Brittany O’Connor, Renowned Ballerina and Motivational Mentor Shares Her Inspiring Journey of Overcoming Anxiety

Do you know what is the leading cause of disability worldwide? You’ll be surprised to know that it is not a virus, not accidents, but rather common mental disorders: depression and anxiety. 

According to the Mental Health Foundation, depression may become the leading cause of mortality by 2030. The rise in such mental disorders is attributed to the complexities of life. The complications of social pessimism act as an antithesis to hope; without hope, people find themselves lost. 

Amidst this chaos, hope is not extinct. Despite facing overwhelming odds, some are able to conquer their anxieties and live their wildest dreams. They are a source of encouragement for all of us. One such person who fought through numerous obstacles to fulfill her dream is Brittany O’Connor. A famous ballerina, motivational speaker, and mentor, Brittany’s life inspires all those yearnings for hope.

Brittany always dreamed of becoming a professional dancer but faced various hurdles to fulfill them. These struggles became the primary source of her depression. With her parents disapproving of her career and the discouragement from her peers, Brittany’s career journey was nothing short of a raging battle. Adding fuel to the fire, she also had severe health problems; weak kidneys, strep throat, and bones prone to fracture, all because she was misdiagnosed with hypochondria when she actually suffered from stage 4 Hashimoto, hypothyroid and thyroid atrophy. 

Throughout this battle, anxiety kept building inside and started draining her energy and spirit. But Brittany never let it get the better of her. She believed it was not something to cure but something to cope with instead. Thus, she went all out in conquering it without wasting her energy on removing it. She paid attention to her triggers and managed them accordingly, but the major contributor to her triumph was an ace up her sleeve.

In her fight against depression, Brittany used her father’s trick. “Give yourself 10 minutes to be upset. It’s okay to be hurt. That’s how we know we care. But at the end of the day, we are able to see the glass half full, trust a higher power, and pick ourselves up. With hard work, determination, and trust, everything is possible,” she describes. Through the dark tunnel of these hardships, Brittany found all her dreams fulfilled at the end of it.

Brittany is a compassionate philanthropist, and she attributes her empathy to her trials and tribulations. This process enabled her to understand others’ pain better. It sparked a passion for helping those in need, igniting a fire inside her to inspire others never to give up, trust their gut, defeat depression, keep chasing their dreams, and be generous to the unfortunate.

Join Brittany’s movement to overcome the challenges of this world by following her on Instagram.