Millie Mackintosh has candidly opened up about becoming “consumed” by anxiety.
The former Made In Chelsea star took to Instagram on Thursday to share an update on her mental health struggles with her 1.4 million followers.
The 33-year-old revealed she has been taking medication, and seeing a therapist to deal with some “painful experiences” from her teenage years.
“I wanted to have a catch up,” Millie began. “I shared a lot about how I felt during my pregnancies & 4th trimester journeys, but I haven’t checked in for a while so thought I’d share a bit about life lately, particularly my own self-care.”
“I recently recorded a podcast for [The Good Glow], where I shared something, that in all honesty I didn’t think I would. I have had anxiety most of my life and found helpful tools manage it.”
“However, since lockdown & becoming a mother, my anxiety (particularly social anxiety) really started to take over, consuming my thoughts, leading me to feeling trapped.”
“I engaged with therapy, to try and understand where the anxiety stems from, which meant visiting some painful experiences from my teenage years in hopes it would release some of the association and anxiety. Instead, I found it really triggering & became more anxious than ever.”
“After a lot of thought & discussions with my therapist, we decided a low dose of prescribed medication, whist continuing talk therapy, would be the best way forward for now,” Millie continued.
“Although I knew this was the best decision, I found it difficult to admit to myself & my family that I needed this kind of help. I would always encourage and support friends and family in their own mental health journey, but I guess it’s different when you are the one in need.”
“It’s been a few months since I started my medication and with regular exercise & sleep, I am feeling so much better, lighter, I can focus on being the best version of myself for my girls & Hugo [Taylor] without my anxiety stealing the joy from what should have been happy moments. I’m more in control & like myself again!”
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“Being open about mental health is so important! Life is not always as shiny as it seems on here and I feel strongly about normalising these conversations. Thank you [Georgie Crawford] for giving me a safe space to talk, I’ll link our conversation in stories, give it a listen!”
“As a side note, medication is not the answer for everyone, this is just my experience. Ultimately what I want you to take away from this is that it’s ok to ask for help, that whatever you’re going through, however you’re feeling, you’re not alone & there is help out there.”
Millie married her fellow Made In Chelsea star Hugo in September 2013.
The couple share two daughters – two-year-old Sienna, and nine-month-old Aurelia.
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