Scarlett Moffatt: ‘I want people to know my experiences with mental illness and understand that they’re not alone’

Being part of Metro.co.uk’s Mental Health Awareness Week is me coming full circle. 

I’m 30 now but I first realised I was suffering with mental health issues when I was around 19. 

I didn’t actually speak up though until I was about 24, because I felt that I was the only person feeling this way. 

By then, I had to really force myself to go outside the house. I’d get butterflies when I went to the front door. I remember watching This Morning, with Holly and Phil talking about mental health and this woman was saying sometimes she felt like she was having out of body experiences and she got really down about things. 

That’s when I realised maybe I’m not the only person going through this – and I’m so glad I’ve been given a platform to help others. 

As Guest Entertainment Editor, I want to speak openly about trolling – not only the impact it has, but how we can help those who do it. 

I also want people to know my experiences with mental health and illness and understand that they’re not alone. 

On top of that, I’ve had a lovely chat with Drag Race’s Cheryl Hole about the importance of allyship, and I’ve even done a piece sharing my top five watches to lift your mood.

I’m also really proud to say that I’ve just become an ambassador for mental health charity Samaritans, who have been a huge help to me over the years. When I found out, I burst into tears!

They’re such an amazing charity. As well as the phone lines, they now even have an app that manages how you feel so you can see what certain things affect you and ways to help that. 

Covid has meant we’ve all been in the house for such a long time, and a lot of people are struggling or have new mental health illnesses that they didn’t realise before. 

People are feeling more anxious than normal and don’t know how to go out in the real world again. 

Hopefully, we can put things in place so people feel safe and happy to go out in the world again and be their best selves. 

And that’s what I mean about things coming full circle for me, as I’m now in such a fortunate position to help people just like me. 

Scarlett is taking part in Samaritans virtual fundraising marathon Samarathon, click here to find out more.

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