"I have noticed a massive change in how I see myself"

I was referred to the MHPT team by the Mental Health nurse from my GP practice. From the moment I met Lynsey I felt safe and was able to open up to her about how I was feeling and the background relating to my feeling. She was very patient and understanding and allowed me to discuss how I was feeling and why without any judgement.

During our first few sessions she spoke to me about BAD and asked if it was something I would be interested in and pointed out how it would help me. Although the course is meant to be done in a group environment she knew I couldn’t do that so she agreed to do it on a one to one basis. 

From week 1 of the course I could see how this could potentially help me. It showed me how to break down my day into segments and note my mood and what I was doing at that time. This showed me how different situations in my daily life affected how I felt and by talking it through gave me the strength to deal with things differently. 

Throughout the 8 weeks of the course I have noticed a massive change in how I see myself and have a better understanding of how different situations can affect how you feel. Looking back at how I was on my first visit I wouldn’t look anyone in the eye and was always dressed in dark colours. Whereas now I find myself wearing light colours and have my head held high. 

I still have a long way to go and also have bad days but now I can almost always stop them becoming bad weeks. 

I have got inspirational quotes in j my y hall and bedroom and start every day reminding myself of the Serenity Prayer which helps me to focus on what is important. 

I have taken a lot from the course and find myself using what I have learned in daily life. Before I go to bed at night I write my list of things I need to do the following day and rate them which gives me a visual aid and just tick each one as they are done. 

In one of the weeks I had to change what I had discussed with Lynsey and surprisingly was able to do this using what I had learned. This is something I would not have been able to do before I started the course and can now take pride in daily achievements and am now starting to make plans with family and friends. 

I have looked at so many inspirational quotes but have to admit my favourite is - You are Enough, as I find this a particularly strong quote which means a lot to how my life has been. 

I am still having meetings but from where I was to where I am now has been one of the hardest and emotional journeys which I wouldn’t have been able to do without the help of Lynsey and what I learned in the 8 week course  ❤️