I was recently diagnosed with Bipolar 2 Disorder after struggling with my mental health for around 10 years. This came after one of my lowest lows to date earlier this year, when I went through a mental health crisis. When I’m in a low period, they can sometimes last for months. Shout was one of the services and only charity I accessed for support during this particular 2 month period. Sometimes this was just when I was feeling overwhelmed and wanted to chat to someone to calm myself down over text, and at some points it’s when I was in serious crisis. I believe the amazing people I spoke to from Shout are one of the reasons I am still here today, and will be seeing my 27th birthday this year. Thanks to them, I stuck around, I got my diagnosis and I’m slowly but surely getting the right help and treatment finally. I just needed that extra support and person to speak to when I was feeling like giving up.

I still have a long road ahead of me, but part of my recovery is being more active and working on how I look after my mind and body. So I will be walking 27 miles in a month for Shout, to raise money as my thanks to them for very possibly saving my life. It’s a charity and cause really close to my heart and I would love to feel like I’m giving back a little. 27 miles may not seem like much- but trust me- I’m very new to trying to get out of the house each day and moving my body more, so it’s a realistic goal for me.

Shout is the UK's only free, confidential and 24/7 text messaging service for anyone struggling to cope with their mental health. Every 60 seconds, someone reaches out for support and has a conversation that could save their life.

£10 can pay for a conversation with someone in crisis

£25 can fund a clinician to provide expert supervision of conversations on Shout's digital mental health platform.

£250 can train a new Shout Volunteer to take life-saving conversations.

Any donation no matter how small can make such a difference, and I’ll post regular updates with how many miles I’m up to between now and June 16th.

Thank you so much for reading.