I wanted to share my experiences of being involved with the Peaky Minders now that I’ve had time to relax and reflect.
When Tony approached Tim with his idea I jumped at the chance to sign up and set my own personal goals within the 12 day challenge.
We actively became involved with assisting Tony and Deb‘s in the preparation and organisation of the event which filled our time and seemed to make 7th September come round quickly. We didn’t get as much training in as we’d hoped, especially the walking side but we were both eager to get started and confident that we wouldn’t give up even when things got tough.
“I don’t think either of us fully appreciated the impact this challenge would have on our lives“.
We both have the mindset of everything happens for a reason and to take the positives out of every situation we face, although it’s not always apparent at the time. But this challenge has made us understand Mental Health more and how many people are actually affected by it. Within the group it’s been great to discuss our own experiences throughout the 12 days and I hadn’t realised how many people actually suffer with their mental health.
When I was 18 I took myself to the Dr’s after reaching crisis point and broke down, I was diagnosed with Anxiety and prescribed medication and counselling. I felt like my life had spiralled out of control, I didn’t have a plan for my future or really know what I wanted to do. I’ve never really discussed this and almost felt ashamed and not normal to suffer in this way, obviously I now know this isn’t the case. I’m still not a confident person which frustrates me at times, I’m nearly 34 and often think what age will I be when I’m truly comfortable in my own skin and am able to do things without worrying over it. I’m a classic case of not talking about my feelings which I know isn’t healthy and I advise others not to do the same. It’s of no benefit to keep things bottled up or hidden. Generally I’m ok but I can have periods where my anxiety is apparent but I now know the signs and can manage it better.
Climbing the 4 Peaks has been a huge thing for me personally. I trained hard in the gym to get my fitness ready which actually turned into something that I now love. I’ve gained so much more confidence through it, I don’t hide under baggy clothes and layers anymore. It’s a worry that’s now been eliminated from my life and I feel great for it.
Myself and Tim count ourselves as being extremely lucky to of been involved with such a fantastic challenge, the whole Peaky Minders team is filled with an amazing bunch of people all willing to put themselves through pain to help others in raising awareness for Mental Health. My roll as support car for the challenge enabled me to see when people were tired and struggling and the strength they had to pull themselves out of it and keep on going. I completely admire this!
I’ll always keep these past 2 weeks close to my heart, it’s truly been the best experience of my life. I’ve met some genuinely lovely people whose all supported each other along the way. We’ve visited some beautiful places and made lasting memories. It’s given me another level of growth and confidence to carry forwards enabling me to help and support others who are suffering with their Mental Health.
Thank you for everyone’s support and kind words of encouragement during the Peaky Minders.
A special thank you to Tony for just being you xx
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