Lockdown with an eating disorder and anxiety: Shannan's journey
Shannan describes herself as living with an eating disorder and anxiety. She's studying occupational therapy and now blogs about her mental health, and the difficulties she's had in the past.
She offered to document some of the highs and lows of her lockdown journey for ITV News Central, to show that talking and sharing can help.
Shannan's from Leicester, and is studying at the University of Derby - or at least she was, until Coronavirus put a stop to the academic year.
She says she found the start of lockdown really difficult. She'd previously spent nine months as an inpatient with her eating disorder, and not being allowed to go out started to bring back some memories of that time.
She got very low at the start of lockdown, and spent quite a lot of time in bed, struggling with uncertainty, change, and a lack of focus because university had stopped.
But, she resolved not to give in, and to put into practice some of the coping techniques she'd learned.
In her video diary, we see Shannan driving to collect her medicine. She admits she's always found driving difficult, with her intrusive thoughts, but is embracing the challenge, and the chance to overcome her anxiety.
She cooks a meal for the family, admitting how difficult it is, but smiling at her achievement.
And she takes us on a walk, saying that still having an opportunity to get outside during lockdown has been incredibly beneficial for her mental health - a chance to enjoy the quiet and stillness.
She's learning to adapt, having conversations with her therapist on the phone, rather than in person, has worked out a routine, and gets out into the garden to box.
She is anxious about the future - because as lockdown eases, that's more change to deal with.
But looking back she didn’t think she’d manage - and she did.
We've now been back to catch up on Shannan's progress.
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