Trigger Warning: This article is about mental health issue, panic disorder, depression
"I thought my life is over."
Ito ang naisip ni Kelley Day, 29, nang napilitan siyang sumailalim sa showbiz hiatus dahil sa kanyang mental health disorder.
Sa guest appearance ni Kelley sa PEP Live noong March 2026, inalala nito ang lowest point sa buhay niya apat na taon na ang nakararaan.
Balik-tanaw ni Kelley: "I was diagnosed with panic disorder and it happened while my dad was in hospital.
"Na-overwhelm ako sa nangyari noon. Pero thank God, okay na yung dad ko.
"It was me who ended up suffering with sickness for a longer [period of time], pero mental sickness naman yun.
"And I basically just... I surrendered myself to whatever was gonna happen to me. And I just put trust in my doctors."
Hindi raw agad natanggap ni Kelley ang kanyang mental health condition.
"Nung first, parang in denial ako na may mental disorder ako. I was, like, 'Wait, this is something that other people have experienced? There's a name for this?'
"Cause I really thought that I was like going crazy."
Dagdag pa ni Kelley: "I said, 'I'm fine. I can handle it. I'm strong. I've been through a lot of things before.'
"And my doctor was, like, 'You need help.'"
Read: Bea Alonzo, Vincent Co bond with her friends Dimples, Beatriz
KELLEY DAY ON HER SHOWBIZ HIATUS
Pinayuhan daw si Kelley ng doktor na mag-sabbatical leave sa showbiz.
Ang huli niyang proyekto bago siya nag-hiatus ay ang defunct Kapuso prime-time series na The World Between Us, na umere mula July 2021-January 2022.
Na-diagnose siya ng panic disorder noong June 2022.
Lahad pa ng beauty queen-actress: "It reached a point na nasa rock bottom na ako. And I had to accept the help that was being offered to me.
"I told my doctor, 'How long am I gonna deal with these panic attacks for? Because I need to go back to work.'
"And then sabi niya, 'Maybe one year.' Sabi ko, 'One year? Wait... I have project ng ganun.'
"Pero sabi ng doctor, 'You need to take your time on this. 'Cause if you want to recover, as much as possible, you need to take your time. Could be one year, could be more.'"
Hindi raw naging madaling desisyon para kay Kelley ang mag-leave of absence, pero kinailangan daw niyang piliin ang magpahinga para rin sa ikagagaling niya.
"And that was the point na I thought, 'What am I gonna do? How am I gonna earn money? How am I gonna continue my work?'
"But I took the time. I basically disappeared. I deleted all my social media. I just focused on me. I followed my doctor's advice."
Kasabay ng kanyang leave of absence ay ang pagkakaroon niya ng healthy lifestyle.
"Not that I was super into alcohol, like drinking alcohol, but I stopped totally. I even stopped caffeine.
"And until now, ganun pa din, even if I'm not on medication or at least naka-recover na ako."
Nagbalik-trabaho lang ulit si Kelley noong September 2024.
Ginawa niya noon ang pelikulang All About Her, na ipinalabas sa 8th Sinag Maynila nito lang March 2026.
Read: Lara Quigaman on abusive ex-boyfriend: "I'm living in sin."
ON SETTING BOUNDARIES
Pero sabi rin ni Kelley sa PEP, may mga pagkakataong nati-trigger pa rin ang kanyang panic disorder.
"I live with my mental disorder. I can function naman po. But there are still times na na-trigger din ako, depending on external factors or sometimes if I'm not well rested."
Isang bagay raw na natutunan ni Kelley ay ang pagpapahalaga sa kanyang well-being dahil ito ang magdidikta ng lakas niya para harapin ang mga hamon ng buhay.
Kasama na rito ang pag-set niya ng boundaries.
Paliwanag niya: "So yun, I learned to prioritize my mental state and my health.
"And I learned to say no to things that I don't wanna do, things that I think might trigger me, things that I don't feel good about.
"And making those choices, you tend to disappoint a lot of people. And, you know, I realize that I don't care.
"Like, this is my life and I know how low I can go if I don't put myself first.
"And if I don't put myself first, then I can't help others also."
Positibo raw ang naging epekto sa kanya at sa pakikitungo niya sa mga mahal sa buhay.
Saad ni Kelley: "Coming back from that after, like, more than two years, it took me about two years to recover.
"The approach that I have in my daily life and my work and even my relationships with my friends, my family, my partner is very different.
"And I think it's better."
Hindi raw niya talaga minadali ang sarili.
"People will say kasi, "Oh, you're taking too long. You need to go back to work.' And I was, like, 'No, I know when I'm ready. You just have to let me trust myself.'
"And I listened to myself and that was the best thing that I could have done."
Read: REVIEW: All About Her a pageant thriller that actually delivers
ON FIGHTING STIGMA AGAINST MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION
Sa kanyang Instagram post noong April 2025, ipinakita pa ni Kelley ang litrato niya nang madagdagan ang kanyang timbang dahil sa mga iniinom niyang gamot noon.
Nabanggit din ni Kelley na walang katotohanan ang espekulasyon noon na kaya siya nag-hiatus ay dahil sa iniintriga sa kanyang rumored pregnancy at alegasyong third party.
Diin niya, personal at may kaugnayan sa isyung pampamilya ang kanyang pinagdaanan noon.
Sa panayam niya sa PEP, sinabi ni Kelley na nakatulong din sa kanya ang pagbahagi ng karanasan niya upang maibsan ang stigma laban sa mental health issues.
"I realized, like, how important it was for me. And when I knew that there was, like, an actual clinical disorder, it brought me a lot of peace.
"And then when I researched, like, that celebrities or known people have this disorder, I saw that there are, like sila Ed Sheeran also has, and I was, like, 'Wait. Okay, I'm not alone.'
"And I think, if I can get through this and then I can also help kahit one person lang that would read my posts on social media, then I've already done my part.
"And to my pleasant surprise, there were a lot of people who had reached out to me with similar disorders, like OCD, which I also had—adjustment disorder, panic disorder or just generalized anxiety.
"They're all kind of related. There's like a knock-on effect kasi, there's like a domino effect. So I had a few diagnoses, but panic disorder was the main one."
Ipinaliwanag pa ni Kelley na malaking tulong ang makahanap ng taong nakakaintindi ng struggle sa mental health.
"So people that reach out to me, they have similar things din and it just makes you feel less alone.
"And you realize that the way I think about mental disorder now is, you treat it as if it's a physical disease, something like diabetes or cancer.
"Sometimes you need medication, sometimes you need a doctor, sometimes you need to rest.
"Not everyone's going to understand it and that's okay. And that's something that I try to talk about when I get asked about it.
"And a lot of friends in the industry also, I realized that, these are people that I see on, on camera, on stage, and they seem so confident.
"And then they reach out to me, like, 'Hey, you know what? I've been having depression. I've been having anxiety. Can I ask, like, contact for your doctor?'
"I'm like, 'Wow. We all really, like, are not okay, and that's kind of okay."
WATCH: KELLEY DAY ON HOW SHE RECOVERED FROM HER MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION