Serena Terry, known on TikTok as Mammy Banter, has opened up about her own struggles in a bid to help others on World Mental Health Day.
Chatting to her social media followers, the Derry woman revealed how she has suffered from anxiety and depression for the last seven years.
Encouraging others not to neglect their mental health needs, Serena admitted that she "wouldn't be here" if she had sought help for her own mental health concerns.
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"This is just a reminder that what you see on social media is not always real," Serena said. "I am not a mental health practitioner, nor have I any mental health qualifications.
"I just tell my story in the hope that somebody who can relate to it feels that they're not alone and know that asking for help is the strongest thing that you can do.
"My issues started about seven years ago. I had post-natal depression but didn't realise I had post-natal depression, and then this manifested and spiralled into the impending doom monster that we call anxiety, and I struggled for two years because I refused to admit that I needed help.
"I tried all the holistic options, CBT mediation, yoga, all that good stuff. On its own, for me personally, it didn't work.
"I hit rock bottom and I finally admitted that I needed help, in the form of medication. There's no point in saying what medication I'm on, everybody is made differently."
She continued: "But if I didn't take this medication personally, I wouldn't be able to execute the other ways that I manage my mental health. So as well as taking medication, I also do a few activities that help me manage my physical and mental health.
"For me, it's either running or cold water dipping. I go down and jump into the ocean with a pile of friends, and it is amazing.
"Asking for help is the strongest thing you can do, it's the best thing I've ever done because if I hadn't then I wouldn't be here today achieving the things I'm achieving or just being able to have a quality of life.
"That's what it's all about, having a quality of life. So if you are struggling, know that you're not alone and that it's OK to ask for a wee bit of help."
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