10 It was in 2012 that I started to experience anorexia nervosa, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety  – as well as depression and a suicide attempt in August 2014. My dad was the first to notice a change in my behaviour. It was a shock when my parents sat me down to talk to me – and it was a lot to take in. I had internalised how I was feeling for so long out of fear and shame, that I found myself stuck in a vicious cycle. At that moment, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my should ..read more

Before I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and severe ADHD, I was quite oblivious to mental health issues. Since then, I have gained a much deeper insight on how society views and deals with these issues. I have also come to realise how my words effect the way people interact with me, and how they view me as a person. Words are powerful. Which is why I have said publicly, “when I keep quiet, stigma wins – and I can’t let that happen”. Stigma is something I have had to deal with on an almost daily basis – especially in the workplace. Over time, you learn to deal with it, but the scars s ..read more

Having anxiety has impacted a lot of areas of my life, but it has especially affected my ability to cope with tasks that are, to many people, mundane and every day. Phone calls are an area of everyday life that I find particularly difficult to mange my anxiety around. They can often be unpredictable and without facial cues from the other person, I find it difficult to comprehend how they are reacting to what I am saying. There are a host of everyday activities such as ordering a coffee or getting a bus that I can struggle with. As with my anxiety, some days it is fine and other days the ..read more

I’ve experienced mental health problems for many years now, but apart from a few close friends and family members, I found it hard to talk about. I felt that no one around me could understand what I was going through just trying to get through day-to-day life, at work and generally. In 2018 I had a particularly negative experience in my workplace at the time. I disclosed my generalised anxiety disorder and social anxiety to my line manager. She gave a dismissive response and an unfortunate, repeated stigmatising attitude. I told her my main anxiety attack trigger was receiving emails and Sky ..read more

When lockdown began, everything felt surreal. The threat of coronavirus had been building over the weeks, and apart from washing my hands extra vigilantly, I didn’t think it would get as bad as it did. My colleagues and I were gobsmacked when people started panic buying all the toilet roll. Even though I have several health conditions which make me extremely vulnerable to the virus, I never felt the full reality of the situation until I began self-isolating a week or so before the government’s full lockdown. I remember seeing a friend post on Facebook that over 900 people had died in the UK ..read more

We all know someone who experiences anxiety. A friend, or a friend-of-a-friend. That ‘flaky’ someone who turns up late, or cancels last-minute; who often seems on edge; who takes forever to make a decision; is overly worried what others might think. Maybe a colleague who takes random days off; or struggles with sudden changes of plan. I could, of course, be describing you. If so, welcome to the gang. Mental Health Awareness Week was recently held in the UK and it’s a sign of a trend towards acceptance of mental health issues. People ‘get it’ that some of us experience anxiety, low mood, etc ..read more

Originating from childhood trauma, I suffer from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) - also known as borderline personality disorder (BPD). I have struggled with my mental health since I was 16 years old and I’m now 25. In that time I have become a qualified paediatric nurse and have, at times, received backlash from some people about my competence because of my diagnosis. My most recent diagnosis is EUPD. EUPD is a disorder that 1 in 100 people have and one I feel is under researched and holds a lot of stigma. Befor ..read more

“Can you pull over by here please?” I ask the taxi driver.  “Are you sure?” he replies, “because I can drop you at the gate?” “No, by here is fine.” I tell him. I pay my fare and exit the car as quickly as possible, looking around to make sure none of my colleagues are about.  I've gotten the taxi driver to drop me at the side of my workplace building, instead of at the front. This is to make sure less people see me arrive in a taxi. I suffer with stress and anxiety so I often get a taxi to work in the morning if my husband cannot take me in the car, to avoid the palaver ..read more

I'd like to talk about my experiences with work, good and bad. The reaction of a manager to your disclosure of mental health difficulties can really make a difference to the way you feel and how open you’ll be with future employers. I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember. I’ve been diagnosed with panic disorder. Over the years my anxiety has had peaks and troughs and I’ve needed to tell my managers about it. The good bosses have been flexible, empathetic and supportive. They've given me time off for appointments and also given me the chance to just not do somethin ..read more

I used to be embarrassed of my anxiety, but now I embrace it. I have suffered from anxiety since I was little, but it only really started to show a few years ago.  I found myself cancelling plans with friends, family and colleagues. I would accept an invite and then a couple of days before I would cancel and make something up.  I started calling in sick to work more often because I didn't feel well enough to go in. Not because I had a stomach bug etc, but because my anxiety was really bad.  I felt embarrassed to tell people the truth and I would also tell myself that it wa ..read more