It took the birth of my daughter and post partum depression to embrace The Mental Health Foundation's 5 ways to wellbeing.
Anything that helps prevent and lessen the impact of mental ill health while improving our general wellbeing is an insurance we all need.
It's a foundation that we can return to when we fall ; it gives us 'hope' that life can get better again. And it's what has led me to The Collective.
I would have thought you were bonkers if you said I would one day be founding a social enterprise with a community presence promoting conversations around mental health and giving back to The Mental Health Foundation of NZ. I would have run a mile if you said that I would be sharing a deeply personal experience that took me to a dark and frightening place. Yet here I am, vulnerability in all its glory, encouraging others to stand up and speak their truth - to finally put an end to the silence that fuels stigma. To help save lives.
It doesn't matter where you are on the richter scale of mental health ; the 5 ways to wellbeing is for all of us. Try it, you might be surprised where it takes you.
Lou x
aka Stigma Free Warrior
