'I was always the life of the party - no one knew the dark secret I was hiding'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

From the outside, Georgie Shears appeared to have it all – popular at school, a loving family and a nice home in Altrincham.

But Georgie was harbouring a dark secret. Her mental health struggles meant she felt inadequate throughout her life, masking her struggles by being the life of the party.

Things came to a head during the Covid pandemic when the 44-year-old became gripped by crippling panic attacks which left her trembling on the floor. READ MORE: 'She understands her mummy is in heaven - she calls her a princess in the sky' READ MORE: 'My nightmare dentist reduced me to tears - now I'm going to lose all my teeth' That’s when she knew she had to take control – later immersing herself in mindfulness which finally helped to change the trajectory of her life. “I was gripped by an overwhelming sense of panic,” Georgie, who lives in Chorlton, said. “All my past anxieties came rushing back, paralysing me like a punch in the gut. “It was at that moment I knew something needed to change, drastically.

I decided to take control of my life. That’s when everything shifted.” Georgie says she first began experiencing poor mental health as a child following the breakdown of her parents’ relationship.