MENTAL-HEALTH BATTLES
Urging others who may be struggling with their mental health to reach out for help,
Zoe said, ‘Billy had lived with depression for a huge chunk of his life. It’s so hard to watch someone you love struggle with their mental health.
‘It’s so isolating to be trapped in your mind like that.
‘When you doubt yourself, you doubt everything you’ve ever known. You doubt your family love you. You doubt your friends care. It’s important to share that there is hope.
‘Life’s very tough for many reasons. When you can, if you’re suffering from mental-health problems, try and be brave. Reach out for help from your friends and family.
‘I can promise you, they would do anything for you, and it’s not an easy thing to do. Try to remember you’re not alone in this funny old life.
‘Cuddle those who you love and treasure those memories.’
Thanks to coping with the menopause – coupled with her grief
– Zoe has had her own share of mental-health problems to overcome.
Opening up about her menopausal struggles, Zoe said, ‘You feel you’re going slightly mad. You get this terrible anxiety, which in any job is a nightmare, but especially in live radio.
‘There’s “meno madness”. You get rage, you get sobbing, you get heat, you pile on the hormonal pounds.’
But her new love of the outdoors has helped Zoe deal with these challenges and take them in her stride.
‘I find the garden so calming,’ Zoe admitted. ‘It’s perfect for my over-busy brain and it’s especially good for my menopause anxiety.’