Page 5 ft. Siobhán O’Loughlin

Hi my name is Siobhán, I am an actor and makeup artist based in Toronto/Dublin. Up until two years ago I never fully understood what anxiety was until it came to visit me. I was at a stage in my life where everything seemed up in the air and the unknown was really weighing me down. I always had a smile planted on my face but I was tired of putting it on. I became unhappy—I knew all the things I should be doing in my life but the motivation was not there. I stopped putting effort into the things that I enjoyed: my health, career, creativity, relationships and rarely left the house unless I had too. Why was I feeling this way? I would start my day by counting “5-4-3-2-1” to try and motivate myself out of bed, began a gratitude journal, sat in the book shop reading self-help books or listing out my goals. I could still feel the negativity creeping into my daily life & I wanted to make a change so I decided to start Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This was a secret I intended to keep - what if someone found out? What would they think? Is there something wrong with me? That was until I became more aware of mental health and how many others share/shared similar struggles. The more open I was the better I felt and slowly but surely I was learning different ways to control my emotions, identify what was happening and work through it. Everyone’s journey is different but I hope if you are reading this you know you are not alone. I am grateful for platforms like BTS where others can feel comfortable sharing their stories. A safe place where you can be you, open up about vulnerable moments & remind people to be kind- you never know what others are going through. We often post on social media our best selves, how we want to be seen, our highlight reel. Please remember this the next time you are scrolling and comparing your life to others. Thank you to those who have shared your story & inspired me to share mine. I still have days when I feel blue & unmotivated and that’s okay. I take each day as it comes- here’s to TODAY ♥️