Cricket star and former anxious kid Amelia Kerr wants young people to know about 0800 What’s Up

As a child with anxiety and deep feelings, Amelia Kerr says her way of trying to cope was to "just get on with it".

The young all-rounder is happy that Kiwi kids today can instead call 0800 What’s Up to ask questions and explore how they're feeling.

"It can be hard when you're doing it all alone in your own head," she tells Saturday Morning.

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When a child is struggling, parents and caregivers can be scared, too, Kerr says, and the counsellors at 0800 What's Up can also help them understand the situation.

When her own mental health began to decline in 2020, Kerr says she was still carrying the "I'll just get on with it" mentality of her childhood and "chasing perfectionism" as an international cricketer.

The next year, when an injury kept her home from cricket training sessions - which were a "safe space" where her mind felt clearer - her mental health took a further dive.

"All the thoughts in my head were constantly spinning and spiralling out of control, and probably things that I hadn't dealt with from a young age built up."

In 2021, Kerr was at a cricket camp in Christchurch when she hit breaking point. Flying home, she had a panic attack upon seeing her family.

That night, when her dad made a speech, Kerr says it felt like she was watching her own funeral.

"I knew from that moment I had to continue for them, and then eventually myself. Seeing the impact that had on my family - everyone in that room in tears - I knew I needed to get better for them."

Later, Kerr said that it was the support of her "extremely close" family that saved her life.

From interviewing high-performing Kiwis like boxer Mea Motu and musician Mitch James for her video series Treading Water, Kerr discovered that feeling extremely alone is the one thing people struggling with anxiety and depression all share.

While it was sometimes "scary" sharing her mental health struggles with the public back in 2021, she also didn't want to lie.

"Because people close to me have struggled with their mental health, I wanted to be honest about why. If I was going to be passionate about this, I had to be honest."

After previously turning down psychiatric medication out of fear that it would affect her training or energy levels, Kerr was at her "absolute lowest" when she realised she had to give it a go.

Now, when she has thoughts about weaning herself off the medication, she thinks about her sister Jess, who has type 1 diabetes.

"She uses her insulin pump to keep herself alive and healthy, so it's similar."

Psychiatric medication shouldn't carry more stigma than any other medication, Kerr says.

"If it's going to help you feel happier, if it's going to help your emotions and imbalances, I think it's important. If I'm on it for the rest of my life, that's okay."