@NADIAIDDER

What’s your favourite color?
Currently it’s green! Just found a whole new type of love for this color.

What’s your favourite ‘go-to’ recipe?
Not really sure about a recipe cause I’m not a fabulous cook, but I could go for sushi any day.

What self-care habits do you intertwine into your daily routine?
My skincare routine and just taking moments to relax and chill. We live in a society where everything needs to be fast and we feel like we have to do more all the time. Those times where I just sit on the couch and watch a show are very important to keep some balance.

What's your favourite book and what book had the largest impact on you?
I should honestly read more. I love reading so much but I just can’t find the time to do it. The last book I read was ‘Girl on the train’ and it was so good. I kind of miss the feeling of not wanting to put a book down. This question makes me want to get a new book haha!

Who can you talk to when you need to get something off your chest?
My boyfriend and my mom. They’re just always there and they automatically know when something’s up. I also tell my closest friends everything.

Where’s your safe place?
Home. No doubt about it. And more specifically my bed. I can just fully relax and feel safe there.

Have you ever dealt with anxiety? If so, what triggers it and how do you calm
your mind?
Yes, I’m actually still dealing with it. It first started when I was about 18. I got medication for it and after that, it went away for a couple of years. It came back about 2 years ago. I'm not taking any medication now cause I kind of want to overcome it myself this time. There’s nothing wrong with taking it, because it definitely helps a lot of people. But my emotions got kind of flat because of it and I don’t really want that again. Stress and not sleeping enough are definitely big triggers for me. I'm also very scared of getting seriously ill and I’m very afraid of dying. That’s where a lot of my anxiety comes from as well. I don’t really know where it’s coming from but I'm still trying to figure that out. I go to therapy for it and try to challenge myself with things I’m afraid of. When I feel anxious I either take some rest and go do something that relaxes me, or I just try to keep going
with what I was doing and most of the time it goes away.

Have you or someone you love ever been in a dark place? If so, what were the
steps taken to get out?
Yeah, I have been. Both times my anxiety were at its worst I was in a very dark place. It’s just very frustrating and you can feel so down when dealing with it. I still have those moments sometimes but they’re a bit less intense as they were back then, and I also know how to deal with it better. I don’t really have the recipe to come out of it. You have to keep going and work on yourself because you deserve to get better. Even though I was very sad about it all sometimes, I always wanted to make sure I was doing everything to get better. I am convinced that it will be all right in the end, but in the moment, you sometimes feel like it’ll never go away.

Do you think social media affects your mental health or has any other negative
impacts on you? If so, how do you best deal with it?
It definitely can. There’s so much pressure when it comes to social media. You really have to step back sometimes and do a reality check if that makes sense. Especially for young girls and boys it can be a huge trigger. I’m honestly so happy that social media wasn’t as huge as it is now when I was a teenager. There’s so much comparing going on. You never have to forget that social media isn’t a realistic reflection of someone’s life. Even though It’s my creative output and I love what I’m doing, I can say that it can be a very toxic place as well.

What’s the biggest change you can identify within yourself in the past year?
Overcoming my anxiety more than the year before. I recently went to London by myself and that was something I would’ve never done a year ago. I was scared to travel long distances by myself in my own country and that’s something I haven’t done in a while. I skipped that part and went to London for work. I felt like I just had to do it and that mindset was a big change. Made me overcome a lot.

What changes do you want to see within yourself in the coming year? 
Just to be more satisfied with what I’m doing, I think. I just feel like I’m never doing enough and that I should do more. I just want peace with what I’m currently doing and maybe live a bit more in the moment.

What’s one of the hardest things you’ve had to go through in life? How did you
get through it?
Besides dealing with anxiety it has to be my stepfather ending up at the ICU because his heart stopped in 2017. He ended up being okay but the moment of not knowing, I wasn’t ready for it. I think at the moment I didn’t really realize it fully but the months after that it really hit me. I still can’t really talk about it without getting emotional so I’m not sure if I got through it 100%. I think the key to getting
through something is to talk about it, ask help when you need and taking time.

What advice would you give to your 16-year-old self?
To go after her dreams and that she’s enough!

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt?
That humans are very strong beings and that you can overcome more than you think. But I’m honestly still learning in life. I don’t think that will ever stop.

If you could change one thing within society, what would that be?
Racism and injustices. Most disgusting things in the world. I will never ever understand why this is still going on and I will always fight for it to change. Hopefully one day it can be in the past. I’m glad more and more people are standing up to it.