Challenging myself to raise mental health awareness...
Hi ... and thanks for passing by (even if it was only by accident!).
This site is primarily devoted to my efforts to raise mental health awareness. I was born in 1964, and have suffered from a chronic, but thankfully mild condition called persistent depressive disorder for something like 45 years. It took me many years to realise I needed help … and several more to find the strength to ask for it. I was diagnosed with “depression” in 2004, but my actual condition wasn’t identified for another decade.
Although I still suffer symptoms on a daily basis, so many aspects of my life have improved since I started sharing my experiences and speaking openly about my condition (the blogs from 2011 and 2016 hopefully give some insight). That is partly down to the initial support from my GP; having a loving family and supportive friends makes a huge difference too; but my recovery has also been helped by taking on various “challenges" to try and raise mental health awareness: to encourage people to talk, and show that it is fine to ask for help…
Much of the site revolves around those challenges - something in the region of 130-140 were completed from the start of 2014 to September 2020; but the list on the next tab includes the final or definitive 100, along with a number of links (just click the pictures) to related articles.
One of the underlying themes of the past seven-and-a-bit years is that in order to complete many of the challenges, I have needed to ask for help, more often than not from someone I didn’t know well – if at all…
Just as I did when I first sat down in front of my GP all those years ago.
Those initial challenges ended on 30 September 2020, with a 50km indoor row, which I managed to complete in 4 hours 52 minutes and 17 seconds (give or take...), and I've since undertaken an interview project devoted to women in sport, with the aim of asking inspiring elite athletes from a range of different sports if they might be willing to share their stories and experiences...
This had led to a few more challenges being planned for 2021/22, but the sudden loss of my Dad in October 2021 changed my life and priorities completely; and after one more 50km row (as a thank you to the players at Exeter Chiefs women's rugby and Leeds Rhinos netball for their support of the interview project) in May 2022, that will be the end as far the challenges are concerned,
I am aware that mental health will always be a huge part of my life. I've been blessed to meet so many wonderful people over these past years; and whatever the future holds, I will always be grateful for all the support and do whatever I can to uphold the messages that you should never be afraid to talk about how you feel, or to ask for help if you are struggling.
This site is primarily devoted to my efforts to raise mental health awareness. I was born in 1964, and have suffered from a chronic, but thankfully mild condition called persistent depressive disorder for something like 45 years. It took me many years to realise I needed help … and several more to find the strength to ask for it. I was diagnosed with “depression” in 2004, but my actual condition wasn’t identified for another decade.
Although I still suffer symptoms on a daily basis, so many aspects of my life have improved since I started sharing my experiences and speaking openly about my condition (the blogs from 2011 and 2016 hopefully give some insight). That is partly down to the initial support from my GP; having a loving family and supportive friends makes a huge difference too; but my recovery has also been helped by taking on various “challenges" to try and raise mental health awareness: to encourage people to talk, and show that it is fine to ask for help…
Much of the site revolves around those challenges - something in the region of 130-140 were completed from the start of 2014 to September 2020; but the list on the next tab includes the final or definitive 100, along with a number of links (just click the pictures) to related articles.
One of the underlying themes of the past seven-and-a-bit years is that in order to complete many of the challenges, I have needed to ask for help, more often than not from someone I didn’t know well – if at all…
Just as I did when I first sat down in front of my GP all those years ago.
Those initial challenges ended on 30 September 2020, with a 50km indoor row, which I managed to complete in 4 hours 52 minutes and 17 seconds (give or take...), and I've since undertaken an interview project devoted to women in sport, with the aim of asking inspiring elite athletes from a range of different sports if they might be willing to share their stories and experiences...
This had led to a few more challenges being planned for 2021/22, but the sudden loss of my Dad in October 2021 changed my life and priorities completely; and after one more 50km row (as a thank you to the players at Exeter Chiefs women's rugby and Leeds Rhinos netball for their support of the interview project) in May 2022, that will be the end as far the challenges are concerned,
I am aware that mental health will always be a huge part of my life. I've been blessed to meet so many wonderful people over these past years; and whatever the future holds, I will always be grateful for all the support and do whatever I can to uphold the messages that you should never be afraid to talk about how you feel, or to ask for help if you are struggling.
This site is lovingly dedicated to my father David (1939-2021)
I’ve lived in the north-east of England all my life. I work within the NHS, but spend quite a lot of my spare time researching my family history. I am also the author of Desperately Seeking Susan Foreman and Today Just Like Yesterday. I have had a lifelong love of sport, particularly cricket (which I attempted to play for many years), rugby league (which I didn't), netball and the Olympic Games.