- author, kate morgan
- role, BBC Wales Community Correspondent
Freya Terry believes that “sailing has given me character apart from my struggles with mental health.”
The 21-year-old from Pembrokeshire is about to embark on a 2,300 nautical mile solo journey around the UK and Ireland.
If she completes this challenge, she will become the first woman and the youngest person to sail solo across the UK and Ireland.
But for Sailor, this is more than a race, it’s the culmination of a 10-year journey with her mental health.
The sailing instructor’s mental health journey began at the age of 11, when she first started sailing.
“There were a lot of little things, but I also had trouble getting into middle school and making friends,” she said.
“I started isolating myself and that’s where my struggles started and got worse from there.”
The sailor said he had become isolated and withdrawn, unwilling to talk to family, friends and medical professionals.
Furthermore, she added: “I lost a lot of trust in people and I didn’t talk to people, so I sat in my therapist’s office and didn’t talk to them.”
Sitting on the stern of her boat at Neyland’s Marina, she recalled the night she ran away without telling anyone, hurt herself, and hid it from her loved ones.
“This incident is a reminder that I’m not alone in this, that this is kind of a real thing, that other people are struggling as well, and that I’m not the only one who is going through this.” “It showed me that it wasn’t my fault. That was huge for me,” she said.
Her newfound confidence surprised those closest to her, including her mother Julie Campbell, who said she was “completely surprised”.
The mother of four said she never imagined her daughter would take on such a challenge.
“When you’re kind of in a bind…it’s almost like getting through the day, the week…I wasn’t really looking forward…we were just coping.”Every day. Just like getting through the month week by week,” she added.
The 60-year-old said with a nervous laugh that she was proud but had hoped she wouldn’t do that.
“I mean, as a sailor I trust her, but as a mother I’m just scared,” she added.
For Freya, riding the waves is the exciting part, but what she fears most is sharing the journey with others.
“The thing that scares me the most and makes me the most nervous is talking to people and talking about mental health. It’s really hard and I think it’s okay to say that, but I’m not doing it anyway. ” she added.
