Who should you go to when you need help? Generally, if you’re struggling with something, I recommend talking to someone you can trust, with personal experience or experience helping people with the thing you’re struggling with.
What I write here and discuss in the video below may be triggering or upsetting for some people.
This time last year, I was really struggling with my mental health. I had no enjoyment, no ambition, and, to be honest, no desire to be alive.
I felt isolated, tired, and, sometimes, nothing.
And feeling like this, the last things I wanted to hear were:
It can’t be that bad/cheer up/think of everything you have or have done/etc and
Why don’t you talk to someone?
Making plans isn’t easy to do when you’re depressed. And talking to a non-specific person about something I was struggling with felt insurmountable. Indeed, living in central London, the idea of paying someone – I guessed without actually looking up – hundreds of pounds to tell me what was wrong with me felt physically painful.
If you’ve ever felt like this, or feel like this now, I want you to know that, in the UK, you can talk with therapists for free, professionally and confidentially, with the NHS’ Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service.
Now, talking therapy might not be for everyone but my experience was overwhelmingly positive and went on to influence not just my approach to life but my approach to coaching, helping me to better spot low mood in others.
Ultimately, if you’re struggling with something, I recommend talking to someone you can trust, with personal experience or experience helping people with the thing you’re struggling with. And, specifically in terms of mental health, I would encourage you to look into IAPT if you know you need help.