As lockdown continues to ease and we begin to be acquainted with what will become the new "normal", not everyone will embrace our regained freedoms as warmly as others.

Thanks to the innovative discovery of vaccines, the Covid-19 pandemic which encapsulated the globe for over a year is set to become one which no longer prevents us from going about much of our daily life.

Yet as the potency of one pandemic is unquestionably diluted, another is firmly on the horizon.

The draconian and intrusive restrictions which have been placed on us all over the course of the past twelve months will indelibly leave scars upon our society and only some of these will ever be known.

Social distancing, shielding and the array of limitations which have been placed upon us may well have been necessary to combat one pandemic, yet the mental health effects of these are sure to facilitate another.

It has become the norm to internalise our thoughts and feelings, thus meaning that the gradual easing of restrictions will not be seen in an exclusively positive manner by many.

I am one of those but I am determined to do my bit in order to help as many people who feel the same as possible.

Mental health problems have been a fairly regular feature of my life for as long as I can remember. 

From fairly low levels of depression and anxiety, to major battles against self-harm and most recently, eating disorders which nobody really knew about.

The one thing that I have learnt through all this is that mental health is cyclical. If you suffer from one facet of it, then the chances are that it won't be long before another one rears it's ugly head and threatens to derail you even more..

One mental health issue is challenging enough to contend with, but when you have two or three on the go concurrently then exhausting isn't really the word.

During the first lockdown, I embraced everything that it brought in a positive manner - initially at least.

Conscious that I needed to keep mentally strong in the most tumultuous of times, I started to get out of the house and literally walk for miles.

This meant that I dropped the pounds really quickly - but as one part of my lockdown story took a positive turn, another would end in devastating fashion.

As MTFC exponentially headed into the abyss, so did I. 

What had started as a very positive and much-needed outlet turned into something completely different.

Due in the main to external factors which I couldn't control, I became obsessive - because I didn't want to admit what was blatantly obvious.

With that came a very real sense that I was letting so many people down in the small part of their lives that was reserved for me.

Looking back, that was clearly a symptom of one of the numerous mental illnesses which I was battling against every single day.

Illnesses which were hidden; had to be hidden.

Whether it be anxiety one minute, depression the next or the rapidly deteriorating eating disorders which underpinned them all; everything had to be hidden.

Although the external factors which catalysed much of this spiral into desolation have now fundamentally changed, mental illness cannot just be turned on and off like a light switch.

The most recent lockdown and the poignant timing of it has proven to be an even greater challenge.

To many, the presence of a few more pounds (alright then, stone!) is something which is a visible step backwards and in some ways it is - I know that it is.

But that was always going to happen for me to become mentally strong once more - a small and temporary price to pay some would say.

Does it make me feel crappy? Yes.

Does it make me feel anxious? Yes.

Am I overjoyed at the thought of stepping back into the gym again? NO!

But I will do, because there are literally millions of people who can tell stories similar to mine who haven't been able to open up about them.

Millions of people who will suffer in silence.

Millions of people who can't just seamlessly adapt to the new "normal".

Therefore using an Apple Watch Series 5, I pledge to burn 100,000 calories in the next 100 days (12th April - 20th July 2021) in order to support all the valuable work conducted by Mind.

In doing so, I hope that just one person gets the help that they both need and deserve, as we acclimatise to this new definition of "normal".

Nobody should suffer in silence and whether you are able to donate 1p or £1, you will be playing your part in making sure that nobody has to.

Thank you

Bob