Interview with Comedian Tessa Ryan, who has been on the Melbourne scene for about a year, and has been performing in a sketch comedy show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival called DotComedy (the last show is TONIGHT – Sunday, 3 April). Tessa does stand up as well, and has been known to frequent the Imperial, The Wild, Club Voltaire, Attik and other open mic rooms.

We discuss: Tessa’s panic attacks as a child and fear from not knowing what they were, the self-fulfilling prophecy of anxiety, the helpfulness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, awareness of self-medication, preparation for change, exercising and other helpful coping techniques, gradual return to exercise after not doing it for a while, incidental exercise, how people are not very open about mental health issues, people going to counselling for help about their loved ones, comfort eating, short-term vs long-term goals, friends keeping mental health secrets, watching for extremes in behaviour, the power of hindsight, the importance of making time for yourself and getting enough sleep, Tessa’s super powers, the sage advice to Pat A Cat If You’re Sad, and Tessa’s message to encourage everyone to be more open about mental health issues, put yourself first and be kind to yourself, always.