Meet Sheynnis Palacios, the winner of Miss Universe 2023. The Nicaraguan beauty overcame her struggles with anxiety and opened up about her past in the days leading up to the pageant held in El Salvador. In fact, she suffered an anxiety attack backstage during the competition, but she used that experience to try and help others overcome their own struggles through her project ‘Entiende tu mente’ (Understand your mind).

Palacios’ project was born from a personal experience. She suffers from anxiety and through that she realized that she is not alone in her struggle. With the help of her psychologist, she has learned to manage her emotions and now uses her experiences to inspire others to seek help.

“It was born from a personal experience, I suffer from anxiety and through that I said that I am not the only person who is going through this,” she said. “And now with the help of my psychologist who has been accompanying me, I have learned to manage my emotions.”

The nicest thing is when you hear or see someone on the street who tells you ‘thank you, I saw your program it encouraged me to go to the psychologist.’ Palacios dedicated her triumph to girls all over the world, to her inner child, to her family and to the more than 6 million inhabitants of Nicaragua.

In addition, she hopes that her triumph will allow great changes for women and girls who are the foundation of society. She wants everyone to know that it is okay not to be perfect and that seeking help is a sign of strength.