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As some of you may know that last week was mental health awareness week, and the theme was nature.
So we thought it would be appropriate to take this time to write a short blog about why raising awareness about Mental Health is important to us.
If it wasn’t for our own struggles with Mental Health, we wouldn’t be in the position we are today and although it hasn’t been easy, we are very grateful for this.
The first thing we would like to say is the importance of never giving up, we believe how you deal with the challenges you face, make you the person you are today.
We feel the theme ‘nature’ is a perfect example, as it is one of the ways we use to deal with our own battles with Mental Health.
Rob: Personally one of the biggest battles I find when I am struggling is getting myself out of the front door and this is usually because I have fallen out of my routine. It is so easy to fall out of a routine but not as easy to get back into it. So keeping on track is so important for me, having structure and routine in my life is a must.
Also by being organised and keeping on top of our daily tasks helps, (easier said than done, we know, especially when you are struggling or have a young child as we do) because everything seems like such a daunting task. One way we handle this is by writing a daily to do list and breaking it all down into small manageable tasks.
As the saying goes “clear space = clear mind”, this is very true for us as this helps us stay focused.
So getting back to the theme ‘nature’, we find getting out is so important especially for a walk in the woods, an open grass field or even to your local park because it does help clear the negative thoughts that may be holding you back/getting you down.
Something that has helped Rob massively with getting out the front door is his love for riding PEV’s (personal electric vehicles) since finding out about these wheels I have seen a massive improvement on his Mental Health not just because they make him feel like a 10 year old boy again but they actually force him to get out and explore. On his wheels everyday is like an adventure.
But this is just about Rob doing something that he loves doing that encourages him to go outside, as well as keeping his mind focused on something positive and that has a knock on effect to everything in his life.
Wether it’s walking/running, cycling, or even photography, painting...it can be anything. Just as long as it something that makes you happy 😃. Having a hobby that gives you the excuse to go out for some fresh air, exercise and a little dose of vitamin D, all have a positive impact on your physical and mental wellbeing. Creating that knock on effect of feeling good, which leads to us making better choices, we want to go out more, we want to eat healthy and ultimately feeling happier.
Finding a hobby also helps to meet new people and make connections with people that all share the same common interest/passion as you.
So why did we write this blog, we wanted to help raise awareness and remove the stigma around talking about mental health and the affect it can have. Mental health can affect anyone, at any age, at some point in their lives, it is how we deal with it that can really make a difference.
Know that you are not alone in how you are feeling, whether it’s stress, anxiety, depression.
Don’t think your stresses or feelings are insignificant because YOUR battle is the hardest battle to face.
Be kind to others but don’t forget to be kind to yourself.
To learn more about Mental Health or if you or someone you know needs help you can visit https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk or https://www.mind.org.uk
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