Welcome to this newsletter

Hey there,

The fact that you are here reading this newsletter means

1. You are curious what I am up to because you still remember me as the HR Professional.
2. You are generally curious.
3. You suffer from anxiety.
4. You know someone suffering from anxiety or depression.

Whatever brought you to this space - WELCOME! I am so glad you are here.

So let me tell you a few words about myself, so you know what you get yourself into ??.

As you can see from my profile, I am an Ex-HR Director and I loved what I did.

One of the myths - like so many HR Professionals - that has brought me into HR was that I can "help" people. Helping people was always a thing for me.

Before I studied translation as my first course, I wanted to become a psychologist. At that time - at least in German universities - studying psychology involved a lot of maths. And guess what! Yup, I sucked at maths. Just seeing maths on my curriculum gave me a mixture of pimples, cold sweat attacks and panic. So doing a course where the first few semesters consisted of a LOT of maths was not an option for me.

So a good few years fast forward, I ended up in HR - by accident really. I was working as a team assistant at that time and was asked, if I wanted to work in HR and I said "yes", without much thinking.

Again a few more years, fast forward, I have worked my way up as an HR Director and loved it. The companies, I worked for. The people I worked with. My roles.

Those of you who know me, know that I always love learning. I think sometimes, I should be working in research at a uni, so that I can learn all day every day. But honestly, I'm more a practical person and I like to apply what I learn to - guess what - correct! Helping people.

One of the things which I have encountered throughout my career and also through my own experience is, that there are a LOT of people out there suffering from anxiety and depression. A LOT!

People you look at and would not even think it. People who seem to have their s**t together, but then go home and cry. People on anti-depressants.

See a while, ago, I thought people who take anti-depressants are weak. Many people think this, especially in a professional environment. Part of my mission is to break this stigma down. Having anxiety or depression and being on medication simply means that you are having a rough time.

A good few years ago now, most of my family members got sick. Direct family members. We went through all sorts of horrific diseases. Strokes, Alzheimers. Motor-neuron disease. Anorexia. Depression. Cancer. Just to name a few.

Trust me, I was a cheerful person up to that point. But after a while it got me. I was never affected myself, but watching people day in day out being sick and struggling even broke me. I could not focus, not sleep. Some days I woke up and thought, WTF, another day. I got high-blood pressure, back problems. Sleeping issues.

And then I decided to get help. Now when you go to the doctor - and no offence to any doctors here - you get some time off, medication and you are put on a waiting list for psychological treatment. And all of this does need to happen at times.

Personally, I did not see myself going to therapy week after week, talking about what happened, problems, issues etc. Also medication was not what I wanted - and no! I'm not trying to talk it down, there's a time and place for it. It just wasn't for me. I wanted to help myself first. And I knew all of this had to begin with me.

So this is where my journey began. After some coaching and therapy and I can pretty much say that I am no longer anxious or depressed, despite circumstances in my family have not that much changed.

Things are still going on and will be for some time. But I have learnt one thing through all these years. You CAN be free from anxiety, if you want to. Without years of going to therapy. And without digging in the past week after week after week.

And this is what I am doing now! Helping people just like you to be FREE from anxiety regardless of what is going on in your life. You can never influence that. But you can influence YOU.

So in these newsletters going forward, I'd like to invite you to go on a journey with me.

On this journey, I will share my wisdom from what I have learnt over the years combined with cutting-edge tools from NLP, CBT, psychotherapy and hypnotherapy as well as coaching. This is what my "Freedom from Anxiety Method" consists of by the way.

This newsletter is here to thought-provoke, inspire and give you hope. And a perspective.

Be kind and share this with anyone who you think can benefit from this.

Now enough talking.

The question I'd like to put out there today is:

WHAT IS YOUR HEART'S DESIRE? What do you really want in life? What is important for you? What lights you up? What makes you get up in the morning? What dreams do you have? What things would you like to do, if money and time and age did not matter?

One of the big reasons why people are anxious or depressed is because they think that their life should be different than what it is. Because they don't see hope. Hope for what they truly want.

Step one is to know what do you truly want.

So grab a piece of paper and write. Share your answers in the comments or via PM. I'm curious.

Enjoy your weekend!