Nicola McLean has been struggling with “extreme anxiety” since lockdown began again in the UK.
Nicola McLean
The 39-year-old model – who has sons Rocky, 14, and Striker, 10, with husband Tom Williams – has spoken openly about her issues with bulimia and other mental health problems in the past and she admitted she has found it difficult to cope since tougher lockdown measures were introduced in December.
Speaking to the new issue of Closer magazine, she said: “I really struggle with change so I find going in and out of lockdown really hard.
“The changing rules about seeing gamily before Christmas just set off my anxiety and OCD – I didn’t know whether I was coming or going.
“I started getting extreme anxiety again, which I haven’t had for a long time.”
Nicola’s problems were made worse by online trolls.
“After Christmas, it became unbearable and rather than just deleting and blocking trolls on social media as usual, I ended up having a full-on panic attack after one particularly nasty attack.
“It was hellish. I couldn’t stop shaking and was crying uncontrollably.
“I’m not blaming that one troll, but I felt like everything was getting on top of me.
“This is hard for everyone, but with my anxiety, eating disorders and OCD, it makes it so much harder to process and deal with.”
Nicola has sought help from her doctor, who prescribed anti-anxiety medication.
She said: “I phoned my doctor and said, ‘I’m not coping.’ It was just a constant battle from the second I opened my eyes.”
And the blonde beauty is ensuring she makes time for self-care.
She said: “If my anxiety is really bad, or I’m feeling vulnerable, I stay off social media and only watch fun things on TV.
“If I’m having a bad day , I find playing with my dog helps me to relax or I’ll play games with the kids.
“I also like to keep some sort of routine to manage my anxiety and I meditate sometimes – I’ll like in a dark room and put on some ‘wave’ music which can help.”
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