Ellen Kronen is a small business owner, Made In Lismore, the former President of the Lismore Chamber of Commerce, now Business Lismore, and recently an employee of a Japanese fabric importer based in East Lismore.Ellen, like many Lismore residents and business owners, has suffered from mental health concerns since the February 2022 big flood and the secondary March flood.She was not emotionally ready to sit and talk about her experience until this year. Again, like many people, Ellen buried herself in her work and helping others with their business and shelved her own post-traumatic stress disorder. "I'm okay", the words echoing around in her head.This week, Ellen sat down for a lengthy chat for the Talking Lismore podcast. She began by starting a new business, then experiencing COVID, got over that, and moved into two major floods and ended with six months of counselling at Head to Health, or what is now known as the Lismore Medical Mental Health Centre, which is situated at Southern Cross University.That six months of counselling has allowed Ellen to see her life more clearly, assess how she wants to live it and make decisions based on that assessment quickly.Everyone has their own tipping point when they realise they need professional or outsider help. "I had a random conversation with a friend of a friend, which actually spurred me to action, to actually start the process, because I just needed a little push. I didn't think I needed to talk to a counsellor," Ellen said in the Talking Lismore podcast."It's surprising what can come up with that? And so the very next day, I actually went to Head to Health and talked to them straight away. It was hugely beneficial."Before that realisation, Ellen put her own personal life on hold as well as he business while she tried to help others. However, the signs were there."I think probably that happened fairly early, and if I'd been thinking sensibly.......a couple of board members were helping me clean out the shop because it looked like everything had just been through this big washing machine and then just dumped on the floor. We were trying to clear everything out and my elder daughter was here, and it was like, do we keep this? Do we throw it? Do we try and save it? And I was trying to go, Yes, keep it, no, throw it, whatever. "In the end, my daughter said, Mum, just stop. You're going to have to let us do it. And I just had to trust that the people who were in there helping me, were helping me, and they were. That was kind of the first little indicator. But that was sort of only, maybe a month later (after the flood), and I threw myself into the Chamber of Commerce for good or for bad. "I tried to be a lot of things to a lot of different people, and some of it worked, and some of it didn't. But, you know, it was a particularly difficult time."Ellen's journey has a happy ending. It just took three years to get to a place where she is happy, content, and enjoying life once again.You can listen to the whole Talking Lismore podcast by clicking on the link or via the website by clicking https://talkinglismore.buzzsprout.com/.If you are looking for mental health support, contact the Lismore Medical Mental Health Centre on 0482 161 782.