Transcript Stephanie Watson – Beyond Now app

The Beyond Now app is a tremendous tool it's allowed me to go back and reflect on my own thoughts and it's also allowed me to see how far I've come in my journey and create my own personal safety plan.

My name is Stephanie Watson I'm 25 years old and I grew up here in the Blue Mountains I was raised in a very, very humble and loving family with my mother and my brother. I had a lot of obstacles growing up one of my biggest one was growing up without a father.

Unfortunately, he was very affected by depression and anxiety through drug and alcohol and he did take his own life a few years ago, and that was a massive obstacle for me to face.

I was first alerted to my mental health because of an event that happened to me a university unfortunately I was sexually assaulted quite aggressively it really ripped something away from me everything I held dear to me and personal was gone.

It wasn't a quick succession into depression it was very long. I had huge social anxiety and I couldn't make eye contact with people I cut all my hair off which didn't look good. I thought by doing that it would release a lot of um I guess who I was when it happened.

I tried to end my life and it wasn't until that point that I realized that I had slipped into a very deep depression and a lot of anxiety and that was my first warning sign.

I found out about the idea of safety planning through the Beyond Now app and I discovered that it was a method of going through your own personal triggers and to focus on things that are a little bit more positive and reasons to be happy in your life.

I feel a strange calmness about me now I don't think I have anything else in my life that allows such a concise way of putting into context that these are the things that make me happy.

 I did share my Beyond Now app with my partner he was there from the beginning and my mother.

I know it's important for them to understand my warning signs as much as myself, because I'm not always going to be the person that picks it up. It allows transparency not just for the individual but also for loved ones for them to understand intimate thoughts say you may not be comfortable sharing with other people.

I'm very grateful to have the BeyondNow app because it has changed my life.