Let's face it, we all struggle with mental health at some point.

Yeah, even those who claim they don't.

Sometimes we can shake ourselves off and get back to 'normal' and other times we really need a helping hand. Sometimes just accepting you need help can be a fight in itself, finding it can be a whole other battle.

That's something I have experienced over the years and I'm not afraid to admit that.

In 2018 I have what I can only describe as a mental break after suddenly losing an animal I had put a lot of my emotional wellbeing into. At the time I hadn't noticed that I was already in a bad place mentally, I was lonely at uni and living in a house share with someone who horded. I had been on antidepressants for a while at this point and thought I was fine, but the doctors started messing me around with my prescriptions.

I was already pretty isolated when I was suddenly faced with loss, grief and inconsistent access to my medication. I lost part of myself and became a robot, if it wasn't for my remaining pet, I doubt I would have left my room, let alone go to the shops for food, but he needed me to get food for him. I still didn't feed myself unless I couldn't ignore the hunger.

I didn't tell anyone what was going on, and assured my family all was fine, my Mum sussed me out and brought me home where I could get help. The doctors kept upping my prescription and had to wait for anything else.

That's when my Mum took me to my local Mind location. They were so kind and were happy to talk to us, it was the first real conversation I could have about my problems without feeling like I wasn't 'mentally ill enough' to get help because it didn't matter. They recognised someone in need and helped where they could.

Sadly, that branch closed not soon after.

That conversation was a turning point for me, it helped me find my footing where I had been scrambling. If you met me now, you probably wouldn't think I had once totally shut down and couldn't even talk to another person.

Mind set me on the right path and I've been lucky enough to have a fantastic group of people in my corner, cheering me along. I still have bad days, those will never go away as depression and anxiety is not something that can be cured. It's good to know that on those bad days Mind is there.

Running for Mind means I can fundraise for this amazing charity, meaning they can then help someone else who needs a light when all they can see is darkness. I really hope to have you all along for the journey.

Thank you for reading and if you can't donate, don't worry, just share this page for me.