The following blog posts are written by people with personal experience of anxiety. By talking openly, our bloggers hope to increase understanding around mental health, break stereotypes and take the taboo out of something that – like physical health – affects us all.

My family now know about my anxiety and depression

January 13, 2014

Recently I sat on the sofa with my mother. My head hung, and one solitary bubble drifted around the surface of my cup of tea, slowly meandering in one direction, then another, searching for something; dancing a peculiar waltz. My mother asked me how I was feeling; she looked for the bubble but it was cowering on the edge of the mug out of her view, and then it popped. At that moment the whole world was in my mug of tea, and I, the lonely bubble, had burst.

Initially I kept my depression secret

January 9, 2014

RuthInitially I kept my depression secret, with only close family members knowing. I thought it was something I should be ashamed of and I blame the stigma around mental health for this. However, I am now proud to say I have depression and social anxiety because I know the troubles I have had on my journey to get where I am, yet I have still got here with mental health issues.

Depression: I learnt to pretend I was okay

December 12, 2013

BexWarning, some readers may find this post triggering.

Over the past four years I have been living with a wide range of mental health problems, this is my journey so far.

After a serious feud with a close family member, many difficult emotions and consequences followed these events, I began to feel lost, angry and isolated, constantly overcome by these emotions I attempted to end my life.

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