At the lowest point of his life, Daniel Dargan saw no other way out - his mental health had severely deteriorated.
The 24-year-old, from Co Antrim, was admitted to hospital when he was 21, after attempting to take his own life. Today he says he wants to raise awareness for mental wellbeing, and to let others know that it's ok not to feel ok.
Speaking to Belfast Live about his journey, Daniel, who is now an online fitness coach with a following of over 200,000, said his passion now focuses on helping people become the best version of themselves.
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"We work with people all over the world and what we want to do, is to help them to become the most bulletproof version of themselves.," he added.
"I have been on that journey, which then inspired me to help other people do the same. Back in 2018, I had left school and worked in Topshop for about a year. I had a fantastic upbringing, and have really supportive parents. I had never really faced any struggle growing up, to be honest.
"My neighbour was a pilot, and I applied to go down that route, inspired by him. I actually got through the process and moved to Dublin for training. I thought I had made it, that I was living the dream, but then I realised that it wasn't the career for me.
"As a result of that, the pressure that I felt, really put on by myself, in corroboration with the partying I was doing, I ended up burning the candle at both ends.
"I quickly found myself in a desperate situation and experiences anxiety and low mood, things I didn't know how to navigate. In school I was always the confident guy, and happy-go-lucky. I thought I had to keep up that persona, so didn't tell anyone about these feelings.
"As time went on, things deteriorated. I made an attempt on my life in November 2019. I am forever grateful to Belfast Live, because they shared a post that police had put out, when I was missing."
Daniel says this was the lowest point of his life, and that he had gone through a spell of around 12-18 months "of hell".
When he woke up in hospital, he said it was at that point that he knew things needed to change.
"I was my own worst enemy and a victim of my own emotions. I was waking up in the morning, and how I felt dictated the choices I made that day.
"I hit rock bottom. I woke up in the hospital with my parents by my side. It was awful and very stressful. That was the catalyst of change in my life...because I couldn't go any lower than that point.
"That is when I knew things had to change, for me, for my family and for my friend circle. The way I had been living could not go on.
"I stopped drinking and got myself a coach, Ben Heron, who is a pivotal part of my transformation both physically and mentally. He was the first person, besides my parents, who instilled belief in me again. I thought I was a failure, and he helped me see past that.
"I started my self development journey from that - I dropped 15kg in weight and done a photo shoot, started meditating and journaling. For the first time in my life, I realised there was a whole other side of me that I didn't realise was there. I was disciplined, and could go out and get things. I started to feel incredible, and almost bulletproof."
Today, Daniel is well-known in the online fitness industry, and has used his own personal experiences of pain and setbacks, to inspire his clients and online community.
"I looked at my career, and knew I needed to do something, but I was at a loose end. My friends were off at university, and getting post-grad jobs, I felt I was being left behind," Daniel said.
"I applied for a coaching course, and that is when my journey began to becoming a personal trainer. I started working on the gym floor, but realised that to get my message out, I needed to start posted content on Instagram. There is very few things that are as fulfilling as seeing someone looking at themselves in mirror, and being extremely confident and comfortable with what they see.
"When someone tells me that they are happy with their life, how they look, how they feel. To play a part in that, I am so grateful. I previously worked in a gym but moved online, and now work with people all over the world.
"We can monitor and guide people on their daily habits, through online coaching. We like to have quite a holistic approach to things because that is the journey which I have taken and realised it worked. People forget about the mindset, that is a massive piece of the puzzle.
"I always say, there is no point having a Ferrari with a Fiat 500 engine - I want to ensure that our people online are doing things to improve things mentally too. In today's day and age, people can feel up against the ropes, and I don't want them to crumble under any stress that they may face.
"That is something that I am very passionate about."
You can follow Daniel's Instagram community through this link.
For anyone in distress or despair, contact Lifeline on 0808 808 8000 or visit www.lifelinehelpline.info
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