Sarah Frances Louise Cullen

General information

Why I created this page

Being open and honest about your own mental health is extremely hard as there is a lot of stigma attached to mental health issues.

A lot of people hear the word “mental health” and automatically think of someone that shows obvious signs of mental health such as someone talking to their imaginary friend or the local crazy guy who is living on the streets eating dog food! But that really isn’t the case, people all around you are suffering in silence because of the stigma attached to it.

My quest is to not only help others but to also better understanding myself.

Iv reached the age of 32 and I am still learning at what triggers my negative emotions, I am constantly analyzing why I feel the way I do. Thankfully I am mentally stable the majority of the time but, recently my thoughts have consumed me and I have not only been feeling psychologically ill but also very physically ill and the two are completely linked.

From an early age I used and alcohol and class A drugs to deal with my emotional struggles (I no longer do this). We grew up with an abusive father who also had mental health problems and I do believe this has also contributed to the state of my mental health now.

The tough thing about mental health is that when you’re having an episode it is extremely hard to get yourself out of it and for anyone else around you to help you. I myself have come to the realise this evening that I push people that I love away, like some wounded animal trying to heal its wounds. Blaming everyone else for the emotional pain that I am in but deep down I am full of self hatred, fear and loneliness as that is what depression makes you feel like, totally lost and alone.

The problem is, is that depression or low mood isn’t classed as an illness. So people around you just think you are being moody or a “typical women” but the reason it is called mental “illness” is because it is an illness. It can be crippling but with the understanding of your friends or a loved one the pain of it can be brought down to a minimum.

My depression/ loopiness/ hormonal nut case episode has been creeping up in the past few weeks and I have recently been diagnosed with food intolerances, digestive problems, adrenal fatigue & thyroid dysfunction- This means I have had to cut out a lot of the foods that I love and to not exercise (I can do Yoga/Pilates). Exercise has always been my Prozac and food my greatest love so no wonder I feel like I have been on a downward spiral.

So this leads me to my point…..Mental health goes hand in hand with your physical health and this page is here to help educate not only myself but also anyone else out there that suffers with mental health issues, whether it be themselves or a loved one.

I have every faith that we can help heal ourselves through good diet, lifestyle choices and exercise. We just need to workout where we might be going wrong.

Good luck to us all.

Sarah xx