GMB: Nadiya Hussain reveals banana skin lockdown recipe
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After winning the popular Channel 4 baking competition in 2015, Nadiya’s life has transformed. However one thing that has remained with her throughout is her battle with anxiety. Previously the star revealed that she has had a panic disorder for over 20 years, and although she never sees herself overcoming the condition completely, she continues to “fight it every day”.
Speaking on Netmums podcast, Sweat, Snot & Tears, Nadiya described being “riddled” with anxiety from a young age.
She said: “I thought for a long time about how much I wanted to talk about my anxiety… I was riddled with it since the age of seven… and have learnt to live with it.
“I genuinely believe you can be really successful and motivated and be fragile and have mental health issues at the same time.
“I was losing days and weeks with the children… because I couldn’t get out of bed. The kids just thought I was tired, I’d spent a lot of years lying to my children, but there’s strength in telling the truth.”
For Nadiya, confronting her mental health demons is harder as she went through a traumatic time as a young child.
Within her memoir Finding My Voice, Nadiya thought it was important to talk openly about her experience of being sexually assaulted by a family member as a child.
Bravely talking about the horrifying experience, the star confessed that she had not even realised what had happened to her until she had a sex education class at school.
Understandably so, the author still struggles to talk about the ordeal to this day, but hoped that her book would act as a way to raise awareness, as it is what she calls a “big problem” within her community.
Nadiya continued to say: “I realised this was much more than just my book. It wasn’t just about my voice, it was about the people who read the book.
“And I know growing up I didn’t necessarily pick up a book where I looked at the face of the author and thought: I can relate to her face or the way she dresses or her name.
“As a lover of books it makes me so sad that as a child I never picked up one book I could relate to, so I asked myself: who am I writing this book for? The sexual abuse, I still struggle even now to talk about.”
Now in her adult life, Nadiya has to cope with regular panic attacks, which sometimes get so bad that they make her feel as though she is “going to die”.
The NHS explains that panic disorder is where individuals have sudden attacks of panic or fear.
During a panic attack you get a rush of intense mental and physical symptoms. It can come on very quickly and for no apparent reason.
These experiences can be extremely frightening and distressing. Typical symptoms include:
- A racing heartbeat
- Feeling faint
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Trembling
- Hot flushes
- Chills.
Most commonly these panic attacks last anywhere between five and 20 minutes, although some have been reported to last for up to an hour.
Panic disorder is a type of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a common mental health condition that affects nearly everyone in some varying degree of severity.
However, if you or someone you know is experiencing extreme anxiety that interferes with daily tasks, it is important to seek medical advice.
Symptoms of anxiety commonly include:
- Feeling nervous, restless or tense
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
- Having an increased heart rate
- Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Feeling weak or tired
- Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
- Having trouble sleeping
- Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
- Having difficulty controlling worry
- Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety.
For Nadiya, some form of relief comes from therapy, in particular cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). She also likes to relax. In the past she has described her perfect evening as a bath with her children, a movie and some snacks, and settling down with her husband Abdal for some tea and cake.
For mental health support contact Samaritans (116 123), which operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at [email protected].
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