I have struggled with my mental health, particularly anxiety, panic attacks and depression from a young age. Here I will share my personal journey and will talk about how coming across yoga has helped me.

Anxiety and panic attacks

I was always an incredibly anxious child and have early memories of not being able to sleep, tossing and turning all night with thoughts going around my head. I didn’t know how to cope with the overwhelming sensation of my brain being unable to switch off. This turned into some tumultuous teenage years, which led to my mental health hitting a new low.

At the age of 17, I stopped going to school. My anxiety was all consuming and I started experiencing panic attacks for the first time. I was in and out of the doctors, trying to find support through different therapists but it was all so new and overwhelming. I couldn’t cope.

Finding support

After some trial and error, I finally found a therapist that worked for me, and that was when I was first introduced to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This form of therapy was life changing. It helped me challenge my unhealthy thinking patterns and work through my high levels of anxiety. I managed to sit my final year exams, which was something I never thought I would be able to achieve.

I wouldn’t have been able to do this without getting the right support as well as relying on those in my inner circle. Later down the line, I also completed a BA and a MA, something that seemed impossible in my teenage years. Without getting the support that I needed for my mental health, I wouldn’t have found a new love for learning and an interest in subjects like Psychology and Sociology. I am so grateful I gave myself that opportunity and acknowledged that I needed to reach out to others for support.

Impact of pandemic

This was not the end of my mental health journey, however. As we know, mental health is not linear and there are lots of ups and downs that we come across during our lives. My anxiety was prominent in my late teens and early twenties, but I found myself feeling consumed and overwhelmed with these feelings when I made the move from Ireland to the UK at the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. I was suddenly thrown into a new country, away from my family, in a time of worldwide uncertainty and my mental health took a drastic turn. I was feeling overwhelmed with anxiety but also depression and I found myself struggling to get out of bed and take care of myself more and more as the days went on. I had never felt so low, and it scared me deeply. I was signed off work and was trying to navigate mental health services in a whole new country. I was ringing 111 and crisis services on long nights, and phoning GP surgeries and counselling services throughout the day.

Thankfully, I managed to obtain counselling from my local NHS Talking Therapies service and was started on some medication. Once again, I could feel things starting to lift for me. It was at this point, that I started implementing various techniques and coping strategies into my daily routine. I had reached a new low and I wanted to do everything I could to look after my mind going forward.

Introducing yoga

I started implementing yoga into my everyday life. I have always enjoyed all things yoga and meditation, and once I had found something that helped clear my constant racing thoughts, I clung onto it. I started doing online yoga classes and yoga videos and eventually, when things started opening again after lockdown, found some yoga classes in my area. Yoga was suddenly becoming such a big part of my self-care, that if I found myself unable to do it, I was noticing an instant impact on my mental health. The chaotic thoughts and overwhelm would come back.

In January of 2022, I enrolled in a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Programme. I wanted to learn more about the teachings of yoga and its history. I also hoped that I could help others in the way my yoga teachers had for me. In January 2024, I received my certificate and am now a qualified yoga teacher. I will be teaching classes for the first time this month.

We all know movement is key to keeping our mental health in check, but it’s hard to know where to start. I think yoga is a great because of all the resources out there. There are thousands of YouTube videos that include just 10 minutes of light stretching and breathing exercises, which can have a hugely positive effect. I would encourage anyone who hasn’t tried yoga to give it a go – hopefully it can provide you with the same comfort it has provided for me.

Coping strategies

As I sit here, in the autumn of 2024, I continue to have regular therapy, take medication and rely on the support system I have around me. I still have bad days, but they are a lot more manageable, and I feel more in control of my own emotions and reactions. This is because of the therapy I have received and the coping strategies I’ve learnt – yoga, meditation and journaling have been great. I have also had the opportunity to use my experience to help others in my role as a peer support worker at Solent Mind. Younger me would never have thought that what I was going through, could lead to me into supporting and guiding others in the future, but I’m so glad it did. I love being able to support others, but also, I find it is important for my own mental health to speak to others that understand how I think, how I process information and how I manage day-to-day. It makes me feel so much less alone.

As someone who has struggled with their mental health from a young age and didn’t know how to cope or where to start with getting support, I would encourage anyone to reach out. I know it can be daunting, but please speak to those around you – your GP, peer support groups, your local NHS Therapy Service. You deserve the support, you deserve to be listened to, and you will come out the other side of this.