James Middleton.Photo: Ella & Co Instagram
James Middletonis sharing his personal tips for prioritizing mental health.
“I’m a great believer in being outdoors, whether in the city or the countryside,“Kate Middleton’s younger brother tells a special mental health issue ofHellomagazine.
“Putting yourself first to take a moment is sometimes hard but so important,” he adds. “To get outside and away from the stagnant air inside is uplifting.”
He hascredited his dogswith providing emotional support ever since and frequently Instagrams images of his mind-clearing adventures in the British countryside withwife Alizeeand their dogs — including his long-term companion, blackcocker spaniel Ella— and, more recently, anadopted lamb named Captain.
James Middleton.James Middleton/Instagram
“I also enjoy taking my six dogs for walks,” James tellsHelloabout his pups Ella, Inca, Luna, Zulu, Mabel, and Nala. “It’s lovely when people are interested in my dogs. They stop and say, ‘Please can we say hi to them?’ Before we know it, we’re chatting.”
Dogs also provide an unquestioning source of comfort and support, says James.
“You can tell a dog your darkest thoughts and trust them because they won’t tell anyone else,” he said. “To put your emotions into words to your dog is a release.”
James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet.James Middleton/Instagram
James first opened up about his mental health struggles in 2019, telling theDaily Mailhow the combination of severe dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) left him living in a “monotone” world of “heart-thudding anxiety” where he couldn’t feel “joy, excitement or anticipation.”
“I feel compelled to talk about it openly because this is precisely what my brother-in-lawPrince William, my sister Catherine andPrince Harryare advocating through their mental health charity Heads Together,” he added.
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James also has big sisters Kate andPippa Middletonto thank for another of his coping strategies. In June 2020, James revealed that his familygifted him a beehivefor his 24th birthday and that it has gone on to play a major role inhelping him tounwindfrom the stresses of daily life.
Yet it is the wild expanses of the British countryside that have had the biggest influence on James, who runsElla & Co,a freeze-dried raw dog food company in the U.K.
“Ella, particularly, has been my constant companion for ten years and she’s been with me to all my therapy sessions,” he told the Daily Mail in 2019. “In her own particular way, she has kept me going.”
source: people.com
