David's Fundraising Page
David McManus is raising money for Mental Health UK
Story
I'm not a runner and am probably the least fit I've ever been. I sit at a desk all day and struggle to find the energy to exercise at night. So I couldn't think of a better idea than to run a half marathon......
In all seriousness though, this is the motivation I need.
Mental illness affects more people every year than cancer or heart disease. One in four of us in the UK will be affected by a mental health problem in any given year.
It's no secret that I have struggled with anxiety and depression over the last 4 or 5 years. It's just not something that I go out of my way to talk about. For the majority of the year when things are going well I don't find it much of an issue, but when I can start to feel things go downhill, it's extrememly difficult to stop. I overthink every little aspect of life and worry about things that I've said and done on a day to day basis and motivation for basic everyday tasks falls to almost non-existent. At it's worst I struggle to get myself out to work and have to battle with my own head to get out of the house. I isolate myself and fall out of my social circles. It's not a good place to be!
The anxiety took a little bit of working out. The sudden onset of panic when out with friends made absolutely no sense to me. The struggle to enjoy a holiday away from home made no sense to me. I'm a very logical thinker and knew there was no risk - so why was this happening to me? As a 20 something male this shouldn't be happening to me surely? In fact, it's totally normal and more people suffer from it and don't know it or don't feel comfortable enough to speak out.
I'm in the fortunate position of having great friends, family and girlfriend around me and was able to go and seek professional help in order to manage my symptoms. It's not something that is curable and it will probably always be with me. However, understanding what is happening and knowing how to lessen the impact is a huge help.
If I can raise awareness and help even one person from doing this, then it's well worth the effort in my eyes.
I've now also volunteered to climb Ben Nevis to raise some more money for Mental Health UK. I'll be climbing the mountain with some colleagues on the 16th of June! Some hard work ahead!
In all seriousness though, this is the motivation I need.
Mental illness affects more people every year than cancer or heart disease. One in four of us in the UK will be affected by a mental health problem in any given year.
It's no secret that I have struggled with anxiety and depression over the last 4 or 5 years. It's just not something that I go out of my way to talk about. For the majority of the year when things are going well I don't find it much of an issue, but when I can start to feel things go downhill, it's extrememly difficult to stop. I overthink every little aspect of life and worry about things that I've said and done on a day to day basis and motivation for basic everyday tasks falls to almost non-existent. At it's worst I struggle to get myself out to work and have to battle with my own head to get out of the house. I isolate myself and fall out of my social circles. It's not a good place to be!
The anxiety took a little bit of working out. The sudden onset of panic when out with friends made absolutely no sense to me. The struggle to enjoy a holiday away from home made no sense to me. I'm a very logical thinker and knew there was no risk - so why was this happening to me? As a 20 something male this shouldn't be happening to me surely? In fact, it's totally normal and more people suffer from it and don't know it or don't feel comfortable enough to speak out.
I'm in the fortunate position of having great friends, family and girlfriend around me and was able to go and seek professional help in order to manage my symptoms. It's not something that is curable and it will probably always be with me. However, understanding what is happening and knowing how to lessen the impact is a huge help.
If I can raise awareness and help even one person from doing this, then it's well worth the effort in my eyes.
I've now also volunteered to climb Ben Nevis to raise some more money for Mental Health UK. I'll be climbing the mountain with some colleagues on the 16th of June! Some hard work ahead!