Mind Magazine July 2017 Mind Magazine July 2017 | Page 9

Real-life inspiration
‘A lot of LGBT people
experience the same thing
– your mental health is so
tied in with your sense of
identity and self-worth.
Finding the balance
‘Life since the diagnosis
has been a bit of trial
and error. But I’ve found
a good balance now with
medication and therapy.
‘I attend my local Recovery
College, an NHS self-help
college running courses for
people living with mental
health issues. I’m taking
Your mental health
is so tied in with your
sense of identity and
self-worth.
a course called How to be
Happy; it encourages you
to rediscover things that
you like doing but struggle
to enjoy because of your
mental health – when you’ve
just lost all the joy.
‘I’m also volunteering for my
local Mind as a befriender.
I meet with my befriendee
every week for a chat
over coffee and we go to
exhibitions or museums. It
helps him find the confidence
to go out and reconnect with
friends, and it gives me more
self-esteem, being able to
share my experiences in a
positive way.’
Ups and downs
‘I still have my ups and
downs, but I’ve realised that
the best thing is not to focus
on getting completely well,
because I’m not sure that’s
possible. I’m just focusing
on staying as well as I can.
‘As long as I end up at a
point where I’m coping
better than I was before,
that’s definitely a positive.’
To read more about borderline personality disorder,
go to mind.org.uk/BPD. And turn over for advice
about coping with loneliness.
Mind Magazine 9