Amelie Coggan's biggest ambition in life is to make the world a brighter place for those in need. Photo / Supplied
Amelie Coggan's biggest ambition in life is to make the world a brighter place for those in need.
For more than two years the Christchurch 16-year-old has been building her flourishing business Little Joys By Amelie to help others struggling with their mental health.
Her business of creating clay figurines matched with heartfelt messages, wellbeing cards, magnets and pins has blossomed in popularity - so much so she is now working on her own mental wellbeing book.
But while Little Joys is thriving - behind the scenes Amelie has faced her own demons.
Now she is sharing her story in the hope she can help others.
Since she was a child, Amelie struggled with anxiety and falling asleep.
But her mental health reached a breaking point in the middle of last year.
Her social anxiety starting in school escalated into severe obsessive-compulsive disorder - leading her to do everything nine times.
"If I didn't my brain would convince me something very bad is going to happen," Amelie said.
The difficulty of managing her OCD began to severely affect her life- spiralling her into struggling with depression.
"I wasn't doing anything except going on my phone and lying in bed, and I was hardly attending school let alone doing the work."
This grew into Amelie experiencing extreme mood swings multiple times a day - often placing her in a dangerous headspace.
After she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, Amelie and her parents made the difficult decision for her to leave school to ensure the best chance of recovery.
Her passion for art and design and focusing solely on her business has given Amelie a new lease of life.
She also said visiting a psychologist has provided more stability - and recommends others in similar circumstances to do the same.
But she said something needs to change in making mental health services more accessible for youth.
Formed in 2019, Little Joys was started to raise funds for a school trip to France.
However, that whole purpose has changed to focus on raising awareness for mental health.
"I think mental health is not talked about enough - people have no idea what it's like unless they have experienced it. I just want to spread awareness so it can be talked about and people can get the help they need," Amelie said.
Her next step is writing a new book filled with illustrations of characters targeting specific mental health issues.
That is all while she continues to donate her most popular figurines "Courage Bunnies" to Starship Children's Hospital, NZ Heart Kids and charity One Mother to Another.
She further donates her "Worry Monsters" to Child, Adolescent and Family Inpatient Services, while 5 per cent of her newest products (Mental Health Wellbeing pins and cards) go to charity Voices of Hope.
Amelie said the founders of Voices of Hope, Jazz Thornton and Genevieve Mora, are her role models.
She said they were the first she heard speak out about their own experiences to remove the stigma around mental health disorders.
For more information on Little Joys go to the website, Facebook page or on Instagram and TikTok (@littlejoysbyamelienz).
Where to get help:
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
• Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 (available 24/7)
• Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7)
• Whatsup: 0800 942 8787 (12pm to 11pm)
• Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)
• Anxiety helpline: 0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY) (available 24/7)
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
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