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The early days were very different from now. We didn’t have shop computers! Nor the daily workings sheet, which back then was a duplicate pad.

Pi has been using the Side by Side forum for nearly a year now. He explains how the community supports at any time of night or day.I first came to Mind’s Side by Side community nine months ago as part of my goal to sort out my mental health. I had just started on medication for my depression and begun some talking therapies, but it was the community element of the Side by Side forum that attracted me.“My mental health problems started when I was made redundant six years ago.

In 2020 I felt I had everything. A new partner, lots of new friends and my dream job. I was living on an animal sanctuary taking care of beautiful, rescued farm animals full time.

Being able to express my sexuality impacts on my mental well-being. If I cannot be true to myself, this creates stress and anxiety, ultimately leading to depression.I was never in denial of my sexuality. However, in my teens, I became aware that I was sexually attracted to boys rather than girls.

Deuthum at Mind gyntaf gwpwl o flynyddoedd yn ôl ar ôl profi gwaeledd meddwl. Roeddwn newydd symud o Sir Ddinbych, ar ôl diagnosis o awtistiaeth a wnaed yn fy 40au hwyr.

The cost of living crisis has affected all areas of my life, so I’ve had to make some changes to manage my bills. It makes me feel very depressed as I’ve not been able to do the things that make me feel good about myself.“I haven’t had a haircut since before Christmas so it’s looking quite wild and scruffy. It’s getting me down.”To save money I’ve limited my showers to once a week and I strip-wash the other days.

I first came to Mind a couple of years ago following a breakdown. I’d recently moved to Denbighshire, after an autism diagnosis that came in my late 40s.

I was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) in 2021 and have come a long way since then.But at the start of 2023, things took a turn for the worst. I’d come off my medication in the summer of 2022 following a ‘good patch’, and I’d felt fine for a few months. I was still going to therapy, working and socialising.

I stupidly thought being a mental health nurse and having worked in the field for five years before falling pregnant meant mental health struggles wouldn’t be something I had to worry about once little one was born. How wrong I was!How will I know what temperature they prefer in the bath? How do I change a nappy without getting covered in wee when I’ve not got a change of clothes? Where do we find the spare £8 million, we need for childcare for me to return to work? These were the practical things I was focusing on as the birth of our first child got closer.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder is a very misunderstood mental health condition. I was diagnosed with BPD in 2016 at the age of 37. I had felt let down by mental health services, passed from pillar to post, not listened to and given various labels all of which can be symptoms of BPD, for example depression.

April is PMD (Premenstrual Disorder) Awareness month, so I wanted to give you an insight into what PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) can be like and share a bit about the condition.If you know meYou likely see the me I enjoy beingFeel lucky to beExcited about ideas, about what you’re doing, what we can do togetherReady to listen, to smile, to laugh.10-14 days into my menstrual cycle it’s as if my battery breaksThe ground beneath me dropsFeelings of dread, self-loathing, hopelessness seep inIntrusive thoughts of self-harm on a loopA brick wall between me and the things I did a day earlier without thinking- get up, shower, dress, log on, text, talk, tidy, cook –This is what you don’t see.If I can go out, I move in a slow fogAround people, I grip my partner's hand or arm to keep me safe, connected, away from spiralling flights of fear Best case scenario I’m numb, so tired, I give up and just sleep.The day after my cycle ends, when a new one begins, all this vanishesI stand on solid groundI’m happy, life feels lighterThe sun comes out, and I smile.I didn’t know until recently that these mental health dips were linked to my hormones and menstrual cycle. Who knew? Growing up in the 90s, part of our feminism was denying any difference between men and women.

Pan fydd y ffôn yn canu, fydda i byth yn gwybod pwy fydd ar ben arall y llinell. Rydw i yno i ateb eu galwad, gwrando a helpu cymaint ag y gallaf.

When the phone rings I never know who will be on the other end of the line. I’m simply there to answer their call, listen and help as much as I can. Often when they speak to me, it will be the first time they’ve explained an entire situation before.

When I began going to ecotherapy sessions at my local allotment, I was in a dark and difficult place. I was chronically stressed, highly anxious and so burnt out that in work meetings and social gatherings I would cling on to whatever I could in case I collapsed.

My schizophrenia first appeared in the form of a dramatic psychotic episode 29 years ago. I am now 58, so that was precisely half a lifetime away. Unfortunately, my episode was not a one-off (as they sometimes are) and I have lived with the condition ever since.“At the time of the first psychotic episode, in 1994, I was an executive at a multinational financial organisation.”Until then, my life had been one of high achievement.

