This autumn, I’ll be running the Royal Parks half marathon to raise money for PANDAS Foundation. PANDAS is a charity dedicated to supporting parents facing perinatal and postnatal mental illness, anxiety, and depression.

The work of PANDAS is close to my heart through my own experience as a first-time mom. I quickly learnt that perinatal mental illness doesn’t always look like depression, and doesn’t always feel like a lack of connection with your baby. I felt an overwhelming bond and love for my son, but that didn’t stop me from being unsure if how I felt was “normal”. What masqueraded as regular mom worries quickly morphed into a debilitating fear of danger, a frustration at not being ‘strong’ enough to overcome my feelings, and a desperate sadness that I wasn’t good enough for my baby.

When I first started googling, probably at 2am, I came across perinatal anxiety for the first time. When I nervously alluded to this to my doctor, several months later, he was immediately reassuring. The stigma that people will think you’re a bad parent, you must not love your baby, or worse, your baby should be taken away, are all terrifying prospects to avoid getting help. None of this happened.

After months of support and slowly opening up, the fear started to ebb. I never thought I’d be able or want to share what I experienced, but if I’d heard it myself, maybe I could have felt much better, much sooner.

Being a parent is hard, and even harder when battling your mind. PANDAS aim is to ensure no parent, family, or carer feels alone, offering information and support via a huge range of contact methods, workshops, and initiatives. The charity is entirely funded by donations and grants, which is why I have chosen to run this half marathon to raise money for their invaluable work.

You can find out more via their social media @pandas_uk or at https://pandasfoundation.org.uk. Thank you for any and all donations made for this fantastic charity.