about, which noted that even if one has nothing to give, offering time to care for others was enough:
“That instantly gave me hope. I then decided to start a wellness brand to help struggling people and inspire others to stay alive even when it felt like they had no reason to."
Source: Twitter
Zinhle's NGO and caring for others gave her strength
In Women’s Month 2018, the ZHENCLARE non-profit organisation was born, with Zinhle having renewed hope, fuelled by the intent to assist others.
She then obtained a freelancing gig and used the funds to launch her website, created wellness awareness online, and donated her clothing to charities.
“I recently launched a charity shop under ZHENCLARE, where I sell organic products. 50% of the sales go towards the charity work that my organisation does around South Africa.
“We donate food parcels, sanitary pads, winter clothes, toys, and kids’ books. We are slowly growing and expanding.”
Work stress, facing lockdown alone and dealing with loss
The media professional noted that between 2019 and 2020, she became overwhelmed again when working in a high-stress corporate environment.
Zinhle then visited her doctor, who said she was stressed and prescribed antidepressants:
“Up until April 2020, when COVID-19 was officially announced and a lockdown was looming, I was living in my small apartment in Randburg, quarantined alone.
“I [also] stopped taking the antidepressants because I thought I no longer needed them.
“That is when I started feeling like I was not coping with the cabin fever. This was also around seven months after my little brother passed away, and I was still dealing with that loss.”
Zinhle notes that she thought her stress and anxiety were mainly due to being alone and facing various stressors and losses during that period, not depression, per se.
She later moved in with her sister and was cast on The Longest Date and Temptation Island South Africa, with the shows airing in 2021.
“During the filming of both shows, I still was unaware that I was not okay.
“The fun and thrilling experience I was hoping to get ended up feeling like I had signed my life away.”
After having suicidal thoughts again, the strong woman visited a health clinic and was finally diagnosed with depression.
Zinhle said that she is now managing her depression well and has found sustainable coping mechanisms that include exercise, activism, and being vocal about her feelings.
She also uses social media to advocate for mental health awareness.
The young lady, who holds a National Diploma in TV and Film Production from Durban University of Technology, also decided to return to university to gain skills to help grow her organisation:
“I am currently doing my BA in Social Work at the University of South Africa (Unisa).”
Zinhle advocates for mental health awareness in various ways. She believes the lack of sufficient education on the topic is a significant reason mental health is still seen as taboo.
This inspiring woman is on a mission to remove some of the common stigmas around mental health and uses her organisation and social media platforms to do so.
Shudufhadzo Musida wins Glamour ‘Game Changer of the Year' award for raising mental health awareness
In a related story, Briefly News wrote about former Miss SA, Shudufhadzo Musida, being recognised for raising awareness about mental health through her social media advocacy.
Glamour named her as a Game Changer for 2022 for her #mindfulmondays initiative, with the former beauty queen expressing gratitude for the recognition in an Instagram post.
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Source: Briefly News
