A Glengormley woman has opened up on her daily battle with anxiety and how learning to push through has helped her cope with single motherhood and eventually quit her job to start her own business.
These days, Caoimhe McGlade, 34, is a proud mum to her teenage daughter, Grace, a homeowner and a successful businesswoman after turning her life around.
But behind all this, Caoimhe has struggled with anxiety for many years and admits that every day is still "a constant struggle".
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"I suffered so badly from anxiety and agoraphobia when I was a teenager that I didn't leave the house for three months," Caoimhe told Belfast Live.
"I would walk down the street then I'd have to phone my Daddy to come and pick me up because I couldn't go any further and felt as if the whole world was caving in on top of me.
"If I went to a shopping centre, I'd have to walk the whole way along the wall to get from one side to the other because I couldn't cross over to the middle or I thought I'd pass out.
"But when I fell pregnant at 19, I had to push through it all for my daughter. When I had the pram, there was something for me to hold on to and focus on. I also started driving at 21 although even to this day I've never drove on the motorway."
Caoimhe also turned her attention to education and went on to obtain an Open University Bsc degree.
"I went back to university when I was 26 and got my degree in psychology, all while working part time as a cleaner in a care home and being a single mum to my daughter.
"I finally graduated this year in March, two years late due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year I bought my council house and I am now a home owner," she added.
Her next milestone came last September when she quit her job as a cleaner to start her own cleaning business, C no dirt cleaning services.
"I had done that job for five years and really loved it but I felt the time was right for me to branch out on my own," she said.
"I now have three employees and loads of clients, cleaning B&Bs and some offices across Belfast and also a contract with an estate agent.
"The business has really taken off over the past few months and we're just inundated with work all the time, which is just brilliant and the reviews have all been great so far.
"I'm working six days a week at the minute so my goal is to hire more staff with young families and provide them hours to suit their needs."
Despite her success, Caoimhe says she still has to push through every single day due to her anxiety.
"Every day is a constant struggle for me. I can't go into shops, walk through supermarkets or drive on motorways without having a mental fight inside but I have to just push on through," she explained.
"When I'm kept busy and working, I don't have time to think about anything else. But if I'm in a queue or waiting for something, I can feel my throat closing over and that's when I need to have a chat with myself to get me through.
"I just want to send a positive message that no matter what your circumstances or your background, you can do whatever you want to do and make something of yourself.
"Hopefully by getting my story out there, it will help and inspire others, not just people with mental health problems but single mums as well to push on and believe in themselves.
"You can fight back and push through anything and I hope this inspires others to do the same as I know how in your head you can get," Caoimhe added.
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