SPECIAL EPISODE: Opening up about mental health and how to get help with Teresa & Jane

In this episode of the podcast, I have the amazing Jane Travis who used to be a councillor and now helps other counsellors with their marketing. Jane is a very good friend who has really supported me through some really difficult times and I knew she would be the perfect person to bring on and talk about this topic. Today we talk all about mental health and my own struggles I have experienced and hidden up until now.   KEY TAKEAWAYS COVERED IN THE PODCAST   I have suffered with anxiety for around 14 years now. When you are a perfectionist, anxiety can be triggered when something happens that is out of your control. Many people may experience mental health problems and you would never know from looking at them or talking to them. If everyone keeps their struggles to themselves, this can lead to isolation and feeling embarrassed/ashamed of this. We have to find a way to keep going but we also have to be able to say “I need some time off” – you can give yourself permission to stop if you need to. Anxiety is very common – it affects us all in different ways. Sometimes when we get angry, it’s an accumulation of everything else that has gone on. Anxiety and anger are really closely related – the feelings we have are similar. Instead of judging yourself when you react to something, turn it on its head and question why you may have reacted like that. If you take medication, attach it to something you do every single day without fail and you won’t miss a day. Self-care is something we can do every day that can really help. Don’t judge yourself and be so hard on yourself. Personal development can be really key in how you feel in yourself. You learn right up until the day you die. There are always so many new things to learn. Mindfulness is doing activities that take you out of your normal headspace – takes your brain from thinking about everything that’s going on. We all show our highlights – very little of us show the bad days. Just because people show up in a ce