[ tr ? id = 594451801089034 & ev = PageView & noscript = 1 ] # Women ' s Agenda " Feed Women ' s Agenda " Comments Feed Women ' s Agenda " What I learned from having a nervous breakdown at 25 Comments Feed alternate alternate alternate IFRAME : https://w.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-K4LB8XP Skip to content * * * * * * About us * Contact Us * Advertise with us * Subscribe * Extra * News & Views + Ed ’ s Blog + Soapbox + Appointments * Politics + Local + World * Business + Employers + Entrepreneurs + Tech * Leadership + Advice + Profiles + The Thought Leader ’ s Hub + Leadership Awards * Climate * Life + Books + Health + Jugglehood + Money + Screen + Work Style + Video * Events * Podcasts * Womens Health News * Extra * × Search for : ( BUTTON ) ( BUTTON ) ( BUTTON ) × * Extra * News & Views + Ed ’ s Blog + Soapbox + Appointments * Politics + Local + World * Business + Employers + Entrepreneurs + Tech * Leadership + Advice + Profiles + The Thought Leader ’ s Hub + Leadership Awards * Climate * Life + Books + Health + Jugglehood + Money + Screen + Work Style + Video * Events * Podcasts * About us * Contact Us * Advertise with us * Subscribe * Extra Search for : ( BUTTON ) * * * * * Ed ' s Blog What I learned from having a nervous breakdown at 25 by Georgie Dent | October 10 , 2013 This story was first published on November 10 , 2013 . Today is World Mental Health Day so I thought it might be a good day to share my own experience . At the tender age of 25 I suffered a nervous breakdown . I was working as a junior solicitor in a big Sydney law firm at the time and it started one night when I collapsed with vertigo in my office . I spent the next four months , in bed , in and out of hospitals , unable to walk because of this debilitating dizziness . I took an extended period of leave without pay from work . I stayed with my parents in their home in northern New South Wales because I couldn ’ t look after myself . The 45 - odd square metre apartment I shared with my beloved boyfriend in inner - Sydney was not exactly suitable for another person and between completing his degree and being a professional athlete , he couldn ’ t take care of me every day . My head was spinning and my world went with it . In search of an explanation , over the next four months I saw five general practitioners , two ear nose & throat specialists , three neurologists , three gastroenterologists , one gynaecologist , one physician , one counsellor , one acupuncturist , one naturopath , a yoga guru , two osteopaths , a dietician and two psychiatrists . I told and re - told my story . Over and over . Time and time again . I had an MRI , an MRA , a CT scan , an ultrasound , two audiology tests , three neurological assessments , one balance test and too many blood tests to count . I tried countless diets – sugar - free , gluten - free , dairy - free , salicylate - free , alcohol - free and caffeine - free . And at the end of all that , there was still no answer . I was as dizzy as ever and terrified . Despite no medical professional agreeing , logic suggested to me , and those closest to me , that my meltdown was most likely the toll eight years ’ of Crohn ’ s disease had taken on my body . Crohn ’ s is a form of inflammatory bowel disease . It ’ s ugly and very painful and there ’ s no cure , so give or take nasty medication , it ’ s pretty permanent . My attitude towards Crohn ’ s from the moment I was diagnosed at 19 , consisted largely of denial . I was determined not to let it interrupt my life and for years I thought that worked . Wise words from a kind 70 - year old physician , proved the turning point . He looked me in the eye and told me this vertigo was my body ’ s way of telling me something . In his experience , he said , unexplained physical symptoms are inevitability a symptom of stress . He said stress has a very real impact on the body . Unlike when other doctors had asked if I was feeling stressed , depressed or anxious , when he said this , I didn ’ t feel the urge to scream from the top of my lungs “ OF COURSE I ’ M FEELING BLOODY STRESSED / DEPRESSED / ANXIOUS BECAUSE IN CASE YOU HAVEN ’ T NOTICED I ’ M 25 AND I HAVEN ’ T WALKED PROPERLY FOR MONTHS AND NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHY ! ” Instead I listened . I knew it was true . I resigned myself to the fact there was no magical cure for my spinning head . Up until that point , I believed I was losing my mind because I had lost my body . Ironically , I was losing my body because I had lost my mind . [ svg % 3E ] [ IWD WomensAgenda 300 x300 . gif ] I started seeing a psychologist , I started taking medication for anxiety and I started to relocate my feet . It