World Mental Health Day 2025

Dear Friends,

It was World Mental Health Day last week, so I would like to dedicate this letter to it.

Before we begin, I want you to know that I see you. I see your struggles and your victories, and I am truly proud of you.

I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and have spent years in regular therapy. That said, I am not a qualified therapist, and honestly, I have no interest in diagnosing or telling you what you should or should not do. I am simply speaking as someone who has her own battles and finds comfort in shared experience.

Seven years ago, during a phone call with my therapist, she said, “From what I hear, I think you have Generalised Anxiety Disorder.” This came after a panic attack I experienced during a nationwide biology exam. I had never received a diagnosis before, so it was new and incredibly confusing. What do you mean I have a “disorder”? I overthink, yes, but isn’t that normal before important exams? Not long after, I was prescribed my first antidepressant. That moment felt like a punch to the gut. I felt exposed, as though something was fundamentally wrong with me. The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became.

A year later, the COVID-19 pandemic began. Between the isolation and personal challenges, I found myself struggling with food. More precisely, I began to feel guilty about eating. In my mind, restricting food became a way to regain the control I felt I had lost. So, without my family’s knowledge, I started skipping meals. I was often physically hungry, but the intrusive thoughts would not quiet down. For the most part, I did not want to worry my family or my therapist, so I stayed silent longer than I should have. Looking back, considering the psychological damage caused by severing the mind-body connection, I truly wish I had spoken up sooner.

So, why am I sharing these stories, even though they happened more than five years ago?

Because I am still navigating the same challenges. For a long time, I felt ashamed to admit that even though life has moved forward, I am in a different stage and have achieved many things, my anxiety and intrusive thoughts still show up from time to time. Just yesterday, I was given a ‘D’ in driving school for overthinking (lol).

But here is what has changed: I have come to own my struggles. These challenges have shaped me into the person I am today. They have shifted my perspective from passively enduring what life brings to actively facing difficulties and choosing to grow.

The tears I have shed in therapy or during conversations with friends and family have helped me embrace vulnerability. And now I understand that vulnerability is not a weakness; it is what makes us human. That includes you as well.

So please, do not be afraid. It is perfectly all right not to be OK. The challenges you are facing are part of what makes you who you are. You are stronger than you realise, and I hope you know how deeply loved you are.

Until next time!

LOTS of love,

Aislin