Cultivating Peace and Hope

Born in Botswana in the 1950s, Anna Choongo tells the story of how the trials and triumphs of that period and her childhood experiences have shaped who she is. Anna was born into a middle-class family and well educated. Through her life story, she provides a candid account of how despite many positive life experiences, being privileged and career achievements, her underlying childhood trauma and traumatic life experiences resulted in recurring episodes of adult anxiety and depression. Her story narrates how episodes triggered by a range of issues, including societal and family expectations; personal health issues and family illness left her struggling to find and accept herself. In her experience, Anna found that people misconstrued the telltale symptoms of anxiety and depression as rebelliousness or needless worry. Her ability to heal was thwarted by the expectation of well-meaning friends and family, for her to "get over it" and "get on with life". From her experience, Anna says, "dealing with anxiety and depression requires being honest about the condition. This is tough and ugly. It exposes our most vulnerable side, but it is important for healing. Keeping it bottled in does not make it magically disappear". Anna's story shares approaches that she used to deal with her anxiety through engaging it, instead of running away from it. By facing her demons, she has found strength, resilience and determination to heal.