Whan I was a teenager I was bullied at school, suffered periods of low self-esteem and was withdrawn. This was 40 odd years ago (I’m now 56), and depression wasn’t widely recognised so the standard reaction was ‘Stop being miserable’.This was followed by long periods of anxiety and suicidal thoughts that resulted in me being referred for counselling in 2004 and being prescribed anti-depressants.

Head prefect, the girl that travelled continents to study in Edinburgh at 21 with no family or friends in this new country, go getter, always smiling, outgoing. As I lay on my bed this person I just described was a complete stranger to me and I wondered if I’d ever recognise her again. This was exactly 10 years ago, triggered by an acute bout of cystic acne and a prolonged period of isolation.

Dydw i ddim yn meddwl ei bod hi’n bosibl i mi edrych ar fy iechyd meddwl, a’m hunan-stigma dwfn yn ei gylch, heb gydnabod yr effaith y mae rhywiaeth a chasineb at fenywod wedi’i chael arnaf i yn ystod fy oes.Hynny yw, rwy’n meddwl fy mod i’n blentyn sensitif yn ôl pob tebyg a fy nhynged bob amser oedd i deimlo’n ddwfn, ond dydw i ddim yn credu bod fy nheimladau o orbryder a chyfnodau o iselder yn ‘ddim ond’ yn ddiffyg biolegol. Ond mae wedi cymryd blynyddoedd o therapi ac, o’r diwedd, yn fy 30au hwyr, therapydd craff wedi’i llywio gan drawma i’m helpu i adnabod a derbyn hyn.Yn ferch wyth oed, gwelais yr effaith ar fy mam o ganlyniad i berthynas carwriaethol hirhoedlog fy nhad gyda ffrind i’n teulu.

I don’t think it’s possible for me to look at my mental health, and my deeply held self-stigma about it, without recognising the impact that sexism and misogyny has had on me in my lifetime.I mean, I think I was probably a sensitive child and always destined to feel deeply, but I don’t believe that my feelings of anxiety and periods of depression are ‘just’ a biological malfunction. But it has taken years of therapy and, finally, in my late 30’s, an astute trauma informed therapist to help me recognise and accept this.As an eight-year-old girl I witnessed the effect on my mum, of my dad’s long affair with our family friend. Her self-esteem disintegrated with the betrayal and I watched as she sought men to validate her, ultimately ending up in a coercive and controlling relationship with my stepdad.

On the 8th May 2023 I will undertake an exhilarating and gruelling endurance skateboarding challenge in the bid to set a new sponsored Guinness world record for the furthest distance travelled on a skateboard In 24 hours at Elvington Airfield in York in aid of Mind.This is the biggest challenge of my life. I have been dedicating my life to the challenge since December 2022. I am training three times a week in the gym.

There is a time before Dublin, and a time after Dublin.The weeks leading up to the 9th of November 2021, and the post comedown weeks of what happened in that city, are all a bit of a blur. Any memories are bolstered by scribbles in a diary or the odd picture on my phone to remind me of the before Dublin Nadia and the after Dublin Nadia.That day, a Tuesday, was the day I was going to end my life.

Mae Mind Canolbarth a Gogledd Powys wedi bod yn rhedeg grŵp cymorth cymheiriaid LHDTC+ ers 2017.  Sefydlwyd y grŵp ar ôl nodi’r angen i ddarparu lle diogel, cefnogol i bobl sy'n ystyried eu bod yn LHDTC+ i gwrdd â chyfoedion, gan alluogi pobl i drafod y materion yr oeddent yn eu hwynebu a oedd yn effeithio ar eu hiechyd meddwl, lleihau unigedd a gwella ymdeimlad o lesiant pobl.  I ddechrau, roedd y grŵp yn cyfarfod yn fisol, gan gynyddu i unwaith bob pythefnos yn eithaf cyflym, ar gais yr aelodau."Roedd yr aelodau eisiau codi ymwybyddiaeth o fod yn unigolyn LHDTC+ ym Mhowys a helpu i leihau'r stigma cysylltiedig ac i leddfu effeithiau straen grwpiau lleiafrifol."Fel grŵp dan arweiniad cyfoedion, roedd yr aelodau eisiau codi ymwybyddiaeth o fod yn unigolyn LHDTC+ ym Mhowys a helpu i leihau'r stigma cysylltiedig ac i leddfu effeithiau straen grwpiau lleiafrifol.  Gwahoddodd y grŵp swyddog cyswllt LHDTC+ yr Heddlu lleol i siarad, a wnaeth greu cysylltiadau da a hyrwyddo diogelwch.  Aeth y grŵp hefyd i ddangosiadau ffilmiau a thrafod pynciau penodol y gofynnwyd amdanynt gan aelodau’r grŵp.

