“I went through CBT at the start of the year, and the hardest part was picking up the phone and dialling in. The initial call I was constantly in tears, whilst I was speaking to Admin who asking me questions which will then allow them to assign me the right councillor. After my first consultation, everything slowly became easier. I was told ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’, and it really stuck with me. 6 sessions later, we both agreed that I might not need another. Since then, I made effort to join another gym that was instead of being 5 minutes away, but 45 minutes away. This led to me being occupied, and outdoors for longer than before, giving me mental breathing space and distraction. I can’t thank being part of a community led gym enough – It has done me absolute wonders. It’s an opportunity to work hard, forget everything else for a period, and be with likeminded people working out together. Its just those couple hours a day of being outside, active, surrounded by amazing people that’s really helped me through what was a tough year.
“At the end of my university degree (2017), for my final major project produced a campaign all about men and their feelings, and how we are perceived or discouraged to talk about our emotions and feelings. I fell into this trap myself through 2021, which is ironic. It’s still very relevant today and having gone through an emotionally and mentally unstable experience, I know exactly what It means to have someone to speak to. Just to have conversation with someone is worth more than gold itself, and I can’t encourage enough for friends, family, co-workers to ask another person ‘hey, how are you today’ and allow for a potential ‘I’m not OK’ to come back and be that person they just need to have. I think as a community, as a country, we can do more to ask someone how they are, instead of waiting for them to ask if they are free for a chat.”
Feel free to check it out / share this – https://youtu.be/UF4kezt28Yo