A gradual distancing from this side of existence pushed Ángel Martín (Barcelona, ??1977) into a psychotic break that ended in the psychiatry wing of the Puerta de Hierro hospital in Madrid. It was in 2017. He decided to share that experience in In case the voices return, and now, with the same intention of helping those who may find themselves in a similar situation, he publishes Behind the noise, also with the Planeta publishing house.
This second exercise in emotional nudism talks about how to keep together the pieces of the puzzle that constitutes one’s own self. “There is nothing I miss about that Angel I was. I understand that whatever was useful or worthwhile to me will have returned and been placed where it should be placed, but there is nothing that makes me think ‘I wish…’. Absolutely”.
Martín, whose morning News to save time sweeps the internet and sells out the tour with the monologue Punto para los locos, invites the reader on a guided tour inside his head explaining the handles he has gathered during this time of repair.
He is committed to order as a mode of conduct for good mental hygiene and denies that a hyperstimulated and stressful society forces anything: “You can decide to enter that circle or not: when you wake up, no one shakes you to pick up your cell phone and look at it. What has happened on social networks. You decide what kind of life you want,” Martín reflects.
He never chose to be a presenter, even though the program I Know What You Did elevated him to stardom. He wanted to be a comedian. And his humor has brought him many chestnuts out of the fire: “I think that the ability to laugh at yourself is something that anyone can train. Maybe for those of us who use humor as our work tool, we practice it more, but if you can joke about your situation, you will be a thousand steps ahead of the problem.”
His confession has been a very relevant speaker for making mental health visible. Let’s not be evasive: “The problem is not with those who are not able to tell a story, but with those who are not able to listen to it without putting a label on it. When asked ‘Why haven’t you told it?’ the answer is ‘Because you don’t know how to listen; I know you and you would not have handled it well. You have forced me to keep it hidden because every time I have told you something important you have either brushed it off or you have not helped me.’ That’s why you stop telling people things. On the other hand, if that person helps you, he continues counting on her.”
