Fame no protection against feelings of failure

FAILURE is an F-word we can all relate to. Even today, as you read this, it’s likely you’ve felt like you failed on some level – whether it’s work, as a parent, on a health or fitness goal. It seems celebrities aren’t immune, either. Recently, singer and presenter (and Strictly star) Frankie Bridge said in a magazine interview: “If you ask me today if I think I’m a failure I’d say ‘No’, but ask me tomorrow and I might say ‘Yes’. That could be down to anything. I might feel like a failure in friendships, in relationships, with my kids, as a mum, at work, anything.” We’d all immediately rush to say Bridge is no failure. Just like our friends would to us – and we would to our friends. So why do we put this badge on ourselves? And how can we try to overcome it? Bridge has opened up in the past about her struggles with depression – and she’s, by far, not the only woman in the spotlight to have done so. Former Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton revealed she became very depressed after having to pull out of her Everest attempt, as part of Our Everest Challenge With Ben Fogle & Victoria Pendleton for ITV (Fogle did make the full ascent). Pendleton’s health had deteriorated dangerously due to hypoxia, and the lack of oxygen can also trigger depression, but her feelings of failure and anger at the situation were clear to see in the show. Chloe Brotheridge, a hypnotherapist, anxiety expert and author of The Anxiety Solution (calmer-you.com), says it’s completely normal to feel this way. “But we suffer needlessly from it. It comes down to, in parts, perfectionism and feeling like we have these incredibly high standards for ourselves and compare ourselves with the idea of ‘perfect’. There’s also a fear of success, which can almost be as big a problem as fear of failure,” says Brotheridge. “We worry: What if we can’t keep this up? What if we we’re re successful

Author and anxiety expert Chloe Brotheridge.