Instagram star Jessica Olie admits to crippling anxiety attacks in viral post

David Maclean
Wednesday 06 September 2017 10:29 BST
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Instagram star reveals crippling anxiety in emotional post

An aspirational Instagram star says she “can’t pretend to be ok” anymore after admitting to crippling anxiety in post.

In a caption on a video posted to her 390,000 followers, Jessica Olie admitted that she’s been struggling with anxiety attacks as a result of her mind being in a “dark place”.

Acknowledging that it’s “not me, but it’s a part of me”, she described her struggles since her father was diagnosed with health problems.

“I've made peace with the fact that maybe not everyone will like this version of me, but maybe a few of you can relate to what I'm working through and know that you are not alone. We are not alone,” she said.

Describing how difficult her day-to-day life had become she said she didn’t leave bed until 5pm the previous day, or open her curtains or check her emails.

“My day was spent trying to breathe through anxiety attacks and quiet my mind that had found itself in a dark place.

“This is not me but it's a part of me, a side of me that I've had to confront a lot over the last few months since my dad got diagnosed and every day, every hour, every minute is so different."

Anxiety attacks can give people a debilitating feeling of fear, as well as dizziness, shortness of breath, and other symptoms.

Exercise, managing stress, and deep breathing are among the ways in which it can be managed.

Jessica describes herself as a “smoothie drinking, Nutella eating yogi trying to find her balance in the world.

Her account features images of her doing yoga positions in various jaw-dropping spots around the world.

Her post underlines the fact that Instagram is a curated world where people publish the best versions of their lives.

However she says that her active, yoga-heavy lifestyle has been the way she’s dealt with her anxiety.

She said: “This morning, I set my alarm for 5am and forced myself to get out of bed to do the things that I would usually do.

"So I took my mat and flowed and cried as I watched the sunrise over the city, with the sound of the waves right next to me. I'm not sure I would have gotten out of bed again today if I hadn't made the conscious choice that this is what my mind and my body needed.

“I'm learning to feel through the moments where I need to stay in bed all day and the moments where I need to pull myself out of it."

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