What's Your Story?

“There is nothing more humbling than moving back in with your parents at the age of 39”  

I truly adored my career in media. Both my professional and social life flourished in the ‘work hard/play hard’ environments which characterise this fast-paced industry, and,16 years in, I’d made it to one of the most successful agencies in London, supported by a network of peers, many of whom had become lifelong friends. 

#Nailedit

Except. In my last year, something happened... I was starting to lose the love. 

 No longer being fired up by the work on which I had previously thrived, I felt like I was just existing. And on top of that, I was being trolled.

By my own bloody thoughts.

Our internal monologue can be the most insidious mental beast, but when I was made head of my team, my toxic troll really stepped it up a notch, guilefully feeding me with messages of self-doubt, judgement and criticism on which my imposter syndrome gorged. Left unaddressed, this mounted up, and eventually it all came crashing down: 

I was signed off for stress for 3 months. 

At PUSH we talk about being powered by 4 main energy sources:

• Physical (sleep, exercise, food and rest) 
• Mental (are you able to focus?) 
• Emotional (do you feel safe or are you triggered?) 
• Social (your purpose and sense of belonging.) 

And, to be brutally honest, I was pretty f*cked on all of them.

From a “social/purpose” point of view, I was no longer aligned within the industry, my heart just wasn’t in it anymore. Physically I wasn’t looking after myself (did I ever believe that a virtuous sunday feat. quinoa would cleanse me of the weekend’s hedonism?), but in particular, my emotional energy was drained, constantly worrying about what other people were thinking about me was just… exhausting.

So in hindsight, it was hardly surprising that I couldn’t go on as I was

When I got signed off for stress, I moved back home (believe me, there is nothing more humbling than going back home to live with your parents at the age of 39) and it was there that I came up with the idea for PUSH. I knew that this wasn’t just happening to me, I saw more and more people feeling overwhelmed and anxious, and that’s why PUSH was formed - A) to do something about it and B) so I could understand it.

So, why am I telling you all this? 

Sharing our stories is fundamentally one of the best things we can do to de-stigmatise mental health because, quite simply, it normalises it. We all walk around life thinking ‘oh so and so’s got it all sorted,’ but we never really know what’s going on underneath. A shared story allows us to see glimpses of ourselves in others, it fosters empathy and connection, and highlights how ‘normal’ our completely unique mental health experiences are (mental health sits on a spectrum, remember!)  

Telling stories also gives us the space to check in on and care for our mental health. Because it isn’t enough to only pay attention when it’s starting to crumble, or when you get to a crisis point. Techniques and tools have got to be learnt and used when you’re feeling fine. 

I’m totally aware that I sound like an exasperated dentist, pleading with you to floss to prevent cavities and bleeding gums, but really, PREVENTION is half the battle. And it’s why it’s been my mission to help organisations and their people to work better, in doing so reducing stress, burn-out, unnecessary costs and increasing profit. 

‘What’s Your Story?’ 

Recently, our good friend and mental health campaigner, Geoff McDonald astutely noted ‘Covid has democratised mental health.’  

And he’s right.

Because this shitty virus has on some level done something useful, in helping people to realise (or admit) the impact that external events undoubtedly have on how we’re thinking and feeling. 

So really, there’s never been a better time to talk about mental health. Never has there been a greater opportunity to create an impact and, most importantly, never has there been a more crucial moment to support your people, their experiences and their stories. 

So! For World Mental Health Day 2020, PUSH is going to pull off its most ambitious event to date… 

We are dedicating two days to the transformative power of storytelling, hosting 20 remarkable contributors who will share their journeys and their unique mental health experiences. They will tell us about the challenges they’ve faced with mental health, the tools they use to manage their minds on both the good and the not so good days, they will inspire us with how they got (and get) through it, every single day.

This will be a charity event, so for every person that signs up we’ll donate ￡1 to Mind!

So please, sign up and share! It will make a remarkable difference to thousands of people. It will make an incredible difference to YOU! (Because believe me, bowls of quinoa can only do so much…)