In these ‘Raw bite’ episodes of my podcast, I’ll be selecting my favorite moments from previous episodes of Real & Raw.

It isn't always easy to describe how you’re feeling and what you're going through and what does it feel like inside your head. However, expressing how you feel and sharing it with others can help you identify your feelings better and can also help you cope when life throws you challenges.

When we're wounded, we're frightened and we're ashamed, and shame and fear and loneliness keep you more ill for longer. People go so far down the well that they don't think there's any way out, and that's what shame and fear and loneliness does, says Jo Hooper.

This is why talking about your feelings is so important, as it helps you lift that weight, that emotional baggage, from your shoulder. And it also helps other people going though similar situations realize that they aren't alone.

If by sharing a tiny bit of what you're going through or as much as you feel comfortable and able to share, can help others feel less alone and less ashamed and less fearful, it's an amazing thing. It's also amazing for yourself because once you start sharing, you start hearing back from others that they've had similar experiences, you realize that you're not alone, and you can feel a little bit less afraid and a little bit less ashamed.

Bottling up our emotions isn’t a good thing, in fact, overtime it can become toxic. Talking about your feelings can make you feel vulnerable, however, by sharing how you feel with someone supportive and trustworthy, and someone with similar experiences can help you realize you're not alone in this and that there are ways you can learn to support yourself through life’s ups and downs.

This community is a safe place for you to share everything you've been bottling up for so long! It exists to bring topics such as these to light, to normalize these kind of experiences to offer you a safe and warm space to share your stories! Remember, you're not alone in whatever you're going through!