Why I am glad I suffer from Anxiety

It's mental Health Awareness Week

I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. I don't talk about it much and thankfully I am now able to manage it without medication but I have to be very mindful of my mental health and it can be a challenge.

Despite of all this the other day I was glad of it.

Why?

Because it meant that I could help someone else.

I received an email from a candidate who was clearly completely overwhelmed by the onboarding process. the email was long and rambling and some of it made no sense. At the end she said that she thought she should decline the role and allow me to offer it to someone who deserved it!

When I interviewed this candidate her passion for fashion and the company shone through. No one "deserved" this role more than she did.

I could have been dismissive of this email I could have seen it as "unprofessional" I could have accepted that she declined the role and offered it to someone else. But I knew she was reaching out for help.

I was able to put myself right in her shoes and feel the sort of emotions she was feeling.

I reassured her that she was good enough and that together we would get her through this process.

I answered all of her questions or told her exactly where to get her answers and I broke down each step she had to go through to make it easier for her to see a path through.

In the past I may not have reacted in this way but through better education on mental health and knowing the impact first hand that it can have on you I did my best to support this person.

If someone reaches out to you, grab their hand. They might just need you to steady their ship. They might need you to understand, or their needs might be too complex for you to deal with so know where to signpost them to so that they can get the proper help they need.

Be aware Be there