Mind is one of my favourite charities.  When I lost my father aged thirteen there were no bereavement or grief counsellors.  Since I didn't show signs of distress, the adults in my life assumed that everything was OK.  

My best friend at the time had lost two fathers by the age of nine.  The first in a car accident and the second to a fatal brain tumour.  My father had died suddenly of a heart attack, so together we tried to figure out life, loss, and how to grow up with single, working mothers.  We knuckled down, studied hard and planned for a brighter and more stable future.  Because we were 'good' girls at school, no-one suspected we were struggling. Least of all me.

Fast forward ten years.  I have a business degree and am working for Accenture in London as a Management Consultant.  But I realize that I want to work with people, not technology.  My wonderful boss at that time had recently seen the company's psychotherapist because at age fifty he was experiencing marital problems.  He urged me to book an appointment to discuss my career before I threw it away.

The psychotherapist I visited worked at King's College London.  She was an elegant woman who listened carefully to my story and asked me about my dreams and aspirations. I told her that I wanted to become a nutritionist and work in the health and wellness industry.  I was sick of stressful deadlines, long hours and lonely nights in hotels.  She agreed that it was a good idea to try something else and change my career.  But since we had thirty minutes left, she suggested I talk about my life and childhood.  She asked me what had made me choose a career in business.

I said something about pleasing my father, doing the right thing, being responsible and earning money, and cried without really knowing why.  She suspected I had PTSD and asked me to come back.  No-one had asked me about my father for years, so it was a shock to re-live his death with this caring, attentive woman.  But I was worried that a diagnosis of PTSD might not look good on my human resources file. So I didn't book another appointment with her.

Fast forward another ten years.  I have an MSc in Clinical Nutrition from New York University.  I'm a Registered Dietitian with a private practice in Manhattan and also work part-time at NYU Hospital, where I see lots of patients who share their problems with me.  Some have therapists, others have tried to figure things out by themselves.  I am struck by their painful life experiences and struggles.  Many use food as a coping mechanism - either eating too much or starving themselves.   Others use alcohol to self-soothe or develop other addictions.

I realized that to really help them, I not only needed to understand nutrition, but I also had to understand how to motivate them to change for the better.  I studied with therapists and tried to develop a simple toolbox to help improve their mental wellbeing, emotional literacy and resilience.  In New York, I could also refer them to hundreds of other therapists who did talk therapy, art therapy, dance therapy, Gestalt, dream analysis, trauma release or prescribed medication.

In the process of learning about the mind, trauma, emotional literacy, mindfulness, neuroplasticity, inner child work, and things like repetition compulsion, I realized that I was still struggling to cope with my father's death.  Opening my mind, was a bit like opening Pandoras Box.  But with help, I started to understand myself better and healed many of my issues.   

When I returned to England and worked in paediatrics in the NHS, I realized that people had to almost be suicidal to get a referral to mental health services.  If children or parents struggled with stress, bereavement or had financial worries, they either had to Keep Calm and Carry On, take anti-depressants, or find a charity to help them.  That was when I first came across Mind. 

MIND provides an essential service for anybody in the UK who needs a listening ear and a safe place to voice their struggles, so they can find their way back to joy.   It's for anyone, even if you don't think you have a serious 'mental illness' like depression or bipolar.  If you have a body, you expect to see a doctor from time to time.  Yet when it comes to our minds, we feel ashamed if we need help, yet it's normal to need advice.  

Perhaps it's because we were taught that it was shameful to be a crybaby, or air our dirty laundry in public.  I thought you had to have a stiff upper lip and figure things out without too much fuss.  But that's old-fashioned advice, and we know it doesn't work and is not healthy.  It's important to recognize the signs of stress and overwhelm, and even more important to seek help, to understand the cause and find a healthy solution. Mind has counsellors, phone lines, peer support groups, school programs and they work hard to normalize struggles that are a part of life.  We are all vulnerable and we all need help sometimes.  

Any donation to MIND, even £20 would be much appreciated.  It might help a friend, family member or total stranger.  In return, please feel free to get FREE NUTRITION ADVICE from me as a THANKYOU from the bottom of my heart.  

Head over to my webpage and read about emotional eating triggers, how to stop yo-yo dieting and how to lose weight for good.  Or read about Jungian archetypes and see how they might affect your drives and motivations.

www.EatAndBeKind.co.uk