Mental Health Awareness with

Hello beautiful people! As you are aware, I decided for the month of February to share stories of individuals overcoming mental health in hopes of spreading awareness. It is a great pleasure for me to introduce Charlotte, who has a platform on Instagram and her own website (Bursting My Bubbles https://burstingmybubbles.com/) spreading awareness about mental health. Mental health is health and we should understand and spread awareness to ensure we end the stigma it holds. I came across Charlotte's page when I tagged her account on one of my posts. It was from that moment on we began talking through DM's. Charlotte is truly an amazing person full of energy, love and care. Please take a moment, read Charlotte’s story below, and help us spread awareness.

When people think of mental health, they think of someone rocking back and forth in a corner unable to live a ‘normal’ life. Mental health, like most illnesses, has a really broad spectrum, and has lots of different factors to it. Such as the person, how long they have had it, its severeness and what it actually is. Hi lovely! I’m Charlotte and I am diagnosed with high functioning anxiety, depression and PTSD both acute and complex, emotional irregulation, dissociation and Trauma. I also have dysphoria and dyslexia and have panic attacks on a daily basis. I had my first panic attack at 5 years old, terrified my mum was going to die. Know that, I had no idea until recently that what I experienced way back when was a panic attack and neither did my mum. I remember my chest feeling really tight, my hands feeling HUGE, not being able to catch my breath, and an overwhelming sense of fear surrounding me. That is what I refer to as a ‘biggie’, it’s very rare I have a ‘biggie’ anymore. They can manifest themselves in different ways, I’ll become fixated on something, blabber about rubbish, pace up and down or fidget with an object, for instance. I’ve only in the past couple of years become more open about my mental health, telling people I have it and being more honest as to how it affects my daily life. For various reasons, such as I didn’t receive any help until I was 18 so didn’t fully understand it, and I’m still learning every day! I also grew up at a time where mental health wasn’t (and even now to a certain extent still isn’t) understood or accepted within society. The most common reaction I get is: ‘Well I never would’ve thought you of all people would have anxiety, you're so outgoing and loud’ And then I would begin the spiel about how one of my reasons for being so loud is because in social situations I feel that awkward I (much to my own annoyance) I will just start babbling on about anything and everything that comes into my head. And having trained in performance for 5 years, I can be quite eccentric too. I can assure you, when I am doing this, in my head I’m thinking This also happens a lot with travelling. As people automatically assume because I travel a lot this means I surely can’t suffer so badly with mental health as I claim. To those people I like to smile and wave as I walk away. I haven’t always been this confident when travelling or my mental health, and trust me I have made A LOT of mistakes. My mental health issues didn’t massively impact my travel until I was 17 and started to travel without my parents. There were small issues like me being scared the plane would crash, and formulating a plan in my head as to how I would save my parents. But nothing major! Then at 17 I booked a holiday to Marrakech. I swapped all inclusive 2 week holidays in Spain for more ‘experiential’ holidays i.e. picking a place, booking cheap flights, cheap accommodation and being my own mini travel agent. This threw up a lot of issues for my mental health, I had no idea about Marrakech, its language, its currency or its traditions. Therefore I researched like mad. Bought a Lonely Planet guide and made sure I knew exactly what to expect and a list of things I wanted to do. Whilst there I was mugged, I wanted to go home that night, I sat crying my eyes out to my (then) partner begging to go home. When I realized, did I really want this to ruin my holiday? Besides that one incident, was I having an amazing time? Was there anything I could’ve done to prevent it? And so I learnt the art of giving myself a pep talk, and seriously challenging my intrusive thoughts. Within my first EVER trip, I was learning ways that I could cope with my mental health when travelling. It’s just like ‘real life’, mental health doesn’t get the memo when you're going away, that all your worries and stresses need to be left at airport security. Actually you have more packing to do just to be able to deal with your mental health. The only difference is, it’s more mentally and so you don’t have to pay extra to get it on the plane. When I was in the Canary Islands, I had been travelling on a ferry with no room (as I was 18 and broke, so I slept in the on-board cinema) for over 12 hours. Sleep deprived, I got to the bus station only to realize I had missed the bus I needed to take me to the other side of the island so had to wait 2 hours. Well I had a ‘biggie’ I was terrified, something I had planned, hadn’t happened how it was meant to. I was now out of control, and in my head everything else was going to go wrong, I began to cry ( I love a god cry) I was pacing, hyperventilating and getting myself in such a state in front of a bunch of onlookers thinking I was crazy. Not understanding how scary a place my mind was right then. What did I do? I rang my mum. My safety blanket, someone who understands my irrational mind. She had no idea what I was experiencing and was able to talk me through everything. Make a plan, realize everything hadn’t gone to shit, and the world wasn’t going to end, and that it’s ok, because now I have less than an hour to wait for the bus and then I’ll be able to sit, and focus on my next destination. Because despite what my brain is telling me, I’m having a wonderful time. And just like that I added another coping mechanism to help me when travelling. This is used a fair amount when I’m traveling solo! I just need to keep it to hand so that when something like that happens again, I can remember this is what I need to do to help myself. That’s what is important, to realize that mental health can come in all shapes and sizes. From pacing across a room, to a huge theatrical meltdown in public. It doesn't conform to anything or anyone. If I’d have let my mind win, all those years ago back in Marrakech. I would be miserable right now, I wouldn’t have traveled as much, experienced as much, or grown as much. Travelling has helped me grow as a person, it has allowed me to create a tool box, to deal with my mental health. And as a result now to help others which is incredible. I urge you please, take that first step, and go out of your comfort zone. Be brave, because now is the time for you to be the boss of your life! If I can do it so can you!

Mental health affects everyone indirectly some point in their lives. This is okay and we should not be ashamed or hide it but rather make mental health known and end the stigma. Mental health is health and we must always put ourselves first and make sure we are doing well physically and mentally.

Thank you so much Charlotte for sharing your story. You are truly courageous and love what you do to help others and yourself! I am glad I was able to connect and have conversations with you.

“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.” – Glenn Close.