Shelly’s Story

Shelly’s story on how mental illness affected her and her family

“When I first started feeling sick, and not able to cope I was ashamed to tell people that I was struggling.

Mental health has such a stigma on it, that it really does feel like you are alone some days

It feels like there is nowhere you can go or nobody that will help, and people that you do tell start to treat you differently. When I went through my period of not being able to get out of bed, it was the worst pain I have ever felt. I didn’t want to do anything. Not even my kids could make me happy. I feel like I have let my kids down and that I am not strong enough for them. It is hard to find people that genuinely understand what it is like.

 

But with the strength of Terry, my kids, my family and a few friends I have managed to see the light at the end of the tunnel

I got a tattoo over my scars as a signature of signing off that part of my life. I look at this and I rub it and I know that I can do it, I have done it before and I will do it again. And I won’t give in, I refuse to sink, and I just try to get back into being a Mum I just want to be normal again I guess.

HelpingMinds® was the first place that gave me a program and a system to work by. It was the first place that went to my husband and said “how are you coping?” it was the first place that looked at my kids and said “hey are you guys ok?”

Hey its ok you can come here, and we are going to do what we can to help. But if you keep going you will feel better.”

Aside from Shelly’s story you can also read the story of Shelley on how she overcome her mental challenges.