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Steph’s story: overcoming my fear and anxiety with a skydive for Mental Health Awareness Week

On 14 May 2022, I threw myself out of a plane! Actually, I was securely strapped to a qualified instructor who I put my complete faith in that they knew what they were doing! So why did I do this?

The skydive was petrifying and exhilarating all in one go! There were moments of pure terror combined with sheer excitement and adrenaline. I don’t think I could ever top that experience, but now I know that whenever I am floundering or thinking I can’t do something – I will think back to the day when I threw myself out of a plane and know that I could do anything if I put my mind to it.

And, of course, I wanted to raise lots of money for the Mental Health Foundation, which does so much work around raising mental health awareness and prevention. So far, I have raised £1420 for the Foundation. Thank you to everyone that has donated and supported me through this truly life-changing event!

Recovery as a Collective Process

“Every time you pick up food with your fork, your mouth opens.” This silly statement, made to me by a family member at a family function, was meant to be funny. Sarcasm, quips and dark humour were standard in my family. You laughed at the statements made about you and carried on. Everyone chuckled and that was the end of it—for everyone else.

But not for me.

One of the things that helps me retain a positive perspective is working with youth who are experiencing mental health and addiction issues, and their families—providing support to caregivers, young people and peers who are experiencing some of the same things that I have experienced. Being able to provide this support to someone who needs it makes me realize—in unexpected ways—how far I have come on my own recovery journey.

There isn’t a shortage of people who need a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on or a high-five for living the best day they could have lived under the circumstances. I feel blessed and deeply honoured when I can be there to give empathy to a struggling youth or a caregiver who has nothing left to give.

Volunteering and Recovery — Andrew’s Story

When Andrew Woods started volunteering with CMHA BC a year and a half ago, he didn’t know where the opportunity might lead.

At the time, he was in recovery from mental illness, having spent much time in the hospital for OCD, schizoaffective disorder and substance use. He didn’t have any particular goals in mind; he was just looking for an opportunity to get involved with the community.

During his first few months, he worked mainly in the information and referral office, providing guidance to people who’d written in with questions about their own mental health and available resources.

Gradually, Andrew broadened his portfolio, dipping his toes into projects with the fundraising and public policy offices.

Over time, Andrew began to focus on communications-oriented projects – an area of interest for him that draws on his background in writing and business administration. Today, his efforts have resulted in a portfolio that includes an impressive number of blog entries, writing projects, and even a piece in the popular magazine Psychology Today.

I became homeless and was battling depression… so I decided to hike the UK coastline, wild camping along the way

A dad who found himself homeless and struggling with his mental health has revealed how he made a complete lifestyle change and spent eight months trekking the UK coastline, wild camping along the way.

Before this incredible trek, Jim McIlwain, 45, had spent the last six months of 2022 couch-surfing in his native Bristol, trying to hold down a job while suffering from depression.

Jim isn’t finished hiking for good though. He regularly goes on walks and has high hopes for big treks and wild camping trips next year.

He said: ‘I want to do the Yorkshire Three Peaks. There’s the Outer Hebrides [in Scotland]. I want to go climb some mountains. Do Ben Nevis again. There’s so much I want to see and do in the future.

‘I’m going to keep doing it [hiking] at the end of the day, because I need to keep my mind focused and to stop myself wandering off to a dark place again. I don’t ever want to get to the stage in my life where I think suicide is the answer.’

Pursuing My Dream Career While in Recovery

During the early stages of my recovery from schizophrenia, I had two goals in mind: working and healing. I was tired, not just from my symptoms or side effects from my medications, but from lying in bed and feeling useless. I wanted to do more.

With the support of my therapist and a good psychiatrist, both of whom prioritized a commitment to self-care, I went back to graduate school in social work. Within two years, I graduated from SUNY Binghamton — the same college I had withdrawn from years earlier after a mental health episode — with a Master’s in Social Work.

My personal experience, I found, actually benefitted me early on in my career. As a young licensed social worker, I taught my clients about the self-care concepts that had served me. Later on, I would teach self-care at the graduate level. Returning to the classroom as a teacher served as a powerful reminder that I had come just about full circle since my initial illness. Many of my students would go on to become therapists, reinforcing the importance of self-care to their patients, similarly to the way my therapist had done a decade prior.

My Story Isn’t Over

I was diagnosed with depression at age 16 after spending a year on the controversial medication Accutane to clear up my acne. As much as I would like to blame my depression on Accutane (the drug is known to have serious side effects), I was also predisposed to mental health issues. For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with me. I was a shy kid growing up. I was quiet. I was an introvert. I don’t think my family knew how to handle an introverted kid.

Every year, I raise money for NAMI to support mental health services in our state. I know thousands of people do more for mental health than I can, but we all play a role in destigmatizing mental illness.

Simply sharing my story isn’t enough. For the last five years, I wanted to do my part in combatting our world’s mental health crisis. Since 2018, I have raised over $5,000 for NAMI St. Tammany through the annual NAMIWalks campaign. By sharing my journey and raising money, I hope that it gives someone who is struggling the courage to ask for help. There are no periods in my story; only a semicolon because my story isn’t over.

This is why I’m glad I was finally diagnosed with borderline personality disorder

For 15 years I struggled with paranoia, trust issues and a fear of abandonment – and doctors continuously fobbed me off with diagnoses and tablets that didn’t seem to fit.

People always tell you to trust your gut. They always say that if you get a feeling about something, you’re usually right. Well, I always had a gut feeling that I was different.

Beth Rees is a Time to Change Wales champion. Time to Change Wales is a campaign run by Mind Cymru and Hafal, and aims to increase awareness of mental health problems.

How I started to beat my eating disorder

Nat dreaded the thought of group therapy, but in the end supporting others helped her to look after herself.

I dreaded the thought of group therapy but the experience of hearing others talk about their problems really resonated with me. I learned through giving them advice how to be compassionate to myself and treat myself like a friend, and as the self-compassion increased, so did my weight.

I scaled the heights for my mental health

After a schizoaffective episode that could have cost him his life, Patrick jumped at the opportunity of a physical challenge.

I’ve spoken at conferences/events, about my mental health and joined groups like The Mandem which exists digitally and physically to foster a community of men that support and celebrate each other.

Openly speaking to men, Black men in particular, about topics like ‘finding a therapist’ has been a blessing.

When the Chartered Institute of Housing president Aileen Evans asked for support in raising money for Mind and Harry’s Pals (a new initiative set up to provide emotional support to parents who have severely ill or disabled children) I jumped at the opportunity.

The fact that I had to take part in the 24 Peaks challenge (climbing 24 of the English Lake District Peaks over two days – including Scafell Pike), and had never climbed a peak in my life let alone 24 over two days did not scare me.

I was humbled by the immense requirements of this challenge. So far collectively we have raised over £46,000.

Borderline personality disorder in the workplace

After experiencing a lack of support at work, Beth became a champion for workplace mental health.

Then I became a Time to Change Wales champion. I started bringing in information to leave around the office and suggested in several meetings that they have some staff trained in mental health first aid. After a few years they decided to do this and I was lucky enough to be trained through New Pathways on their SURE for Mental Health course. I have since left the charity that trained me and they now have mental health champions in the workplace, which makes me really proud.

As for me, I’ll be carrying on raising awareness through my personal blog and at work, to ensure more people can talk openly about their mental health.