THE first time she tried to take her own life, Abbi Naylor was 14.

Following traumatic childhood experiences, the teenager had developed mental health issues.

Now the 29-year-old from Southampton is taking on 30 challenges to mark her 30th birthday, to raise funds and awareness for mental health charity Young Minds.

"I started to get strange thoughts and deep feelings of emptiness," Abbi says of the time.

"They didn't feel like just feelings. It was physical and would make me feel sick and dirty.

"The feelings quickly became more severe. I found the only way to make them go away was by running.

"Soon I was doing as many hours exercise every day as possible, no matter how much I was aching. At the same time I was watching what I ate, and this quickly led to me not eating much at all.

"I was starving and my gremlins would take over. I would find myself eating anything I could get my hands on – even dried pasta. Then the feelings of worthlessness would take over and the only way to get rid of that was to make myself sick, and then I would have to run.

"This cycle lasted for about three years. I lost three and a half stone and was seriously depressed."

Abbi realised that she was suffering from bulimia and was able to reach out to her mother for help.

"Talking to my mum was a major part of my recovery," she says.

"I was also lucky in a way. I was helped a lot by a clinical psychologist who I was referred to through the NHS, and I also had help through counselling at my school.

"I know that there is less availability for psychologists through the NHS now, which is one of the reasons why I'm fundraising for Young Minds and trying to raise awareness about them too."

As Abbi was beginning to recover and some of her support began to be withdrawn, she made another attempt on her own life.

"It was a massive cry for help," she says.

Abbi is keen to emphasise that her eating disorder had nothing to do with her appearance.

"People think it's all about body image, but it's not," she says.

"At that point in my life, it was the only thing that I could control. It was the only thing that made me 'me'.

"People saw me as normal, happy, cheery, sporty, healthy Abbi.

"I had lots of comments about how good I looked and how I had such a good figure.

"What people didn't realise was that I was dying inside and crying out for help."

Abbi, who is now a professional expedition leader, says that she recovered from her eating disorder while she was at university, but adds that she sometimes has relapses.

"I put a character onto it – I imagine a little gremlin. It tells me I'm doing too much or that something isn't right, so it can be really positive," she says.

At the age of 25, Abbi developed a further anxiety, about time.

"The need for control came back. At the peak of my anxiety, I was writing tens of lists each day, and not getting any sleep. These lists would include unachievable things to do in one day, or they would be by one-year, five-year and ten-year plan lists. I would give myself completely unachievable targets and would mentally punish myself when I didn't achieve them. It became all I could think about."

Turning 30 became a particular focus for Abbi.

"The list of things I had to do before I was 30 was extreme," says Abbi, who turns 30 in April.

"It was making me really stressed and unhappy and I didn't want to turn 30. It was time to get help again, so I did and now feel better than ever.

"To mark my 30th birthday, I wanted to do something really positive, that was fun, helpful to others, not stressful and filled with the type of challenge that I love."

Abbi decided to take part in 30 endurance events this year, including running, sailing, mountain biking, swimming and Ironman events, in a series of challenges she is calling thirty4thirty.

She is hoping to raise £30,000 for Young Minds, as well as awareness about mental health issues and to promote strength and positivity.

One of the reasons why she feels particularly strongly about the charity is because it operates a helpline for parents and carers, which she says was very helpful to her mother.

She says she is most nervous about the open water swimming events, and most excited about the Himalayan 100 in October, a five-day race, which includes the Everest Marathon.

For Abbi, being so open about her own mental health issues, in order to fundraise, has been its own challenge, but one that she is glad to have taken on.

"It has been hard for me to share it," she says.

"There are still very few of my friends who know what went on with my bulimia and suicide attempts. I'm a very confident and open person, and I think it has been a shock for people to hear it.

"But speaking out about mental health issues is an important part of helping the stigma to be demolished.

"It's also helped me realise that I can say 'no' to things if I feel I'm taking too much on, so sharing my story so publicly has actually made me feel more confident."

Abbi hopes that other people who may be suffering from mental health issues will be inspired to seek the help they need.

"It's really important to get across to people that talking about it makes it so much better. There are people you can speak to, so you don't need to let it destroy you or take you over.

"Try not to hide away. Speak to anyone you feel confident in speaking to. Get advice online, for instance from Young Minds.

"You're definitely not alone."

* You can sponsor Abbi at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/abbisthirtyfthirty. Visit Young Minds at http://youngminds.org.uk