was symbolic , because I hadn ’ t been there for four months , but I resigned from the law firm . At that point it was a no - brainer , but after slavishly devoting myself to six years of uni in a bid to secure myself a job in a big commercial law firm , and a few years living that reality , it was still terrifying . I spent a fortnight of my own volition in a seriously unglamorous rehabilitation facility . I took part in group therapy , I learned a lot about anxiety and depression , I did yoga and I enjoyed having some space . I started to feel like me again . The dizziness started to subside and within a few weeks I felt like I had disembarked the boat ride from hell . As I assume is the case with all major meltdowns the experience redefined my life . There is nothing like a few months living with your parents , facing the prospect of being unable to do anything for the rest of your life , to realign your priorities . My idea of a successful day went from surviving an 18 - hour working day in the law firm , proofreading product disclosure statements , escaping the wrath of pathological partners without bursting into tears , to washing my hair and getting out of my pyjamas . After my stint in rehab , I moved back to Sydney and eased myself back into life . I started working casually in a clothes shop , I swam , I did lots of yoga , I read and I was kind to myself . A few months later , when I was looking to start full - time work again , a friend told me about a research position that was being advertised at a magazine . It was a 3 - month contract that involved working closely with journalists . I applied and got it . On my first day , I met the editor - in - chief and explained that I wanted to be a journalist . At the end of my contract he gave me a permanent role as a real - life journalist . That was a bit over five years ago now but I remember the experience like it was yesterday . I didn ’ t feel lucky at the time but soon enough I recognised that I was fortunate to have been forced to navigate the steep learning curve that is good mental health , relatively early in life . Prior to my meltdown I was essentially a battered mind , with the perpetrator being none other than myself . The best bit is I learned to change that . I learned that maintaining strong mental health is a lot like maintaining good physical health . I ’ ve always been conscious of eating well . I love all types of food and my diet is far from Gwyneth Paltrow ’ s macro - biotic regime but on the whole I try to put more good things in my mouth than bad . I hadn ’ t adopted the same approach for my mind but it ’ s exactly the same . If I eat hot chips , chocolate , lollies and fast food for a few days straight , my body will feel awful . If I feed my mind a constant stream of negative morsels – dwelling on all the things I don ’ t do well , don ’ t have , can ’ t do … I will feel awful . The most effective tool I was taught to overcome anxiety and the feelings of inadequacy that often accompany it , was also the simplest . It ’ s this : at night when you put your head on your pillow think of three things you did that day that made you laugh or feel happy , proud or positive . Don ’ t think about the phone - call you didn ’ t make , or the birthday you forgot , or the words you snapped to someone who didn ’ t deserve them , or the dinner you didn ’ t cook , or the email you didn ’ t send . Instead dwell on three things you did – no matter how inconsequential – that made you feel good . It ’ s a surprisingly easy habit to develop . Once you turn your mind to it , breaking a pattern of negative thoughts is easy . Until you recognise it though , for many people , it is second nature to beat themselves up daily . While obviously varying in severity , duration and cause – depression , anxiety , stress , feelings of inadequacy and guilt – are things that every single one of us will grapple with at one point or another . I might be wrong about this but when things fell apart for me I ’ m not sure , from the outside , whether I necessarily looked like someone who was at risk of having a nervous breakdown . From the outside , in virtually every way , I probably looked to be functioning like anyone else . But on the inside it was a very different story . And that ’ s one of the reasons I tell people about my experience . Because particularly when it comes to mental health not everything is always as it seems . Share this by Georgie Dent October 10 , 2013 [ svg % 3E ] [ IWD WomensAgenda 300 x600 . gif ] Stay Smart , Get Savvy ! Get Women ' s Agenda in your inbox * Email * Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged . 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