My Possible Self

Anyone can experience a mental health problem. But those who identify as LGBTQIA+ are more likely to develop problems like low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, self harm, suicidal feelings, post-traumatic stress disorders and substance abuse.  Being LGBTQIA+ doesn't cause these problems. But the struggles and challenges commonly faced such as homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, stigma and discrimination, difficult experiences of co...

Recent studies suggest that bullying in adolescence and childhood can have worse long-term effects on young adult‘s mental health than being subject to maltreatment during childhood. According to a report gathered by The Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme; 22% of young people aged 12-20 in the UK say they have experienced bullying behaviour in the past 12 months, 27% of young people say they have witnessed bullying be...

Bullying and harassment is behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated or offended. And when it takes place at work, it can make your working life miserable, subsequently losing faith in yourself and your abilities. It can also leave you feeling ill and depressed, vulnerable, isolated and challenging to motivate yourself to work.

In the second installment of My Possible Self’s mini-series on bullying, host Gabby talks to Julie ...

In the first of 3 bonus episodes looking at how bullying can effect a person's mental health and what steps we can take to prevent, report and stop it as quickly as possible, host Gabby talks to Alex Holmes about the complex world of cyber bullying. Alex is a leading anti-bullying campaigner, Founder of Anti-Bullying Ambassadors and Deputy CEO of The Diana Award. He is also a Trust & Safety advisor to Twitch/TikTok/Twitter/Yubo/Ins...

International speaker and best selling author of ‘The Magic of Surrender’, Kute Blackson, joins host Gabby to close season 1 of the My Possible Self podcast. In this episode Kute explains the importance of allowing ourselves to feel our feelings and not suppress our emotions. Why letting go, trusting and surrendering to what is and can not be changed, no matter the circumstance or situation, can ultimately lead us quicker down the ...

While the stigma surrounding mental illness affects people of all genders, research shows that men tend to have an even harder time admitting they need help. In England, around one in eight men has a common mental health problem such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)... although these are only the reported cases.

Society's expectations and traditional gender roles play a role in why men a...

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings. People with bipolar experience both episodes of severe depression, and episodes of mania – presenting in ways such as overwhelming joy, excitement, happiness, huge energy, a reduced need for sleep, and reduced inhibitions.

Dr Nick Prior is a psychiatrist and co-creater of the app Minderful, who has lived with bipolar type II for over a decade. ​​Working ...

We are beginning to understand that exercise is important to help us manage our mental health, working wonders for depression, anxiety and stress relief in particular. But how and why does the magic happen? And what else is going on behind the scenes in our brains when we work out?

Andrew Wade, founder and CEO of Case Specific Nutrition, also a registered dietician and fitness expert, has many of the answers. In this episode Andrew...

‘Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World’ is the campaign slogan for this year’s World Sleep Day on March 18th 2022. And not without good reason as sleep and mental health are intrinsically linked. Lack of sleep is related to many psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, ptsd and psychosis. And those suffering with mental health problems are likely to have insomnia, suffer from sleep disturbances, or other sleep disorde...

To mark the release of this episode coinciding with International Women’s Day, My Possible Self presents a conversation with a truly inspiring female; international speaker and entrepreneur, Dani Wallace. Having experienced growing up in the presence of alcoholism on the council estates of Preston, Dani then went on to face domestic abuse, homelessness, and single parenthood. A self-proclaimed (former) serial self-sabotager, determ...

Eating Disorders are a distressing mental illness that is estimated to affect around 1.25 million people in the UK and at least 9% of the population worldwide. We are releasing this episode to coincide with Eating Disorders Awareness week in the UK, to learn more about the various types of Eating Disorders, how we can support loved ones and why early detection is paramount.

Gemma Oaten - is an actress best known for her work on Emm...

The amount of pressure put under females during the childbearing years can be inconsiderate, overwhelming, and scary, taking its toll on our mental wellbeing. Societal and loved ones' expectations and interference, even if it is meant with good intentions, can leave a female feeling isolated, burdened, and lacking in confidence. The pressures are endless from ‘the clock is ticking’, to if you are ready or able to conceive, how you ...

Not being comfortable and happy in our body is one of the biggest challenges to our self worth and self-esteem. So often, we can be our own worst critic, not helped by being bombarded with images of the ‘perfect body', in films, on social media, on TV, in magazines or on billboards which for the majority of us, is unachievable.

Health, fitness and positive body image coach Kayley Sims has built up thousands of fans on social media ...

Research has shown that children who eat more nutritional diets, with more fruit and vegetables, have better mental health and wellbeing. Good nutrition can help a child grow strong and healthy whilst also enhancing their cognitive function and brain development. However, what many parents don't realize is that what your child eats can also impact their mental health and learning capabilities negatively, if their diet is lacking in...

February is International Boost Self-Esteem Month, an annual event dedicated to improving self-esteem among people across the globe. While having low self-esteem isn't a mental health problem in itself, living with low self-esteem can be detrimental to our mental health and lead to serious illnesses, such as depression, anxiety or an eating disorder. 

The key to combating low self-esteem is self-love. Self-love is to practice a hig...

If you haven't been to therapy before, the thought of seeing a therapist can be intimidating and scary. The fear of opening up to a complete stranger about deeply personal issues is a common one for first-timers, but if you can work through these feelings and take that step, the rewards can be tremendous, even life-changing.

Author, influencer, mental health advocate and trainee psychotherapist Jo Love believes everyone could ben...

Alcohol misuse interferes with chemicals in the brain that are vital for good mental health. So while initially after a drink we might feel relaxed and less stressed, in the long run the damage from the misuse of alcohol is highly likely to contribute to feelings of depression, anxiety and later down the line, dementia. 

Millie Gooch, founder of the Sober Girl Society, an online platform for sober, sober curious, and mindful drink...

There’s very few of us that escape the clutches of stress and yet are we doing enough to keep it at bay? Stress can take its toll physically, emotionally and mentally. When stress continues for long periods of time this can be detrimental to our mental health and lead to mental illness such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse. But on the flip side if you know how to manage stress you are much more likely to live a longer and...

James Withey author of the best-selling book ‘How to Tell Depression to Piss Off - 40 Ways to Get Your Life Back’ is no stranger to clinical depression. The author and editor of five books about mental health and mental illness talks to My Possible Self about why depression is such a life-threatening illness and should be treated as such, drawing from his own lived experience with the sickness. James also offers coping strategies o...