Guest: Sophia Auld
Sophia openly speaks about her journey with depression and how she was living a good life that she was grateful for and is exactly the image she portrayed to others. However, Sophia had a great deal of inner turmoil that she combatted with which was kept hidden from her external world. She shares that during her 20’s she started to experience symptoms of depression, though she wouldn’t have known at the time this is what she was experiencing. At that time, she developed feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness, despite having a reputable career, a solid social circle, and healthy family dynamics. Sophia explained that though she could function daily, she in fact had a tough time getting out of bed, but somehow managed to complete any task at hand and attend to work, however, she was miserable on the inside. Beyond crying there were moments where she considered to drive her car off the road. Sophia clarified that she didn’t really want to end her life, but felt she needed time to rest and recover from the internal suffering. Her desperation of needing a break of some kind brought her to irrational thoughts where the idea formed that if she was injured enough, then she would have an opportunity to rest and recuperate and sort out what her next steps would be. Sophia shared, in addition to dark thoughts, she also engaged in unhealthy behaviours like comfort eating, isolating self from others, partying and excessive drinking. Her key message to the listeners is that: dark thoughts, feeling hopeless, or worthless without a reason is okay, you don’t have to feel ashamed, help is there; don’t hate yourself for going through whatever it is that you’re experiencing; remember when you feel this way, it’s a signal that mental health support is needed; and you are not alone.
Guest Bio: Freelance writer Sophia writes trustworthy, compelling copy to help ambitious and leading health and medical brands connect with, educate, and inspire their customers and the public. Before pursuing her lifelong passion for wordsmithing, Sophia worked as a physical therapist for over 25 years. With a childhood love of literature, she mistakenly believed pursuing this pathway could only lead to a teaching career. A concurrent love of science and a desire to help people made physio a natural choice. But the writing urge never abated, so Sophia took the career switch plunge, completing studies in professional writing and editing and SEO copywriting. She has since worked with national and global health brands, plus many small to medium sized businesses.
Sophia lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, with her husband, two young adult daughters and a fur baby. She is fascinated by neuroscience and the intersection between health and technology. When she’s not at her desk, you might find Sophia exploring one of the many local walking trails or beaches or relaxing with a coffee and book at a café. She also loves scuba diving, and has dived the Great Barrier Reef, Florida Keys and Fiji Islands.
Passionate about:
Beyond Blue – resources and helpline for crisis and suicide prevention and depression. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
Black Dog Institute – research into Mental Health and Depression, lots of resources available as well. https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
