Couch To Beach

Help me create a mentally healthier world

Hi everyone :) 

My name is Lisa and what feels like my whole life, I have suffered from anxiety. Just like anyone I've gone through many hardships and struggles. I'd say the hardest thing for me is to speak up and not feel ashamed about my anxiety. For so long I felt really embarrassed and alone and I don't want anyone who's gone through what I have, feel the same.

In June 2019, I started to feel really depressed. I felt really hopeless and lost about my career, my relationships and myself.  I started abusing alcohol, partying a lot and making poor decisions in all parts of my life. My anxiety was really bad and I started becoming depressed. If you spoke to one of my friends, they'd probably say "Lisa is the nicest and most bubbly girl to have around"....but I wasn't myself. I was very unwell. They were shocked to hear how I was actually feeling and that's when I started to speak up and decided to turn things around.

Since then I've made drastic changes to my life. I've decided to take a break from drinking and staying sober for 1 year (since Xmas 2019), started getting back into my hobbies such as filming makeup tutorial's and becoming more active outdoors doing long walks and hitting the gym. 

I'm fundraising for Black Dog, because everyone at some point will be affected by mental health. I want to raise awareness that you're not alone and that you can get through it. I also want to share my experience in the hopes people will feel less alone and afraid.

Mental illness affects 1 in 5 Australians every year, with the most common being depression and anxiety. Mental illness doesn’t discriminate. It affects people from all walks of life — individuals, families, workplaces and communities.

So what will I be doing?

For 30 days straight I will be swimming from Manly to Shelly beach. Why?

- In my own experiences with hardships, I've always tried to push myself. It's almost winter time, so swimming in cold icy water isn't something I do ever, so I'd like to challenge myself!

- To share my own experiences to help encourage other's to feel less alone about their own mental health and speak up about how they feel. 

I will document each day on I how I feel, more about my own experiences and raise awareness about the importance of mental health. You can see this on my Instagram page: @30couchtobeach

Thank you for your donation x