Mid and North Powys Mind has been running an LGBTQ+ peer support group since 2017. The group was set up after a need was identified to provide a safe, supportive space for people who identify as LGBTQ+ to meet with peers, enabling people to discuss the issues they were facing that were impacting on their mental health, reducing isolation and improving people’s sense of wellbeing.  Initially the group met monthly, increasing to once a fortnight quite quickly, on request of the members."The group were passionate about reducing stigma and ensuring that those who needed it were able to access support."As a peer led group, members wanted to raise awareness about being LGBTQ+ in Powys and help reduce the stigma that is attached and ease the effects of minority stress.  The group invited the local Police LGBTQ+ liaison officer to speak, which created good links and promoted safety.  The group also went to film showings and discussed specific topics requested by group members.

At its worst I thought that people were out to get me. Extinction Rebellion. A cult.

In 2004, I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1. The diagnosis was long overdue. Years of struggling with crippling depression and anxiety had taken their toll.

Hello, I'm James and I'm walking the coast of Britain for Mind! I set off on October 3rd, setting off from my home in North Wales to the coast at Caernarfon. I've kept the sea on my right for over 1400 miles, heading south along the edge of Wales and down onto the South West Coast Path. "Every day I think the coast cannot get any better, and every day I'm proven wrong."The weather has not always been my friend, and I still look like I've skipped more leg days than Ryan Reynolds, but the walk has been one of the best experiences of my life. There have certainly been a lot of challenges.

Talking is important because it allows us to express our thoughts and emotions. We talk about physical health, but mental health still isn’t talked about in the same light – probably because people can’t see it. And while I encourage everyone to talk about mental health on Time to Talk Day, and every other day of the year, we must also remember to actively listen.

Helo, James ydw i a dwi'n cerdded arfordir Prydain i Mind! Dechreuais i’r daith ar 3 Hydref, gan gychwyn o fy nghartref yng Ngogledd Cymru i arfordir Caernarfon. Dwi wedi cadw'r môr ar yr ochr dde i mi am dros 1,400 o filltiroedd, gan fynd tua'r de ar hyd glannau Cymru ac i lawr i Lwybr Arfordir y De Orllewin. Dydy'r tywydd ddim wedi bod yn garedig i mi ar bob adeg, ac mae fy nghoesau i’n dal i fod yn deneuach na rhai Ryan Reynolds, ond mae'r daith gerdded wedi bod yn un o brofiadau gorau fy mywyd. Yn sicr, bu llawer o heriau.

I believe that rock bottom can become the best place to rebuild from foundations up and that’s what I did. In 2016, at the age of 23, I was hospitalised I was suspected to have Bi-Polar II, BPD and PTSD, I still haven't received a confirmed diagnosis. After weeks of unsuccessful medication trails I was deemed as treatment resistant, at this point I was so scared of myself and my suicidal thoughts and after two attempts on my life I agreed to receive Electro-Convulsive Therapy.

I always try to schedule time in my day to talk about mental health – I call these my ‘mental health moments’. Sometimes I go to a talking café to chat, log on to an online peer support group or strike up a conversation during hobbies (like in my piano lessons, where I talk to my tutor). But I probably speak to my friends and family the most – especially my mum.

Hi I’m Marie and in July I joined the team at Brecon & District Mind.I’ve been working in the third / voluntary sector in health & social care in Powys, the most rural county of England & Wales, for 19 years now! Before joining Mind I worked with Credu, an organisation supporting unpaid Carers & Young Carers.Brecon & District Mind supports local people in the area - our purpose is ‘we’re here when you need us to help you manage your mental health & wellbeing’.We currently do this in range of ways via services, such as:through drop ins, groups & activities and so much more."What our support looks like can look quite different as it’s tailored to you or your family."We always start by listening to people about their unique situation and working alongside people, building on their strengths towards their idea of what a good life would look like. So what our support looks like can look quite different as it’s tailored to you or your family.Being part of Welsh charities for so long has been very special, most of the memorable moments have been part of bringing people together to highlight important issues and to celebrate what has gone well, the most powerful has always been from the people themselves.It’s not surprising that Powys has the highest number of charitable organisations in Wales (3696) as so many support local areas.

