Linda Witchell

I’m a wife, mother and pet lover. I enjoy travelling and meeting people from all backgrounds. But most of all, I am someone who loves working as I get so much satisfaction from helping people to change and learn. As a retired nurse, and now a bereavement counsellor, I realise the value of life because I have seen too much ill-health and misery.

Everyone has times in their lives when they feel stressed or anxious and need help. My life has certainly had its pressures, so I know what stress and anxiety can be like. I have worked hard and studied to master’s degree level. I have dealt with sickness in the family, financial difficulties, exam stress, working shifts, bringing up children, moving abroad and setting up my own business, but I wouldn’t change a thing as I have learnt to cope well and build that resilience that I can share with you today.

I have found that the first step is identifying and admitting that there is a problem then getting help.

Choosing the right person to speak to might seem difficult at first, but sharing the problem is the only way to move forward and change. When I was suffering from stress and anxiety, I first had to make time in my busy schedule to go to the doctor. My body was telling me that things were out of balance, and I was getting stress-related skin problems.

Several years later, I had to see a counsellor for a few sessions when I thought I was going mad with work-related problems. I found a realisation that all I needed to do was slow down, acknowledge the pressures that I was under, and take some time for me. Today, the process of contacting someone like me can be easier through online connections.