Welcome to my podcast, The Wellness Project with Des. On today’s episode, I speak with Beth Gatlin about how she overcame her struggles with anxiety, depression, and addiction.
Beth struggled with anxiety and depression for most of her life. She turned to substances as an escape from the things she was feeling. She struggled with addiction but started to heal when she decided to be open and talk about things with those around her.
Beth explains that she started to believe that her feelings were wrong and she shouldn’t be feeling the things she was feeling. She began to hide her feelings from the people in her life. Throughout her life, Beth did a lot of shutting down and started to internalize the negative beliefs she had about herself. Beth began to believe that she was unworthy, that everything was her fault, and those around her wouldn’t love her if she shared her feelings with them.
Because none of Beth’s struggles surfaced in the way of tantrums or behavioral issues, no one knew that something serious was going on with her. She was a good student, helpful at home, and she was quiet and respectful. No one knew how much she was struggling internally.
In her late teenage years, Beth started experimenting with marijuana and pills. It was when her dad left the family that everything else came to the surface. Bath’s anxiety and depression really set in after that. She was heavily experimenting with substances and sex. Within a year of leaving high school, she was pregnant. Whether it’s addiction or mental illness, Beth explains that it’s the shame that really sucks you back in.
Having a baby was a turning point for Beth. She had a daughter and a son. She ended up going to a program that changed her life. There was so much support and services that she was able to get her life in order and gain the support she needed.
She speaks to the importance of putting goodness in your mind and body as well as how important it is to ask for help, to ask for support. Beth discusses things that help her such as putting boundaries around escaping behaviors.
“Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change”
Wayne Dyer
Listen to this episode to hear Beth’s powerful story about how she overcame her mental health struggles and her addiction.
Listen Here:
Mentions:
- Florence Crittenton Services
- You Are a Badass– Jen Sincero (audio book on Youtube)
- Gabby Bernstein
- Brene Brown
- The Zen Path Through Depression– Philip Martin
Where to find Beth:
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