Liz Holland is a graduate of Law who has since embraced her love of writing and helping others. She is the founder of a mental health and lifestyle blog – www.anxietyandliz.com Liz created the blog in 2018 after quitting a job that was making her anxiety and depression worse. She focuses on sharing and documenting her experiences with anxiety, depression and Emetophobia.

What does being grateful mean to you?

Sometimes I can really struggle with feeling grateful. My mental health prevents me from doing lots of things that I once enjoyed and as I sit and watch others go about their daily lives I have to remind myself of what I have to be grateful for.

To me being grateful is enjoying and appreciating the smaller things in life that bring us happiness but we often take for granted.

Right now, in this moment, what are three things you’re grateful for?

I’m grateful for my physical health.
I’m grateful to have my boyfriend and family by my side.
I’m grateful for my ability to express myself through writing.

Who is the first person that comes to mind when you think about someone you’re grateful for?

My boyfriend. We’ve been together for just over four years now and we met whilst I was in a good place with my mental health. As my anxiety has worsened over the years he’s been by my side and encouraging me every step of the way. I’m very grateful to have him in my life and I know that my life is better for having him in it.

Do you have a morning routine that helps you get the day started? If so what is it?

I don’t have a routine… yet! I would love to have a morning routine. I’m in the process of moving out for the first time and I cannot wait to create a morning routine for myself. My family home is incredibly busy and every day is different with different people visiting and my little cousins coming and going – all of this means that a routine is next to impossible.

My ideal routine would be to get up early, tidy the house, exercise, eat a good breakfast and then get ready for the day. I know that this would leave me feeling motivated and in a better mindset for the day.

What got you interested in starting a blog?

I’ve been interested in writing since I can remember; I would always make up stories when I was younger. At around the age of seventeen, I started a fashion blog (which I have since deleted – thankfully!). I enjoyed blogging, however once I started University I became too busy and embarrassed at the thought of anyone finding my writing.

In more recent years I started up my blog (Anxiety and Liz). Originally my blog was created to document my journey with a gluten-free diet, however as my mental health began to deteriorate, I decided I wanted to start documenting it and sharing my experience with others.

Tell us a little bit about Anxiety & Liz and the message you’re hoping to convey.

The message I hope to convey with my blog is to let others who suffer from mental health know that they’re not alone. It can often feel lonely when you’re suffering with things such as anxiety and depression. It’s lovely when I have people leaving a comment on my blog thanking me for sharing my experience because they now know they’re not alone in feeling that way.

In addition to this I suffer from Emetophobia (a severe phobia of vomiting) and I want to raise awareness. It’s a surprisingly common phobia, however many of us have suffered in silence for years in fear of other people’s criticism. It can be a difficult phobia to understand; however it greatly impacts on sufferer’s day-to-day lives.

Do you find that writing helps you to alleviate your anxiety?

Writing doesn’t alleviate my anxiety, however it does help me to process my feelings. When I’m feeling anxious I don’t tend to feel like writing, I just have to focus on getting myself through that rough patch. Once I’m over the anxiety I tend to write a blog post about my experience and the impact that it has had on me. It helps to reflect on how I felt and how I coped. Writing about my anxiety has also proved to be rather interesting in the sense that I can look back at older posts and see the improvement that I have made.

If you could share just one post of yours with the world, which would it be?

If I could only share one of my posts with the world I would share my post explaining what Emetophobia is. My anxiety stems from a severe phobia of vomiting, which many people find difficult to understand. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding Emetophobia and I like to be open about my life with it to educate others.
https://anxietyandliz.com/2019/02/09/what-is-emetophobia/

What advice would you give to someone who has a loved one struggling with anxiety?

Talk to your loved one and don’t be judgmental.

You cannot force someone with anxiety to get help, the best thing you can do is support them. It may be that to begin with the person does not wish to talk, in this case ensure they know that you’re there for them when they are ready. I recently wrote a blog post on how to help someone suffering from mental health problems (https://anxietyandliz.com/2019/10/29/helping-someone-with-their-mental-health/) and my biggest tip is to just show your support. One day your loved one will be ready to talk to you or ready to ask for help so make sure you’re there for them when that day comes.

there any other resources you think people should check out to help them manage anxiety?

Read lots of people’s blogs to understand that you’re not alone in how you’re feeling. It can also help to read recovery stories to show that anxiety can be overcome and there is a life after anxiety.

Whilst reading other people’s blogs can be beneficial it is important to remember that everyone’s journey with anxiety is individual to them. Don’t compare your journey to somebody else’s but do know that you’re not alone.

In closing, what is one suggestion that you can give our readers that can help them incorporate gratitude into their daily lives

My approach to incorporating gratitude into my daily life is to keep reminding myself how lucky I am and how many things I have to be grateful for. When I’m having a rough day or a particularly anxious day I think about people in a worse position than me – people who are suffering with life changing injuries, diseases and cancers. I know that I have a lot to be grateful for and happiness will return!

I would encourage others to take some time to remember what they have to be grateful for.

Connect with Liz  – anxietyandliz.com  |  Twitter |  Instagram|  Pinterest