Aussie mum Ravin Randhawa on how she manages anxiety and depression

This way of looking at life has helped this mum with her anxiety and depression - and it has been a big turning point.

Comparing life to a pizza has helped Ravin Randhawa learn to manage mental illness.

The 48-year-old mother of two was first diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder as a teenager in the 1990s after being considered a “worry wart”.

Anxiety made her feel “physically sick”, but she did not think much of the diagnosis at the time.

“I would spend a lot of time in bed,” she recalled.

Ms Randhawa, who lives in Sydney’s Baulkham Hills, has since come to terms with being a sensitive person — but at the time, she said challenging situations made her feel as if it was the end of the world.

She sought further professional help and started taking antidepressants in her 20s, and has been on medication for most of her life since.

But when she initially was prescribed the drugs, Ms Randhawa said some people reacted negatively.

Ravin Randhawa with her dog Billy. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Over the years she has learnt about the difference between her depression and anxiety — conditions that commonly occur together — and which is causing certain symptoms.

Ms Randhawa said social awareness around mental illness had “absolutely” changed since she was diagnosed.

Beyond Blue’s clinical spokesman Dr Luke Martin said levels of mental health literacy were now “quite high”.

Beyond Blue's Dr Luke Martin

“We talk about mental health more than ever before … more people seek support for their mental health now than ever before,” the clinical psychologist said.

“(But) there’s an awful lot more that we need to do as well.

“There’s a tendency for people to delay support seeking until they hit a crisis point.”

He said barriers also included that it could be hard for people to find affordable care, and waitlists.

“We need to do more on the prevention side, as well as stepping in as soon as possible and making it really easy for people to access support,” he said.

Ms Randhawa encouraged people to find the right mental health professional for them.

“It’s really important that you do have regular, good medical help and try not to leave it until you hit rock bottom to find that,” she said.

For many years Ms Randhawa, who volunteers for Beyond Blue sharing her story, worked on “curing” her depression and anxiety – but now, she focuses on managing her mental health.

She said if her life was a pizza, it would once have only been half work and half home and family.

“That felt all consuming so I, over time, have made different slices of my pizza,” she explained.

This has been a big turning point — she has diversified with volunteering, trying different evening classes, and hobbies like a community choir.

Her beloved dog represents another slice.

She urged people to make use of free resources such as their workplace employee assistance program, online support forums or information shared by organisations like the Black Dog Institute or Beyond Blue.

“For the last 20 years, I’ve spent a lot of time learning, knowing more about myself, reading up on information … so I’m starting to accept myself more now,” she said.

Mental health resources are available online via Beyond Blue at www.beyondblue.org.au

or people can call a counsellor on 1300 22 4636

Originally published as Aussie mum Ravin Randhawa on how she manages anxiety and depression