Mental health: Evan’s guide to coping with anxiety

There is a silver lining to the challenges we face as a world today, provided we look after ourselves, respect the governing boundaries and remember to balance our state of mind.

This is the advice of 34-year-old Evan Judge, formerly from Mandeni and now living in the United Kingdom for almost 13 years.

Having grown up in Mandeni with his parents and brother until the age of 18, he moved to Durban to work in hospitality, then four years later decided to set up shop in England, working for the Compass Group as a safety manager in the catering industry.

Judge still has not lost his boisterous attitude and local accent, and was a student at Stanger High School.

Suffering with an acute bipolar disorder, Judge’s journey to get him to where he is now was exceptionally difficult, to the point where he was afraid to share it with his friends and colleagues.

“Around the world and especially in the UK, there has been a push towards opening up about mental health,” said Judge.

It was when he was given the opportunity to speak at a work conference in front of over 150 people, including his senior management, that he decided to tell his story.

“Once I started sharing what I deal with each day, people started opening up, coming to talk to me about their own struggles and asking me to find a platform so I could continue sharing.”

He started a podcast, ‘Evan Talks’, which he updates regularly, that speaks to anxiety and mental health.

Remembering the North Coast fondly, the friendly giant urged South Africans to see the bright side of the Covid-19 outbreak by recalling what the most vital factors of life are.

“What this pandemic has taught the world, from an economic point of view, is that money and material things are not as important an investment as people, such as family and friends.”

He said not being able to go out can help us appreciate the outdoors and sunshine a little more now.

According to Judge, strict regulations in the UK are limiting outings to the immediate local area and only once a day.

“Here in the UK the weather is so terrible, I do not know why people want to go out jogging in the first place,” he laughs.

“Appreciate time with family and use the time at home to orientate any difficulties.”

Judge’s brother Mark, still lives in Mt. Edgecombe, and has turned exercise into a family activity with his children at home, something that Judge recommends.

“Many people on the North Coast are lucky to have big yards and gardens which we don’t have in the UK, so maximise those to stay at home and get your workout done.”

Mental health, besides physical health is quickly becoming a large concern with lockdowns around the world, and Evan employs the following tactics to keep himself going.

“Keep to a schedule as if you were still at work, so wake up early, set some key focus points with things to get done, and get going. This gives you a sense of achievement.”

“Talk to your employer if you are stressed about work, and ask what you can do to alleviate the strain on the company.”
Judge also suggests limiting time on social media.

“Decide on one time a day to catch up with the news. As for me, I turn off the news apps on my phone and focus on communicating with friends and family through voice calls and video chat apps.”

Judge provides a beacon of hope for people struggling with anxiety and other mental health issues, and his uplifting messages can be followed by looking for the ‘Evan Talks’ podcast, or contact him on his Facebook page.

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