Your stories

Today I read a book out loud, whilst with my therapist. My therapist is a safe person. A good man. We read the book about touch because I was sexually abused as a child. And as an adult, even though I am a happily married mother of two, touch and sex still confuse me. What is 'safe'? What is 'good'? What is OK and allowed, and for whom? I thought the book would help me. And in a way it...

At school, I was your typical quiet girl with low self-esteem and zero confidence. Combine this with a smattering of bullying and rejection from ‘boys’ and it’s almost inevitable that my mental health began to suffer. For me, it was a particular moment when yet another boy I liked told me he liked me, but “not like that” that was the tipping point and I started to...

I was born with a rare eye condition called Nystagmus, which is when the eyes make repetitive, uncontrolled movements. For me, these involuntary movements occur from side to side. It can often result in reduced vision and depth perception, which can affect balance and coordination. Personally, I don’t feel these movements, however, when my eyes work too hard, I can feel the ache and...

I started working in a school kitchen when I was nineteen. At the time I had few symptoms of depression, and so was undiagnosed. The job was brilliant, and I was promoted from kitchen porter to baker within a year. It was at this point that my problems began. Over the next three years, the added pressure of my work pushed me into depression and anxiety. Within that time, I visited my GP and was...

You may know her from Coronation Street and Loose Women but there is much more to Denise Welch than meets the eye. In an honest, uplifting interview with Happiful, Denise talks of her battles with depression and addiction. But perhaps most importantly, Denise talks of how she survived the ‘blackness’ and why she looks forward to the future. During the Happiful photoshoot, Denise...

You might be familiar with the term ‘separation anxiety’, understanding it as a condition that more commonly affects children, and even animals. But have you heard it used in relation to parents? Separation anxiety is common in children aged between six months and three years. It can be an intense, difficult time, but children will typically grow out of it. Separation anxiety in...

Speaking in an interview with happiful, Tamara Ecclestone shares her experience of separation anxiety with three-year-old daughter, Sophia. Despite being a devoted mum, Tamara admits that her unconditional love may have caused her to suffer parental separation anxiety. Since giving birth in 2014, the Formula One heiress has faced criticism over her parenting skills. A believer in attachment...

As a first time mum, I didn’t really know there was a problem until my daughter was nine months old. I knew I didn’t feel like myself from the very beginning, but I just assumed all new mums felt like that. I also suffered from OCD as a teenager which flared back up after the birth of my first daughter. The first time I remember feeling separation anxiety was when my daughter was 3...

For as long as I can remember I have suffered from depression and anxiety. I have always felt different, as though I didn't belong, from a very young age in primary school. I felt isolated, alone, like I was unable to be understood. This continued into secondary school and subsequently adulthood, hiding behind a facade with no one knowing the real me. I continued to push others away and...