Stockton comedian uses motivational comedy to break stigma of anxiety and depression

Anxiety and depression can look very different from one person to another. While some people are open to sharing their struggles, others may prefer not to.

Reggie Galindo is a Stockton native who uses comedy to share his own experiences living with anxiety and depression to help others who are struggling, too.

“My ultimate goal is to use the topic of mental health, my mental health, my story, my journey, and humor,” Galindo said. “That I leave a positive impact and ultimately give people hope because that's what I needed the most."

'Anxieties kept me from opportunities'

Galindo was just around 4 years old when his father left the family. He said the abandonment may have triggered something in him.

“I was always afraid. Growing up in Stockton, I think no one wants to say they're afraid, but I was always afraid,” Galindo said.

While he thought how he felt was normal later in his adulthood he realized otherwise. He had social anxiety and "other things," he said.

Galindo recalls one time being part of drama class at Franklin High School where he was going to audition for a play, but he had an anxiety attack and did not audition at the end.

“The anxieties kept me from opportunities,” he said. “It's kept me from a lot of things that probably could've been really good for my life.”

He didn't address how he felt until he was an adult. Galindo said he started doing stand-up comedy in 1997, but he did not open up about his anxiety until four years ago.

“When I started doing stand-up comedy, I noticed that I was always having these kind of like mini-like anxiety attacks,” Galindo said. “When I asked my peers like, ‘Hey, are you nervous? Are you scared?’ and they act like they weren't. But then I find out that a lot of people just don't feel comfortable saying that.”

One stand-up comedy performance changed it all for him.

“I was on stage and I decided that ‘hey, I'm just going to say it, you know,’ and then when I said it, I noticed that one of the things that I do is I channel my anxiety into nervous energy, and then I just make it part of my character,” Galindo said. “And then it's OK to be silly because right, I'm anxious. And then it just turned into this, tells us more about it."

While Galindo does not perform public stand-up comedy shows often, he does do private shows or events where he feels he can be impactful with his audience.

“I believe that I teach people how to laugh at themselves, to laugh at their quirks and to laugh at the things that we do, part of the human condition," he said.

Galindo, who graduated from San Joaquin Delta College in 2021, returned to his old stomping grounds on Wednesday. This time not as a student but as a speaker to talk about his struggles and fighting anxiety and depression.

It was a full circle moment for Galindo, who did not walk in his graduation due to crippling anxiety, he said.

“Some people they just don't know how to open up about it. I feel like, I'm a stand-up comedian, the worst thing you want to have is an anxiety attack before a show and I've had several, but I keep getting up,” Galindo said. “I just didn't want the anxiety to win. But together, the anxiety in me and my comedy, we created something new, that was needed I think, and that's the amazing part.”

‘I was depressed’

Galindo’s eating habits weren’t the best and he slept more than 10 hours a day, he said.

“There was a long time (when) I just came home from work and I laid in bed because I was depressed. Luckily, my wife, she let me go through that time and it was a long time, and nobody knew," Galindo said. "I wouldn't let anybody know and I was doing shows. As long as I was at work I was OK but once I went home, the depression hit.”

He said he was not taking care of himself and started feeling hopeless. Galindo, who is a case manager and self-described fashion influencer, started to gain some confidence, though.

“To address my depression, what I did was I went out and I started exercising, I started dressing different,” Galindo said. “One day, I went to work, and I was walking down the street, everybody complimented how nice my jacket looked. I thought to myself, I could do this every day.”

Now he has learned how to manage his anxiety and “come in terms with it.”

There are some things he has noticed that have also helped. Besides dressing up every day, these days he doesn't drink much coffee; he runs a mile a day and has done therapy as well.

'Motivational comedy'

Galindo’s advice to others who may be struggling with anxiety and depression is simple: “let someone in close to them and seek help.”

“I definitely am an advocate for seeking professional help," Galindo said. "The more you talk about it, the more you discuss it, the power of it gets taken away, and solutions become available.”

While he has his moments, he now feels really good about himself with the exercise and fashion he keeps up with. He also tries to keep a “positive outlook” instead of thinking negative, he said.

“I just want people to know that they're not alone,” Galindo said. “I'm fighting through and I'm trying to leave breadcrumbs because like I said one of the saddest things for me to see is somebody that doesn't have any more hope.”

While you may not be able to find much of his “motivational comedy” online you can find his TikTok page with some motivational advice.

For behavioral health services in San Joaquin County visit the San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) website for more information.

Are mental illnesses common?

This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) raises awareness about mental illness every year during the first week of October.

“I've had people reached out to me...that are high-income earners, and have a lot on their plates, they own businesses and say, ‘Hey, man, I struggle every day, sometimes I don't want to show up, and I show up anyways,’” Galindo said.

Galindo says comedy attracts people to him, making them willing to share.

According to the CDC, “mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States.”

Here are some statistics from the CDC website:

• More than 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. lives with a mental illness

• Over 1 in 5 youth from the age of 13 through 18 currently or at some point, have had a seriously debilitating mental illness

• About 1 in 25 adults in the U.S. lives with a serious mental illness. Some examples are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression.

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: break the stigma anxiety and depression