Mental health at work. The secret of success.

As a major report appears on mental health in the work place, here’s one person’s journey through the difficulties they experienced.

‘Don’t be ashamed of experiencing mental health problems. Poor mental health affects many more people than we realise.

And the red light is this: if work or relationships are being affected by how you are feeling, it’s time to do something.

At first I was embarrassed to admit I wasn’t mentally OK, but I realised if I didn’t get support from someone – a GP, a counsellor or friends – I would be stuck there.

It’s about finding people you can trust, that’s the important thing.

And I make sure I now do certain things to keep my mental wellbeing in check.

This includes activities like exercise, meditation, keeping a journal, writing and being outdoors.

I am now in a good place in my life, but it hasn’t been easy. My biggest lesson has been to love myself even with the scars that people can’t see…because eventually those scars can heal.’