Maddy’s Story

In the begining…

After coming out of treatment from hospital, I was looking for self-belonging and increasing confidence so I could eventually work again.  However, my confidence was at an all time low. I had shame and guilt even about talking about mental health.

I live with persistent headache and tooth pain daily which has been ongoing for 13 years.

I was looking for a sense of belonging and having structure.

How we helped you…

During the pandemic, structure has returned to my life. Getting up, keeping busy and not being overwhelmed by pressure.

My CPN told me about Working for Health and since working with them, I have started volunteering to increase my confidence and use my skills.  Housework and other chores don’t necessarily fill that void.  I have joy just saying “Im going to work” – it makes me feel good.  Although I had extreme anxiety about starting this role, I received support from my Work Recover Coach and CPN which enabled me to achieve it.

At the moment, its all going in the right direction.  I feel understood.

The Future…

At this early stage, it looks like I could belong somewhere. I have skills, they are coming back. These are small steps towards getting my self-esteem back.  This is the process of getting ready, getting in my car, and driving somewhere. All that is a sense of achievement. I feel like everyone else – I can say “I work”.  I’m still in therapy which will be for a long time but having a sense of normality, I feel I can get there!

I look forward to my fortnightly calls with my Work Recovery Coach, it’s another thing that keeps me going. This service combines the psychological treatment with getting back to work. I now feel safe talking about mental health. I now want to help others with mindfulness skills learnt around coping with mental health.

I wish I’d known about you earlier!