Six to eight months ago, I became really unwell.
I started having... I had a psychotic episode.
And it was really awful and I had felt like I couldn't talk to anyone about it or tell
anyone what was going on.
I've never told anyone before, apart from my doctor after it had happened, that you know
I had experienced psychosis.
Asa is my boss. She was very, very encouraging.
And when I first told Asa what was going on, her initial reaction to me was,
"You really need to go back to your doctor and you really need to sit down and work out
a plan and discuss this further with him."
I was in a bit of denial and just thought that I could manage it on my own and that
I didn't need to go back to the doctor.
But she kind of made me see that it was really important to go back and get the right help.
My manager just generally made me feel comfortable in my role and I knew she respected me as
an employee and an asset to her business.
So, I had no problems in telling her what was going on. I felt that it would be a positive
thing to do.
I love going to work. It's a very positive place to be.
When you're unwell, you don't have that healthy reflection.
You need someone to reflect back to you those positive things that you need to hear.
And she definitely did that at that point in time.
So, it had a very strong effect on me getting the right treatment.
A couple of weeks ago, I was doing end of day, and I just felt like I was doing it all wrong
And I don't think that I was, but I felt like I was doing it all wrong, and because I was
learning how to do it as well.
And I texted her and said, "I can't do it and it's... You should get someone else to
do it."
And she actually texted me back and said, "Of course you can do it, don't be so ridiculous."
And it was very positive and encouraging, which is good.
I just feel amazing when I'm in the garden or I'm running
because nothing comes in and nothing goes out
It's a really helpful and effective thing to do to stay well.
Staying well to me means taking my medication. That's the number one thing on my list, is
that I have to take my medication.
And I like to run, which I also find really helpful. I have regular check-ins with my
doctor, and try to be doing different things.
Having a mental illness is no different to having diabetes or cancer or any of those things
It's just a matter of going through, finding out what works with your doctor, and following
through with that, I think, is also very important.
And regular exercise and having a good support network is definitely also very helpful.
People that you can call if you're having a moment where you think, "Oh, this is all
too much, I can't do this anymore, I don't want to have this illness anymore",
they can kind of encourage you and help you see that it's not all that bad.
My advice to managers is if you have an employee that comes to you that needs help,
the most empowering thing that you could to for them is to help them to get better because
you're in a position of power and they're feeling vulnerable.
And if you can help them, like saying things, "Let's make an appointment to go to the doctor,
let's help you get the right treatment because it is manageable and you will feel better,
you just don't at the moment, and we'll help you in any way we can," being positive and
encouraging, it's really, really important.
And you can change someone's life if you make the right choice.
I just feel very strongly about mental health problems and I feel that at times, I've been
stigmatised and I just don't want...
If I can help someone else to not feel that way, I think that's very important thing to
be a part of,
even if I am a private person who doesn't like to be filmed. [chuckle]