I felt damaged, worthless, pathetic, hating myself. But now, I’m stronger, proud, and love who I see in the mirror. It may seem unreachable to you, thinking these feelings will never change. I was like you, never imagining I’d want to live. Why? Let me explain briefly.

I was sexually abused by my dad from age 3 until I was finally understood at 8. I mentioned it before but couldn’t make myself clear. The abuse stopped, but the mental torture didn’t. At 8, I had to undergo a traumatic police examination, feeling scared and alone.

Years later, I was in a mentally abusive relationship, controlled in every way by the father of my three children. I left him at 22, but I hated myself and felt like damaged goods. I saw no way out and tried to end it all, thinking I couldn’t be a good mum and might turn into a monster like my dad.

I came very close to dying, but that was my wake-up call.

From that day, I decided if I couldn’t end my life, I should do something about it. I forced myself daily to find three reasons not to give up. One day, I wrote, “I could help others if I learn how to help myself.” Now, I run a business combining my counselling qualifications, personal training, and lived experiences to help others in business who want to recover from mental illness too.

So what can you start doing today? To help you deal with your emotions and with communicating them. Well you can create a mood key. Record how different moods affect you—what helps and what doesn’t. For example, Adele’s music may help release sadness, while upbeat dance music might not. Share this key with those around you.

If you would like more help on your mental fitness you can get my top 3 tips to reduce the noise in your head so you can have a productive and empowering day; as well as a template mood key, by following me on Instagram at: www.instgram.com/stronger_than_your_mind and using the link in my bio.