Alice

‘For me, health is more of a mental obstacle than a physical one. For most of my life I have had a fluctuating relationship with my anxiety and OCD. Exacerbated by my struggle to see myself as more than just an exam grade, or other peoples’ opinion of me I found school a really difficult place. Eventually I got to a point where I realised something had to change. I started seeing a psychologist, and I set up a feminist equality group at school where people could freely share their opinions on how it feels to be marginalized. A supportive group of boys and girls who really respected what I was saying helped me move past my mental and physical obstacles. I now recognise that a big part of my step towards healthiness was accepting and recognising that I wasn’t healthy and that I needed help.

By opening up to my friends, surrounding myself with healthy relationships and standing up to the people and fears that made me feel so useless has made me into the body confident, positive and strong person that I am today. Mental health is something that comes naturally to some, but for others its something you have to acknowledge, work on, and sometimes learn to live with. Although I feel like I’ve found my happiness there’s so many people out there struggling to voice their opinion, and the ‘taboo’ of mental health is something I’d really like to work to change in the future.

Its only with projects like The Health Diary that people will feel able to share these stories, and work towards a more safe, tolerant and empowering view of mental health.’