One Society Event at a Time...

How has it been one month since my 21^st birthday? Where have these past few weeks gone? This last month has honestly been the must surreal catalogue of events and I cannot believe that I am also nearing the end of my first year at university- how has this happened?

Needless to say, following the events of Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2017, University Mental Health Day 2017, Sock It to Eating Disorders, the on-going developments of SHSU Mental Health Society and working on assignments and revision for my degree, my emotions have been somewhat scattered. I have been attending lectures, seminars, practicals, scheduling meetings, talking to national charities, gathering marketing materials for support resources, completing assignments and all the while trying to make time for myself. Yes, it has been exceptionally hard, but the fact that I am thoroughly enjoying what I am doing is making it all the more easier. There is no pretending that my chaotic levels of emotion have not played havoc with my disordered thoughts and negative feelings, but I have acknowledged these and tried desperately hard to suppress them. This of course makes meal planning and eating all the more of a challenge, but I am committed to my recovery and I am not minimising my attention to my own health and wellbeing. University life is about balance and as much as I find it an incredibly difficult challenge, I am working on it every day and seeking the necessary help I need to make those steps to move forward.

Anyway! Moving on to the main reason for this post- I promise it is positive! SHSU Mental Health Society is progressing quite nicely and there are even more exciting plans lined up over the coming weeks! However, for now I wanted to share something that I am very proud of and want to work exceptionally hard on…

A few months ago I applied to be a Student Minds Fundraising Champion and to my surprise, I was honoured, alongside 7 other individuals, the title! This means I will be trying my best to fundraise with the committee and student members of SHSU Mental Health Society to generate money for Student Minds, so that they can continue with the fantastic work that they do in improving the mental health of the student population.

So our first event will take place on Tuesday 21^st March 2017, where we will be collaborating with SHSU Volunteering Committee to host a Quiz Bingo at Hubspace in the Students Union. Entry will be £1 per person, which will all be donated to Student Minds! We want to use the event as an opportunity for friends to meet up and socialise, but most of all to have a laugh! Of course, as a society, we will be bringing some service signposting resources should anybody like to take one. We are very much looking forward to being involved with this event and we hope that it encourages people to come out and enjoy an alternative activity with their friends!

My next fundraising activity is something I am very excited about (even if I aren’t running!). On 29^th April 2017 I will be taking part in the Student Colour Run Sheffield! If you have not heard of this event, please go on their website and follow their social media accounts because it looks like it is going to be so much fun! I am so excited to be taking part in a huge event where I will have the opportunity to meet so many new people- but of course, my main focus is to fundraise! I do not yet have a link to a fundraising page, however, I will be sharing this wherever and whenever possible, and it would be fantastic to have some support. Obviously my fitness levels are not up to scratch and due to previous damaging behaviours, I have told myself that this is not an excuse to go to the gym and train in preparation. I will complete the event and even if that just involves walking or jogging, I am not willing to sacrifice the hard work that I have put in mentally and physically to get where I am today.

So there we have it, a little update on some of the exciting things that I have planned ahead- obviously completely glazing over the mass of assignments and revision I have to complete in the meantime, because I am not living my life to purely strive for academic success. I am living my life to experience joy, pride and happiness!

Please keep an eye out for my donation page when I have got it up and running for the Student Colour Run 2017- your support would be very much appreciated!

For more information about Student Minds, take a look at this link:

http://www.studentminds.org.uk/

Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2017

What was expected to be a normal week, quickly turned into a chaotic schedule of radio interviews, TV interviews, newspaper interviews, fundraising and campaigning, as well as attending the usual lectures and seminars. You name it, this week I have done it! But I would not have changed it for the world…

If you had have said to me three years ago that I was going to be actively taking part in Eating Disorder Awareness Week in a few years time, I would have in the first instance asked what an eating disorder was. Now, after having lived experience of this crippling mental illness, I find myself repeatedly digging up my past during this crucial week to raise awareness and increase understanding of what Anorexia Nervosa is and the impact that it had on my life. Although, I do not stop my story at the end of treatment, I ensure that my full journey to date is heard- a story of hope, positivity and belief. I have seen the deepest darkest moments of living with an eating disorder, but now I am living my life with the highest motivation and aspirations. This is the story I want to share, and this is the story that as a sufferer I would want to hear.

During Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Beat- the national eating disorder charity- has focused heavily on their latest report emphasising the role of GPs in being aware of the signs of an eating disorder and ensuring a quick referral to relevant treatments services. This information has been supported with upsetting statistics that show a severe lack of understanding from GPs when it comes to providing advice and services for someone that displays symptoms of an eating disorder. I know that personally I was subjected to what I would hope is a relatively unheard of situation, where my GP miscalculated my BMI; however, as a sufferer trying to find any sense of hope for help and support during this annual campaign, being faced with these facts and figures can be disheartening and weaken the sense of hope for help. Therefore, when sharing my journey, I felt it was crucially important to highlight that help is out there, you just have to be proactive and want to recover! You cannot allow the doors to be slammed in your face, and you cannot stop trying. Look to charities, approach alternative services and most of all, do not take no for an answer. It is exhausting, but it is absolutely worth fighting until you find the right support that suits you. Recovery is possible and you cannot forget that.

One element of Eating Disorder Awareness Week that I have been incredible appreciative of, and noticed a startling difference to last year, is the willingness of the media to discuss the issue. I think this shows an understanding within the industry that they have an element of responsibility in making sure that mental illness is talked about on a national level to help reduce the stigma associated with the topic and increase awareness. This is an incredibly positive step in changing the public’s perception of mental health conditions and I can only hope that encourages people to speak out and reach for help sooner without tragically falling to a critical level of illness.

Of course, speaking out about my condition is not easy. As much as I appear confident and calm when talking about what I have been through, that is because I ultimately focus on the benefits that it may bring to other people. With every interview I regurgitate all of the painful memories, from the frustration of finding treatment to the seclusion of four months in hospital. However, after the interview, I take the time to reflect on these moments in my life and appreciate every step I have challenged to be where I am now.

It is during a week such as this that I realise just how much support I have around me. Undoubtedly, I am aware of the continued support of my close family and friends, but I was also overwhelmed with the willingness of those less immersed in my journey to care for my efforts in raising awareness and fundraising. I cannot thank the staff at Tru Group enough for their donations and involvement in the ‘Sock It to Eating Disorders’ campaign for Beat. We managed to raise £100 for this fantastic charity- incredible!

As hectic as this week has been, I have to say that I would not reduce the involvement I have in raising awareness of eating disorders and fundraising for national and local charities. I love what I do and it motivates me to further myself in my own recovery every single day. During the first stages of my recovery, I focused heavily on recovering for other people and most of the time this is still the case. However, I have started to challenge my mindset in realising that embracing recovery for myself is not selfish- I deserve it. Everyone deserves it.

Sheffield Hallam SU Student Minds

When I applied to Sheffield Hallam University, one of my aims was to find a society that I could get involved with to encourage the development of my social skills and to prevent a repeat occurrence of my previous experiences of university life. I scrolled through the seemingly endless list of societies available on the Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union page, but there was nothing that particularly captured my attention, or that I felt was suited to my interests. Deep down, I knew what I was looking for and could not help but feel disheartened that unlike most other universities I had looked at, Sheffield Hallam did not have a mental health awareness society. Having built up the confidence and taking big steps in raising awareness of mental illness and eating disorders off my own back, I was looking for an opportunity to meet other students and be part of a bigger network of individuals that all had the same passion!

As my unconditional offer came through for my course, I can remember browsing through the ‘Start a Society’ page on the Students’ Union website- initially through curiosity, but undoubtedly it planted the seed.

Fresher’s Week came around, along with the societies fair. As I paced around the Students’ Union it would be fair to say that a lot more of the societies seemed more appealing and for many of them I displayed an interest- for example, the Fell Walking Society. However, seeing the fair, the engagement of students and the sense of support amongst groups, it made me think a little harder about the prospect of starting my own mental health awareness society.

Assignments started, volunteering opportunities arose and timetables became more demanding. Leading up to the Christmas ‘break’ I found myself with limited time to fit in all of the activities I wanted to take part in- as well as trying to focus on maintaining and stabilising my own mental and physical health. There was so much more that I wanted to do with the Students’ Union and the university, but time was just not on my side. However, over the Christmas period I had time to think. I have a passion, I want to make a difference and I want to help other people. Starting a society encompasses everything that I want to achieve during my time at university- volunteering, supporting others, fundraising, meeting new people and developing my skills. If there is not already a mental health awareness society at Sheffield Hallam, what is to stop me from starting one?

