The coping mechanism, the psychological strategy the mind and body adapt to deal with stress difficulties and problems, tends to vary with each person.

A number of people end up taking the destructive path, while others find a constructive solution.

Recently, I was watching a documentary on Australian Story about Shanna Whan, a woman who almost got overwhelmed in her struggles.

I believe sharing people’s stories, their weaknesses and how they overcame them serves as a motivation for other people. Many great leaders and influencers did not have a personal contact with everyone they have helped. But it was by sharing their stories and what they believed in that stretched out as a ripple effect to cover the globe.

Shanna Whan shared her story in the hope that it will help someone out there and be the light they need. I feel it’s important to share some of these stories so that it can be an inspiration. No matter what hurt you are feeling, however deep it runs, you can always find a way overcome it and turn your life around into something positive and fulfilling.

Introducing Shanna …

From the outside, Shanna, who lives in north western New South Wales – Australia with her husband Tim and their dog, Fleabag, looked like any ordinary rural businesswoman. She ran every morning and worked 12 hours per day. To many, Shanna was defined as confident, outgoing and successful woman. On top of that she’s an amazing public speaker. Her life was perfect … or maybe not.

Only the people closest to Shanna knew she was far from perfect. Shanna whose life looked put together on the surface was suffering from deep hurts and pains. Shanna was a victim of multiple sexual assaults when she was younger on four separate occasions in the space of one year.

It was intensely traumatic for her, the experience did not only break her but also destroyed her sense of self-worth. Her confidence was plummeted and she needed a place to hide, a place where she wouldn’t be able to care about what people thought of her.

Shanna found her solace in alcohol. It was how she drowned her hurts and fears. What Shanna didn’t know until much later was that she was fast spiralling down into the endlessly well of alcoholism.

Increasingly, as time went on, she used it as a way to shut down her mind because she was lost. “It was a momentary reprieve from thoughts that I could not quieten.” Shanna explains “It began as a harmless thing, but two decades later, it ended up almost killing me.”

For a long time, Shanna was convinced that she had to be drinking from a brown paper bag at 6am to be considered an alcoholic. However, what Shanna did not know is that alcoholism didn’t mean a homeless person in the gutter clutching a paper bag. On Boxing Day, 2014, Shanna hit rock bottom.

“I remember I was white knuckling, which is what they call it when you want a drink but you don’t want to succumb to the need” Shanna said, sharing her experience on Australian Story.

“I got up and I just walked straight through the crowd. I walked straight past everyone, I was like a zombie, and I got in my car. And went to the bottle shop, and I went ‘Make it three bottles, thanks’.”

Hours later, Shanna’s husband, Tim, found her battered and bruised at the bottom of a flight of stairs at home. There was a nasty facial injury and she had passed out.

When Shanna finally came into the emergency department of her local hospital, she knew it was time for a change. She finally reached out to an AA helpline for the first time, and was connected with a recovered alcoholic lady who was a six-hour drive trip away.

Meeting this woman, who is now a close friend of Shanna’s, was her turning point. Shanna became completely ready to go to whatever lengths were necessary to get honest, get to work, and to make her life a sober one.

Her coach shared; “What happened to Shanna during that time was literally a miracle and she cannot say it any more plainly than that. She, went from being hopeless, suicidal, and in despair to being full of hope and ready to make the change”.

It took a lot of determination and encouragement for Shanna to turn her life around.

She had to learn to TRUST herself, she had to deal with the hurt she had been carrying inside her for years. She knew that she had lot to lose if she didn’t let go of her pains. She learned to heal herself, she learned to trust again. She also found a passion in photography and helping other women and men. She now lives a much happier life with her husband and their loveable dog.

It’s about choice. We either continue to live with hurt for the rest of our lives and continue to be held back by it. Or we can choose to move forward by healing our lives and letting go of the pains.

You can watch Shanna Whan’s story here on Australia Story.

You can also read more about Shanna’s story here

Lastly, remember I believe in you.

Much love,

Ronni xx