My Achievements
I added a blog post
I self donated
I shared my page
Halfway there
Officially a fundraising hero
My Updates
Day 7 - The last walk of the challenge
Sunday 18th MayI have officially completed my challenge of 31 miles in May, i set out to complete the challenge throughout Mental Health Awareness Week.✅👍
Well, what can i say, other than Mental Health Awareness Week has been an amazing opportunity for me to raise awareness of mental health and support available with mainly friends and family. I have also taken the opportunity throughout the week to reflect on this years theme of ‘community’ and my opinion of what should be present within all communities, and here it is:
Communities should be resilient, and able to communicate in a variety of ways, with open spaces for activities and open minded people to thrive together, peer support is vital within communities, using lived experience to support those around you to promote hope and togetherness, social wellbeing and build reciprocal relationships, communities should promote multiple aspects of beauty and vibrance to sustain positive wellbeing and show respect and appreciation for not just our loved ones, but everyone we interact with, and last but not by no means least represented in my picture for today, a community should be diverse, different cultures, perspectives and ways of life all bought under one umbrella to create a thriving community.
Thanks for being with me throughout the week, i want to say a huge thank you to all who have donated or shared the link to donate, it means a lot to know that together we have contributed to the support of an individual getting support with their mental health.
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Day 6 Walk - Respect and Appreciation
Sunday 18th May On Day 6, as i wandered through Wollaton Hall Gardens and Deer Park, i reflected on the week so far, i found myself smiling whilst walking, the reality of getting closer to completing my challenge and the sense of achievement i felt was filling me with joy. As i walked down a path i saw a crowd of people who had stopped to take a photo, i assumed it was the beautiful Egyptian geese i had seen earlier, and to my surprise it was a deer stood less than 5 meters away grazing on the leaves of the trees beside the lake. I was struck for words, as i stood in awe of this amazing deer whilst taking a couple of photos. After leaving the deer, i reflected on how everyone that stopped had the upmost respect for the deer and did not approach it, instead we all stood in solidarity and appreciated this breathtaking moment. Within communities it’s important to share and live to those same values of respect and appreciation. We can all be curious about each other lives, but we can do that respectfully and show appreciation to those around us within our communities. Share
Day 5 Walk
Sunday 18th May On my 5th walk of the week i came across this beautiful flower, it reminded me of how vibrance and beauty should be at the heart of all communities. Throughout the week, i have walked through some beautiful places and you can feel that beauty soak into your mind, the more i felt surrounded by the beauty that nature had to offer the more positive i felt about myself. There is beauty within all communities, it is just a case of getting out there and exploring, beauty won’t always find you, but when you find it, you will reap the rewards both physically and mentally. Share
Day 4 Walk
Friday 16th MayDay 4 of my walking challenge bought some great thoughts to mind. As i stood beaneath these two huge trees, i couldn’t help but thinking about how peer support is vital to mental health, these two huge trees symbolised what peer support means for me. Its about coming alongside people, being authentic, and sharing a safe space physically, or emotionally together, building trust overtime to create a reciprocal boundaried relationship to build further resilience.
#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
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Day 3 Walk
Friday 16th May It’s amazing how being outside in an open space can actually open up your mind. Often nowadays in work environments, or even out enjoying daily activities we are confined to small spaces, and surrounded by huge crowds of people, i wonder how this impacts the mind. Being out in an open space provided me with an opportunity to think more freely, with less distraction, i was focussed on the moment and how i was feeling, rather than allowing my mind to wander. This got me thinking about work environments and how at times the hustle and bustle could be having a negative impact on productivity, its important that employers offer spaces for their staff to think openly and freely, and allow them time to focus on the now as well as looking ahead to enhance productivity and staff wellbeing. Share
Second walk of the week
Thursday 15th MayDay 2 of Mental Health Awareness Week, another great reflective walk today.
The birds chirping away reminded me of this years theme ‘Community’ a collective voice of all different types of birds makes for such a warm and welcoming community.
Nowadays, its crucial that we communicate within our communities, and where possible contribute towards positive change, if the birds can do it, why cant we?
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First walk of the week
Thursday 15th MayToday, for the first day of Mental Health Awareness Week, and the first day of my 31 mile challenge i kicked off the week with a local 2 mile walk.
Whilst i walked through the beautiful woods, listening to birds chirping i could feel the sun reaching through the branches and warming me to the core, i took a moment to reflect on my own mental health challenges over the years and here is my personal reflection:
At times i had felt broken beyond repair, which is symbolised in the photo of the broken tree log below, seeing the smile painted on the broken tree reminded me that i got through those tough times with hope, positivity and by smiling within.
Seeing the broken tree log made me think that at times our mental health is very much like having a metaphorical woods within our mind, and as we go through life some of the branches from our trees may break overtime, but this is what allows us to grow in ways that we would not of been able to do previously, through hard times we develop new ways of growing and become emotionally stronger and more resilient for doing so.
My mental health challenges have moulded me into the person i am today, and i am not confessing to be perfect, but if i could, i wouldnt change a thing. I continue to learn, continue to grow, continue to develop and build further emotional strength and resilience within my own metaphorical woods.
As the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week this year is ‘Community’ i plan to walk and capture the beauty of communities local to me throughout the week.
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Thank you to my Sponsors
£15
Jemel Athar
£15
Maryanne Humphries
Amazing work so far for a great cause! Enjoyed your reflections.
£20
Ryan Knight
£10
Rachael Kyle
Good luck xx proud of you as always xxx
£5
Reece Knight
£20
Samantha Bower
Always proud of you! What a great cause. Keep smashing it x
£15
John Hancock
Watch the blisters
Go on Derek