Tegan from Mai Morning Crew has opened up about her mental health struggles and offered some advice to those struggling in an amazingly open and emotional Instagram post.
She’ says really good now but wanted to share the struggles she's had overcoming seeking external validation, overthinking anxious thoughts and negative self-talk.
“At the moment I’m good. TRULEY,” she said to start the post. “But it hasn’t happened overnight. I found myself in familiar situations where I thought my worst demons would be brought to the surface once again but I’ve managed to come out with an uppercut every single time.”
“I have notoriously been someone who relies on others to feel validated, relies on others to get me out of tough spots, and relies on others to give me answers to any anxiety-driven questions that have had me in a chokehold.”
She then shares that she already has all the love and support she needs, not just from her closest loved ones but also from herself.
“But, I can only rely on myself when it comes to facing those challenges. I’ve learnt this year to stop seeking love and connection outside of what I already have (the love from friends and family is so whole that you don’t NEED to always look for more).”
“I’ve learnt to take brutal criticisms and nasty comments with a grain of salt. I really started to take them personally and doubt my worth. And I’ve learnt to stop telling f*cking stories (for my fellow anxiety sisters out there).”
“The most hilarious and humbling thing my counsellor ever said to me when I started to overthink was ‘Tegan, stop telling stories’.”
“Any time I began on a rant about how something COULD mean this or this person PROBABLY feels this way about me I would have to tell myself to STOP TELLING STORIES. Because those places I let myself get to are all because of made-up stories in my head.”
“Next time you start to overthink, just picture me telling you to stop telling stories k?”.
Opening up even more, Tegan shares a few of the negative opinions she’s had of herself in recent times, before sharing a mindset that helped her get over those poor opinions.
“Here are some of the worst thoughts I’ve had this year: I’ve wanted to binge eat, told myself I didn’t deserve to be where I am, told myself I’m ugly, criticised my body beyond belief, wanted to quit my job; but I’m still here.”
“If you take anything from this just know to be your own champion. Be kind to you. And make sure you can find every answer and every bit of help for yourself WITHIN yourself.”
“Invest in yourself. It’ll pay off. Cheers to being self-sufficient kweens this year 👑 and telling ya demons to f*ck off because they ain’t paying no rent.”
We wanna give all the praise to Tegan for opening up, letting people know it’s okay to not be okay, and sharing how she manages to get out of negative headspaces.
If you or someone you know is currently struggling with mental health, please do not hesitate to use the resources below.
All the services listed here are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week unless otherwise specified.
The below list is provided by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
National Helplines
Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor.
- Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP).
- Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO).
- Healthline – 0800 611 116
- Samaritans – 0800 726 666
Depression-specific helplines
- Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202 (to talk to a trained counsellor about how you are feeling or to ask any questions).
- www.depression.org.nz – includes The Journal online help service.
- SPARX.org.nz – online e-therapy tool provided by the University of Auckland that helps young people learn skills to deal with feeling down, depressed or stressed.
