In an interview, actor Jairus Aquino revealed that the ABS-CBN shutdown and the pandemic triggered his anxiety.
Firstly, he admitted to having anxiety issues before the pandemic started, brought upon by problems. He also added that work helped divert his attention from focusing on his problems resulting in his anxiety issues.
“Actually before pa po mag pandemic may anxiety na ko, pero syempre… May work so nadidivert yung attention mo. Yung okay sya. Kumbaga nag-attack lang sya kapag sobrang problemado,” said Jairus.
He then added that his anxiety attacks became frequent with the ABS-CBN shutdown and the pandemic.
“Pero ngayon nung pandemic talaga doon na nag start na, oy parang mag trigger lang sya ng mas madalas. Tapos yung nangyari pa sa ABS-CBN, nanjan na yung sleepless nights, nanjan na yung biglang di makahinga,” said Jairus.
He also recounted an instance wherein a mere power outage triggered an anxiety attack describing the horrifying experience in detail.
“Meron pang time na nagdidinner lang kami ng family ko, tapos na ko mag dinner, pag tayo ko nag-brown out na tapos boom nag trigger na yung anxiety ko. Yung fear ko. Parang biglang nagsara yung buong mundo ko. Tapos hindi na ko makahinga,” Jairus recounted.
When asked if he was getting the help he needed, Jairus said that although he has no direct consultation, he receives calls from a doctor that gets him through his anxieties.
“Last year po, December, walang formal na one on one with a doctor. May tinatawagan akong doctor na nangangamusta lang sa akin. Kunyari kapag may nararamdaman ako tumatawag sa akin, pero walang formal na one on one consultation talaga. Parang more of bigay lang sya ng advice,” said Jairus.
He also added that he has been keeping himself busy to cope with the anxiety through various activities such as painting the house and streaming games online.
“Nagbonding kami ng tatay ko. Nung time na yun dun lang din talaga sya naging focus sakin na oy may anxiety, na talagang naging tutok sakin, sa anxiety ko. Sabi ko Dad, pinturahan natin yung buong bahay. Buong araw nagpintura ako ng bahay. So nadivert yung iniisip ko.\
“Tapos eventually bumili na ko ng gaming PC. Para madivert na yung attention ko. Tapos nagstart po ako ng gaming stream,” said Jairus.
Earlier this year, Congress axed the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN, causing it to shut down. As a result, the network retrenched several assets, artists, and employees to cut its losses.
Jairus has been with ABS-CBN for 14 years since 2006. His most notable projects with the Kapamilya network includes May Bukas Pa, Kung Fu Kids, Luv U, and Super Inggo.
