Ally's Story: 25 Lancashire Minds

How Lancashire Mind helped me find light in the dark.

In 2022, a courageous teenager took a life-changing step, reaching out for help when the weight of depression, anxiety, and self-harm felt unbearable. Isolated and unsure where to turn, they found compassion, understanding, and guidance through Lancashire Mind.

Like many, I have faced many challenges throughout my life, causing me to battle intense feelings of depression, anxiety, and self-harm, and it often felt like I was navigating a heavy burden all alone. That was until I was introduced to Lancashire Mind in 2022.

My recovery journey began during my time at college, when I felt the most overwhelmed and lost. I had heard about Lancashire Mind offering their services through college from my tutor and decided to ask for help. Reaching out to them was my first step to getting help for my mental health, when I first made the referral, I was isolating myself from everyone so to not let people worry about me and I was unsure of where to turn.

At this point, I had not only developed a few unhealthy coping mechanisms that I was quite ashamed of, one of them being issues with self harm, but had also been struggling with quite big panic attacks that to me had no root cause. From the moment I contacted Lancashire Mind, I was met with nothing but compassion and understanding as they assured me that I’d nothing wrong and it was just my way of dealing with the situations I had been faced with.

I was fortunate to have life coaching sessions with Hazel, who became a guiding light during my darkest days. In our sessions, I found a safe space to share my struggles without fear of judgment. Hazel listened intently, helping me explore the triggers of my emotions and was able to provide me with resources that helped me to better understand my thoughts, which was crucial in my recovery.

When I first accessed the service there was a very small waitlist which was amazing as I did not have time to overthink it and back out, which I had done in the past when it came to accessing help. When you are feeling overwhelmed, the last thing you want is to wait weeks for help. They understood this and were able to help me as soon as possible, which helped me to feel valued and reassured that I was doing the right thing for myself.

As well as this, Lancashire Mind had also provided me with practical tools to manage my anxiety and low moods. Teaching me coping mechanisms that were much healthier than the ones I had picked up on my own, which I have found incredibly useful, so much I still use most to this day.

As our sessions continued, I noticed a shift in my mindset. I learned to identify and challenge negative thought patterns, replacing them with more positive, constructive ones. Hazel empowered me to take control of my mental health journey, encouraging me to set achievable goals and recognise my own resilience.

Before our sessions came to an end, Hazel had helped me to access counselling within my college and she had also helped me to navigate different services that I could access throughout Lancashire Mind and a few years later still access services when I am struggling. But most importantly she ensured that I knew I could get in contact with her or anyone from the charity if I needed anything, and I am so incredibly grateful that I know I always have her in my corner.

As I have mentioned, Lancashire Mind was my first point of contact with my recovery, I had no idea what I was doing or where I would end up – but over the years being able to see the difference they have made with myself and people around me, they have become a beacon of hope.

While I still have bad days, they are just that – bad days. Since accessing these services in 2022, I have been able to achieve a lot of things I never thought I would; including being clean from self-harm for over a year, helping with fundraisers for other small charities and successfully applying and now coming to the end of my first year at university studying social work.

Many different people will access many different services, that may or may not support them and their needs and that’s the chance people take when reaching out for support. With Lancashire Mind, I never had to take that chance and I will forever be grateful for that.

Lancashire Mind relies on donations to continue the vital work in helping individuals like me. Your contributions can make a real difference in the lives of those struggling with poor mental health. Together, we can ensure that support is available for everyone who needs it.

Thank you for listening to my story, and please considering a donation to this incredible organisation.