I am running every day to raise awareness of the struggles so many people have with their mental health on a daily basis.  Mental health issues can take many different forms and can be life changing for those who suffer and their families.  For some it comes as anxiety or panic attacks.  Some will catastrophise and create disaster scenarios of things that might happen.  For many this can come out as anger or a control issue.  Some people feel depression as an unending emptiness, not necessarily feeling constantly low, but often feeling nothing at all, despite knowing they have so much to feel happy about.  Mental illness is becoming a less taboo subject and a greater emphasis is being placed on mental wellness.  However, many people still fell unable to speak up about how they are feeling and just get on with trying to live with their illness, seemingly unsupported and not understood.  Sadly, an increasing number feel they cannot continue this struggle and choose to end their own lives.

The idea of running every day is to highlight this daily struggle.  What may appear to be easy from the outside, can be anything but!  I am adding in a Half Marathon every month, to represent those flashpoints, where the struggle can become even greater, at times of great loneliness, stress or for no apparent reason at all.  I am finishing my year of running (April 2017-18) at London Marathon on 22nd April 2018.

Supporting someone with a mental health issue can be as simple as just being there beside them, really listening to them and never making any judgements. Many wonderful friends and family are offering to run beside me for some of my daily runs and for some of my Half Marathons.  For a few this will be a huge challenge, it being their first Half Marathon. If you are friends with me on FB or Instagram, you will now know what all these daily running posts are about!  And I truly appreciate all the support, 'Likes' and comments that people have been leaving - it all helps to keep me going!

Thank you for whatever support you are able to give.  Someone, somewhere will benefit from your kindness and generosity.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity, Mind. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.