Happiful September 2019

Mental health
matters
When endometriosis hit
comedian and writer Eleanor
Thom, she used her experience
to fuel her performances. Her
brutally honest and funny style
puts an often misunderstood
condition in the spotlight...
Mental health matters to me
because… I know now that my brain
and my body are entwined, and one
won’t work properly without the
other. I spent a long time resisting,
and trying to ignore the effect of
endometriosis on my mental health
– but it turns out you can’t separate
them, they’re talking to each other
behind your back.
When I need support I… call my
family and friends, even if we don’t
talk about whatever is happening,
sometimes I just need some
distraction from the pain.
Three things I would say to someone
experiencing mental ill-health are…
It will get brighter, hold tight – you
can do this. Ask for some help; it’s so
much harder to do it on your own.
Try to keep talking about it – if it’s
not possible with loved ones, ask for
some professional support – it really
helps to untangle it all. When it feels
overwhelming, try to remember
how well you’re coping, and think
of something kind you could do for
yourself in the interim – sometimes
it has to be the little things that keep
you going.
‘Private Parts’ by Eleanor Thom
is out now (Hodder, £18.99)
The moment I felt most proud of
myself is… on the way back from
the Edinburgh Festival in 2013 after
my solo show, exhausted and in a lot
of pain, but I had finished 34 shows
in 29 days, hadn’t had to cancel a
single one, and all without a single
painkiller. I never thought it would
be possible. The day the publisher
bought my book Private Parts was a
pretty good day too!
The main thing I want people to know
about endometriosis is... it affects 1
in 10 women – approximately 200
million women worldwide – so you
definitely know someone with it.
It’s not life threatening, but it can be
life-altering if women don’t get the
right support and treatment. Keep
going back until someone listens.
And to those who ask: yes, it is a
long-term thing, and no there isn’t a
magic cure I haven’t heard of.
One thing having endometriosis has
taught me about myself is... while
there are better and less persistent
ways to have learnt this, it has taught
me that I am strong, resilient and
resourceful. You can (and must)
have a full and wonderful life
alongside this.
When I’m lacking motivation I...
let it be, and do something less
exhausting – paint, knit, listen. I’ve
learnt to allow for the moments
of lethargy and being still. My dad
taught me that sometimes you’re
on the cusp of something creatively
great in these moments too, which
is reassuring. I try to think of it as
marinating time – motivation will
come back, it’s just hiding for a bit.
The best lesson I’ve learned in life is...
nothing stays the same good or bad,
and there’s always time for a laugh.
Photography | Emma Bullivant