I still remember the day when my obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) presented itself in its full form, unadulterated and unapologetic. Although I had been having intrusive thoughts about my sexuality and sexual assault until then, I had managed them on my own. But now they were overwhelming.

For years, I felt so alone. I didn’t know what I was happening to me. Growing up, I felt like an outcast and abnormal.

I’ve suffered with mental health issues since my late teenage years, as I struggled with depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder.

Dwi wedi dioddef gyda phroblemau iechyd meddwl ers diwedd fy arddegau, wrth i mi ymrafael ag iselder, gorbryder, ac anhwylder bwyta. Yn dilyn sawl blwyddyn o fwlio, doedd gen i braidd dim hunan-barch, ro’n i’n poeni am sut oeddwn i’n edrych a'm pwysau, yn poeni am ddelio â'r pethau sy'n cael eu gwneud o ddydd i ddydd ac yn teimlo'n gwbl ddiwerth ar adegau."Roedd gorbryder yn fy nghaethiwo felly doedd dim modd i mi fwynhau unrhyw fywyd cymdeithasol ac roedd fy mywyd yn dywyll, yn ddiobaith ac yn unig oherwydd fy iselder."Wrth ddechrau gweithio’n llawn amser yn y GIG yn 18 oed, dwi'n gallu cydnabod bod y problemau iechyd meddwl hynny a’r brwydrau hynny wedi parhau.

I’ve been using Mind’s Side by Side online forum for a couple of years, and I usually go on every day. Side by Side is a safe and anonymous place for users to come together and chat about how we’re feeling or even our favourite movies. Sometimes it’s just for a few minutes, but other times I can be online chatting for a few hours.“On Side by Side I can be myself.

I was 47 when I had a major mental health episode connected to my schizophrenia. I went to hospital for nearly four months and when I came out I was referred to my local Mind.I went along and spoke to lots of helpful people, who told me I could take part in art therapy and creative writing sessions and photography. I started to look forward to going, especially on Thursdays when they made good food after my creative writing class.

In early 2020, I was at my lowest and I came close to taking my own life. I would come home every night; sitting in silence in the dark, crying and just feeling exhausted from being me.I was a burden to everyone around me – or so I thought. I remember walking home in torrential rain and not knowing where I was or how to get home.

Ddechrau 2020, roeddwn ar fy ngwaethaf a deuthum yn agos at wneud amdanaf fy hun. Arferwn ddod adre bob nos; eistedd yn dawel yn y tywyllwch, crio a theimlo wedi ymlâdd oherwydd mod i’n fi."Allwn i ddim gweld dim goleuni."Roeddwn i’n faich i bawb o nghwmpas i – neu dyna oeddwn i’n ei feddwl. Rwy’n cofio cerdded adref mewn glaw trwm a ddim yn gwybod lle’r oeddwn i na sut i gyrraedd adref.

For the past 20 years my existence has been based around being a dancer and all the lessons, rehearsals and time investments that come with that. Besides my family, it is my only real love.So what happens when one day the industry that’s carried you through your life closes and you’re left alone?Like so many others the pandemic left me feeling like I had no purpose,  Prior to the world closing I had just finished my Musical Theatre training in Barcelona, living with my best friends, training in what I loved and creating ridiculous memories.

It was close to midnight when there was a ring on the doorbell that sent my internal alarm systems to high alert. He hadn’t messaged in hours. Before I even opened the door, my stomach sunk as something in the way he hadn’t communicated felt so fundamentally wrong… there stood two police officers who came into my living room and told me the words that would change my life forever, ‘Mark was found dead this afternoon.’"No words can truly describe becoming a widow so young.

I have only one memory of the first five years of my childhood.  It was a sunny day, and I was in the park with my parents and maternal grandparents. I was playing, and my mum seemed sad and withdrawn. She was in a blue dressing gown and slippers.

