I remember the first time I had my obsessive thought. I was sitting in class with my friend when I was 12, and she had a boyfriend. I felt this pang of jealousy. I started having this feeling of panic, because I felt it was wrong to be jealous.

I attached that feeling of panic with swallowing. Every time I went to that class, I would have a panic attack and couldn't stop swallowing.

I went from being very open and friendly, to pulling away from people and becoming more and more depressed. There was a lot of shame behind it, and a lot of self-rejection, so I felt like I couldn't tell anyone.

When we had our second child, I looked at my baby and I thought, 'I can't keep living like this'. That's when I started to see a CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) therapist. I learnt that I have Somatic OCD, which is when your obsession is around an automatic body system - like breathing, blinking or digestion.

I still struggle with feelings of shame and like I'm making others feel uncomfortable – but I now know that those thoughts aren't true. To be able to talk about it is a huge thing for me – and I want others to know that there is help there for them, and that they are safe and understood.