Instructor aims to bring mental health speech to the community
By Maurice Garvey
A FITNESS instructor from Clondalkin, who has been delivering inspiring mental health speeches to schoolkids in the UK, hopes to bring her talk home to help kids in her native community.
Adel Murphy (38) overcame a botched suicide attempt in April 2016, and turned her life around after moving to the UK.
Adel Murphy
In 2017, The Echo covered Adel’s story, about how she had worked her way to competing, and ultimately winning a world elite muscle model competition, despite dealing with anxiety and depression.
Currently, Adel is the focus of a mini documentary, which is being created by a videographer from the local YMCA in Maidstone, where she now lives.
“My story is nothing compared to others, but the talk resonates with teenagers,” said Adel, who also runs buggy boot camps and is a Herbalife promoter.
“The goal is for the documentary to be 10 minutes long. It can be used by mental health groups and schools. The more people that know about it the better.”
Meeting Adel at the Mill Shopping Centre, while she is home for two days to gather pictures for the documentary, her energetic personality, full of warmth and positivity, stands out despite her small stature.
However, she acknowledges her own ongoing issues with mental health, and the need for people to speak out if they are in pain.
“My own family didn’t know I was suicidal until they read it in The Echo (back in 2017),” said Adel.
“Why didn’t you ask for help they said, but people don’t know what someone is going through. In January, I had my first real dip in three years. I realised I needed to reach out and was lucky to have a good partner and family and friends.”
Adel uses her own life story for her talk ‘The Path to Acceptance’, one in which she suffered bullying as a teenager and young adult.
“The Path to Acceptance came from my head. I found when I accepted it, it made it easier to manage better. I no longer let other people’s opinions effect what I do. My ultimate goal is to inspire and help other people.”
In Maidstone, Adel’s buggy boot camp at a local park last week attracted 130 people, and she spoke about her story to over 200 students at assembly in Invicta Grammar School.
Recently, she completed a 365-day challenge on her YouTube channel Murphy Motivation, where every morning at 7am, people could do a ten-minute workout with her.
“It gained a lot of followers. What I love about it, is how much it helped people mentally better.”
Adel’s lowest point in April 2016 coincided with sudden serious illnesses of her father and sister – both of whom subsequently managed to recover.
After taking many sleeping tablets and alcohol, she got behind the wheel of her car with the intention of ending the mental pain.
“I didn’t care after taking so many tablets but after five minutes, I said to myself ‘what are you doing – your time is not yet.”
Shortly afterwards, Adel decided to move to the UK for a fresh start.
“It’s not that Clondalkin is bad, but I needed to take myself out. I am interested in doing talks in Clondalkin schools and would love nothing more, than the next time I’m home, to help kids in the area where I grew up.”
If you have been affected by this story and need support, contact Pieta House in Tallaght on 01 4624792, Pieta Ballyfermot on 01 6235606, Pieta Lucan on 01 6010000 or visit the charity’s website at www.pieta.ie, visit HOPE Suicide Prevention Centre Tallaght Facebook page or call 087 1363082 or call Samaritans on 116 123.