Argraffiadau cyntafDdechrau Mai dechreuais ar daith newydd gyffrous fel Pennaeth Rhwydweithiau (Cymru), sy’n golygu fy mod yn gweithio’n agos â grwpiau Mind lleol yng Nghymru ac yn eu cefnogi nhw i helpu mwy o bobl sy’n byw gyda phroblem iechyd meddwl.Ar fy niwrnod cyntaf yn y swydd es ar daith i Ogledd Cymru i ymweld â fy Mind lleol cyntaf erioed yn Mind Conwy, cyn mynd draw i Mind Dyffryn Clwyd.  Ni chymerodd yn hir i mi sylweddoli fod y rhwydwaith Mind lleol yn rhywbeth arbennig iawn, y galon sy'n curo yn eu cymunedau ble maen nhw'n byw ac yn achubiaeth i gymaint.Mae’r gefnogaeth leol yn ymateb yn drawiadol ac yn uniongyrchol i anghenion y cymunedau ac o gofio fod 19 Mind lleol ar draws Cymru, yn darparu cefnogaeth iechyd meddwl i blant, pobl ifanc ac oedolion, mae’r hyn sy’n cael ei gynnig yn syfrdanol ac yn unigryw. Gyda gwasanaethau fel therapïau sgwrsio, llinellau cymorth argyfwng, canolfannau galw i mewn, cynlluniau cyflogaeth a hyfforddi, cwnsela a chyfeillio, mae yna gymaint o gefnogaeth ar gael ac wedi’i deilwra i ymateb i angen.  Ar y fforddUn o'r grwpiau Mind lleol yr oeddwn yn ffodus i ymweld â nhw yn ddiweddar oedd Mind Sir Benfro, ac mi oedd y Dirprwy Weinidog dros Iechyd Meddwl a Lles, Lynne Neagle AoS hefyd yn ymweld ar yr un diwrnod.

First impressionsAt the beginning of May I embarked on an exciting new journey as Head of Networks (Wales), a role that sees me working closely with local Minds in Wales and supporting them to help more people living with a mental health problem.Day one of the role saw me make the trip to North Wales, visiting my first ever local Mind in Conwy Mind, before heading over to Vale of Clwyd Mind, and it didn’t take long for me to realise that the local Mind network is a very special place indeed, the beating heart of their communities in which they reside and a lifeline to so many.The hyperlocal support responding directly to the needs of communities is impressive, and when you consider there are 19 local Minds across Wales providing mental health support for children, young people and adults, the scale of the offer is staggering and quite unique. With services including talking therapies, crisis helplines, drop-in centres, employment and training schemes, counselling and befriending, there is much support on offer and tailored to respond to need.

Hull and East Yorkshire Mind website.For more information on the work that we do, please visit the Hull and East Yorkshire Mind website or follow us on social media @MindHEY.

“People make a lot of assumptions”Depression, and other mental health conditions can manifest in different ways, and people make a lot of assumptions about what a depressed person should look like.For example, as somebody who is outgoing, chatty, and confident, I’ve had counsellors say that I “don’t seem depressed” or that I don’t have “a reason” to be depressed. Depression can be linked to a reason, but this isn’t always the case.Sometimes, people will give me examples of things that I’ve achieved or things that I enjoy as reasons why I shouldn’t be depressed, or suggest that these things mean I “love life” and therefore don’t really want to end it.These kinds of comments can make me feel even more isolated and confused, which puts me off seeking help.

“Mae pobl yn gwneud llawer o ragdybiaethau”Mae iselder, a llawer o gyflyrau iechyd meddwl eraill, yn gallu ymddangos mewn gwahanol ffyrdd ac mae pobl yn gwneud llawer o ragdybiaethau ynghylch sut y dylai person isel edrych.Er enghraifft, fel rhywun sy’n allblyg, siaradus a hyderus, mae rhai cwnselwyr wedi dweud nad ydw i’n ‘ymddangos yn isel’ neu nad oes gen i ddim 'rheswm' dros fod yn isel.  Mae iselder yn gallu bod oherwydd rheswm, ond nid dyna’r achos pob tro.Weithiau, bydd pobl yn rhoi enghreifftiau i mi o bethau rwyf wedi’u cyflawni neu bethau rwy’n eu mwynhau fel rhesymau pan na ddylwn fod yn isel, neu'n awgrymu fod y pethau hynny golygu fy mod yn 'caru bywyd' ac felly ddim eisiau diweddu pethau go iawn.Mae’r mathau hyn o sylwadau’n gallu gwneud i mi deimlo hyd yn oed yn fwy ynysig a dryslyd, sy’n fy nhroi i ffwrdd o chwilio am help.

"Every time I tried to praise myself it felt tainted with all the self-doubt and self-hatred that's been there all my life."Then something happened. I stepped up when no one else would. I did everything, I changed everything, I gave up everything and I was proud of myself.