I have a severe social anxiety disorder.

There. I’ve said it. In seven words I have broken one of our last taboos: I’ve spoken of mental illness.

Today across England people are coming together to talk about mental illness and help overcome the stigma that many people still face in the twenty-first century. Time to Change are hoping to inspire one million conversations about mental health within 24 hours.

I’ve written and re-written this post three times because I’m not sure what to talk about. Because there is so much to talk about! Do I talk about my social anxiety disorder and how it affects me on a daily basis? Do I talk about the stigma I face for having a mental illness? Or do I talk about how it felt to talk to someone about having a mental illness for the first time?

As today is Time to Talk day, I’ll go with the latter.

It is July 2013. I have been suffering from severe social anxiety disorder for more than fifteen years, but I have only recently been diagnosed.

To provide the background, my job involves making sales visits and talking to strangers on exhibition stands – not a great choice for someone with my disorder. My anxiety would rise in preparation for these events, and the elation I would have when I came out the other side meant I was riding an emotional rollercoaster. I was taking annual leave just to recover from the sheer exhaustion this caused me.

I took the decision to tell my boss.

We went for a walk down by the river. I remember taking a deep breath before opening up for the first time in my life and then just waiting for the response.

“You don’t show it” she said (and this is a very common response I get), “how can we help you?”

Just being able to sit down with someone and talk through my problems was such a relief. I never expected to have such a positive reaction from my boss. I have to admit that losing my job was more prominent in my mind, but that might just be a sign of my anxiety.

I think I’m quite lucky to have her as a boss – I wish everyone would be able to respond as supportively as she did.

We worked out a plan of action. I would be allowed to work from home following an exhibition so that I could rest instead of wasting four hours per day commuting. We agreed that the exhibition team should be constructed differently, so that I was better supported.

It is not all positive though. I still feel unable to talk to my family about my social anxiety disorder. I am worried about their reaction. I am worried they will blame themselves. I am worried they will tell me to ‘pull myself together’.

I grew up feeling isolated; feeling alone, like no one knew what I was going through. I don’t want anyone to experience what I’ve been through, which is why I’ve set up BattleAnx, where you can follow my story about my battle with anxiety.

* The author's name has been changed to protect their identity