Returning back to university in January I started more thorough research and proposed the idea to a few of my friends. The notion seemed daunting and I could not help but have a lack of self-confidence about what I was about to do, but that all changed. I realised I was not going to be doing this on my own and that I would have support every step of the way. This development is going to be a huge learning experience and I do not expect it all to go as smooth as I would like, but you have to give these things a try!

As the progression of the society proposal became more real, I started to think about the idea of a committee- the group of people that were going to come together and do this project as one big team. I could not ask for a better scenario. The team of people making this happen are also my closest friends here at Hallam. Amy, Amber and Frances have been amazing in supporting this idea and I absolutely cannot wait to formulate this project with them- as a team. Also, a huge and special thank you to Jared for designing an incredible logo for the society!

I have to say though, the staff members at Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union are absolutely fantastic (even though I probably seriously get on their nerves!), but they have been amazing in giving me the boost I need to push this idea forward. Most of you reading this will know that I do not like to do things by half, and I think it would be fair to say that the staff at the union have come to realise this- question after question, email after email! They have been so patient and supportive and I cannot wait to grow this society with their help and knowledge.

So after weeks and months of dreaming, planning and applying, the SHSU Mental Health Society is finally an official society within Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union! With it being near the end of the semester, we have not had the opportunity to plan too much, as we originally did not anticipate launching until the next academic year! However, mental health awareness needs to be raised at every opportunity and we are not going to wait until September to do that.

With it being Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2017 next week- 27^th February-5^th March- and University Mental Health Day on Thursday 2^nd March, we will be doing a few things to raise awareness and supporting the efforts of the Students’ Union.

On Wednesday 1^st March we will be at Coffee Union in the HUBS where we will be free for you to come over and find out more about us, look at some of the support resources we have or just have a chat- we would love to see you!

We will also be supporting the ‘Sock It to Eating Disorders’ campaign on Friday 3^rd March by being active on social media, and of course, rocking our silly socks! It would be great to see so many people getting involved!

Personally, I cannot believe that this dream has actually come to life. I am absolutely thrilled to be starting this new venture and I hope that the society can grow and develop into something that the Students’ Union will be proud of and that it will have a positive impact on the lives of all students at Sheffield Hallam.

You can find out more about SHSU Mental Health Society on the Students’ Union website: https://www.hallamstudentsunion.com/soc/11641/

Follow us on social media!

Facebook: SHSU Mental Health Society

Twitter: @SHSU_MHS

Instagram: @SHSU_MHS

Time to Talk Day 2017

If anybody follows me on social media, they may have noticed that this week I have appeared as though I am on some kind of mental health awareness rampage. Well, I have, but for good reason. Today is Time to Talk Day 2017, a campaign initiated by Time to Talk- an organisation aiming to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and prevent discrimination that occurs towards those with mental health problems.

Throughout the week I have uploaded a new blog post, shared the overwhelming amount of views my blog has had and invited people to read an article that I have had published in Your Voice magazine. Although some people may be tired of my attempts to share my story, I do it all in good faith. I want people to see that talking about mental health problems is something that should not be feared! It happens to the majority of us- 1 in 4 people in fact. Next time you are in a room full of people, just keep that statistic in mind. You may well be sat next to somebody that could just do with a chat, without the fear of being judged, labelled or discriminated. But how can people have the courage to do this when they are constantly surrounded by comments and remarks that undermine the severity of mental health problems. I know from personal experience that when I first uploaded that status on Facebook detailing that I was in hospital suffering with Anorexia Nervosa, I was absolutely petrified. Would my friends still want to speak to me? Will anybody understand? Will my life ever be normal? But it was these questions that spurred me on to tell everybody. It pained me to think of other people in the same situation that I was, thinking exactly the same questions and quite possibly causing their condition to deteriorate even more. I knew at that moment that I wanted to try and make a change- no matter how small that was.

This is why I could not be more passionate about the Time to Talk Day campaign. We need to have conversations. We need to reassure those suffering that there are people around them that want to help. We need to reduce the attitude of the public about mental health problems. It should not be up to this campaign to give people validation that on this one day it is ok to open up about their suffering; it should be ok 24/7, 365 days a year (366 in a leap year!).

Send a text to a friend that you have not spoken to in a while. Ring somebody and arrange to meet up for a coffee. Go on a walk with a group of friends. Smile at somebody. Anything. You never know the impact that you will have on that person, but you may well have just made a fundamental difference to their day.

‘Making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world.’

For more information about Time to Talk Day 2017, visit: http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/