Allie says she has been been battling depression since childhood.
In an interview with Gorilla Position, Allie of Impact Wrestling discussed the difficult topic of her own depression by going through the timeline of her coping. When she was twelve years old, she lost her father and she believes her issue began around that time but for a long time she was unaware through what she was going.
“For most of my life, anxiety and depression have had a huge toll on me. Even when I was going through it all at the time, I didn't realize that I was depressed. I could feel it, but I didn't know what it really was for a long time,” said Allie
When she was eighteen years old, Allie began her wrestling training and she soon found it to be a fine outlet. However, Allie said wrestling was not everything she needed.
“I wish I could say that wrestling helped me cope with my depression completely. At first it did, but those feelings were still there," said Allie. "There were days at a time, when I just wouldn't leave the house. I didn't care if I even did small things, like take a shower, or go get the mail. There was almost this fear of facing the world, and of not being accepted. It’s hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it, but it’s almost as if you’ve made yourself numb to everything out there," she later added.
Allie said a friend first told her she needed to find a professional to talk about her depression. Allie also credited her husband Braxton Sutter with adding to her support network to help her cope which is something Allie said is very important.
"Having someone in your inner circle that you can trust makes all the difference. And, if you don’t have someone you feel like you can trust, there are resources out there where you can find help. People who are at risk need to know that,” said Allie.
In the rest of the interview, Allie said her advocacy for people with depression and anxiety is as important to her as professional wrestling but in a different way and that her career has given her a platform.
The rest of the interview is available at GorillaPosition.com.
