A WOMAN has shared her harrowing experience of dealing with mental health while balancing her working life in business.

Bella Rareworld, an international business networking speaker, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 13 years ago at the start of her journey into entrepreneurship.

However, since the coronavirus pandemic, she has faced additional challenges in coping with her mental wellbeing during the national lockdown.

In March 2020, the charity Samaritans provided emotional support to callers over 1,700,000 times.

Suicidal feelings including feeling isolated, hopeless about the future and feeling trapped were expressed on more than one occasion.

Rareworld said such feelings were exacerbated by being inside all the time, and trying to balance work.

Current statistics show that one in seven people experience mental health problems in the workplace, with women in full time employment nearly twice as likely to have a common mental health problem than full-time employed men (20% vs. 11%). Evidence also suggests that 13% of all sickness absence days in the UK can be attributed to mental health conditions.

“Initially, I did not share my diagnosis with my business contacts and colleagues because I was scared that I would be judged,” she said.

“With depression, I often feel extremely lethargic and have to schedule time to sleep during the day. The side effects of my medication also make me drowsy, so I have to schedule zoom meetings at 11.30am or thereafter.

“When I experience mania, I’m emotionally high and overactive with racing thoughts. During the day I will experience uncontrollable mood swings and long periods of depression. In my worst depression, I have experienced suicidal thoughts and attempted to end my life.”

After working with high-profile clients for over a decade including the Houses of Parliament, o2 Arena, Metro Bank and NatWest as a networking guru, Rareworld decided to share her story of living with bipolar disorder to “increase mental health conversations and break the stigma”.

By sharing her story of mental illness while working in a high-energy career, she hopes more people recognise the symptoms of mental health conditions and seek help early.

To achieve this, she has set up her own podcast, called Think Tenacity to raise awareness about managing stress and mental health whilst running a business.

She admits that her symptoms of depression and mania are the two aspects that affect the day-to-day running of her work.

“I suffer from short-term memory loss, which means I forget a lot of my achievements, forget my clients, and forget my skills and talents,” she added.

“I can also become isolated and not want to talk to people. There was a period of my life where I isolated myself for over two years, not visiting friends and family, just like a lockdown, which has obviously had a huge impact on my business.”

Rareworld continues to manage her mental health every day and said that riding her scooter to exercise and explore nature has “saved” her.

 She said: “I finally feel brave enough to share my story. I no longer feel ashamed to say that I have a mental illness and yes, I’m a suicide attempt survivor. I want to help others who are experiencing symptoms of mental health to be able to seek help.

“When my suicidal feelings were at its worst, I could not get out of bed for months at a time. My life has turned around since I bought a manual scooter, which is like my best friend and the greatest motivator to get out of bed and out of the house.”

To follow Bella Rareworld’s journey with mental health, you can find her using the hashtag #BellaScooterDay on social media and visit BellaRareworldBipolar.com/BellaScooterDay.

If you or a loved one are struggling with your mental health, you can call Samaritans on 116 123 for free at any time.