Now that I’ve firmly settled in back home I can feel the effect that challenging myself has had on me. I honestly feel so much stronger and secure in myself, my anxiety is hugely reduced and if I do experience it I am now less likely to panic or feel frightened.
So I’m chuffed. I know this isn’t the end of the road by far because many mental illnesses, particularly ones such as Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder, are a lifelong battle with many highs and lows along the way.
Now the travel part of my life is over (for now) and whilst I still have many stories to tell, it’s time for me to start a new chapter. I will of course be talking about my personal experiences but will be taking a more active role in challenging different perceptions and stigmas of mental illness.
To aid this I’m really excited to say that I have signed up to the Time to Change campaign which is a movement dedicated to changing how we all think and act towards mental illness and is lead by two charities: Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. So I am now a Time to Change Champion! This means I can use my real life experience of having a mental illness to help change our society’s perception of mental health issues and work within our community to do so.
I’ve also made a pledge with Time to Change which means I’m adding my name to thousands of others who are starting conversations about mental health. A pledge can be anything but if you need a little guidance a few examples are given to choose from which you can customise yourself if you like. Mine reads:
As readers of mine I know you want to spread and learn about mental health awareness so I think it would be amazing if all of you would take a couple minutes to write a pledge to show your support! (Don’t worry, you won’t be signed up to be a champion, but your name and pledge will be featured on the Pledge Wall).
Here’s the link where you can find out more: time-to-change.org.uk
Let me know if you decided to pledge! I feel really passionately about this so i’m very exited to get started with the movement.
I will be writing more posts soon, as always any feedback is warmly welcomed.
If you haven’t already, please sign up to the blog so you receive an email notification when a new blog post is up and follow me on Twitter and Facebook!
Oh, I absolutely adore this! Can you sign up if you are in the US? I would absolutely pledge and sign on to be a champion!
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I’m not sure, but I don’t see why not! Give it a go and see if it works, otherwise there may be some US alternatives?
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I’ll check it out today!
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Oh wow, this is amazing! Go you for looking after your mental health, and I absolutely know what you mean by feeling stronger and more secure in yourself when you challenge yourself. It’s a great feeling – enjoy it! Much love. x
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Thanks Janelle! ❤️
Good luck with your blog I’ll be keeping up with it
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Thank you dear, right back at you! ❤
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I would love to pledge!! Heading over to the site now. Just wanted to say I adore you and your blog already, happy I found it! x
Abby – http://www.seafoaming.com
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Amazing! The more people who openly support mental health awareness the better. Thank you for helping x
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