Bryony Gordon is a journalist, best selling author and host of her own podcast, MadWorld. She is also completely charming, hilarious and a total treat to chat to. We know you'll think so too. Like so many, for years Bryony tried to handle her mental illness on her own. She became dependant upon alcohol and drugs in an attempt to cope with OCD, bulimia and depression. In this episode, Bryony shares with us the coping mechanisms she's discovered instead that do work, how exercise is all about the gains, not the losses, and why she once took a banana for a walk down Oxford Street. True story. More exciting news for you- Bryony's latest book No Such Thing As Normal is OUT NOW! A practical guide to mental health, she strives to equip those in need of help with tools and information to get the best out of a poorly funded system that can be both frightening and overwhelming.  Here's a taste: 'Mental illness has led to some of the worst times of my life... but it has also led to some of the most brilliant. Bad things happen, but good things can come from them. And strange as it might sound, my mental health has been vastly improved by being mentally ill.' Wherever you are, and whatever you might be dealing with right now, we hope you find some solace, comfort and solidarity listening to Bryony. As she reminds us; feeling weird is actually the most normal thing in the world. This interview was recorded in the second UK lockdown, November 2020. OCD Action and OCD UK are both still here for you during lockdown! You can find support, information and helplines at https://www.ocdaction.org.uk (https://www.ocdaction.org.uk/) https://www.ocduk.org (https://www.ocduk.org/) Check out Mental Health Mates (a network of peer support groups founded by Bryony in 2016) at mentalhealthmates.co.uk (https://www.mentalhealthmates.co.uk/) Bryony Gordon's MadWorld https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/bryony-gordons-mad-world/id1224672811?i=1000384127171 Follow us on Twitter @repeatpod1 (https://twitter.com/repeatpod1) Instagram @onrepeatpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/onrepeatpodcast/) Email us on [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])   Logo by Patrick Ryan Music by Jack Quarton OTHER PODCASTS WE MENTION: Fearne Cotton's Happy Place https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/bryony-gordon/id1353058891?i=1000427590137 George Ezra on How Do You Cope? with Elis and John https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08pxfr3