Hi readers, it’s Emily and William here again, for the third time talking about mental health, and our conversation with Becky Aldridge. Today it’s why looking after our mental health feels so great!
First, we both agree that helping other people benefits our own mental health. When we get alongside each other and help someone – even if it’s simply supporting someone across the road, sending a friend a message when they are low, or making someone a cup of tea, it feels good to know we’ve made that person’s day a bit better, and them feel happier. In my, Emily’s, new home, that’s what we do, look out for each other.
Both of us understand the power of supporting others, especially from our years of going to Friendship Club at People First Dorset. Through keeping an eye on each other, many of us have become strong friends, and know we have each other’s backs.
It is very powerful, the sense of being a family of friends who support each other. Becky says it’s like that at the Dorset Mental Health Forum, they are also all in this together, not being judged, not being the odd one out.
What’s important is that at the Friendship Club, we (that is people with learning disabilities) go to pubs, cafes or parks, or wherever everyone else goes! Not shut away. Over the years, we’ve got to know lots of people and feel part of our community in Dorchester, as well as safer in it, which feels good.
As we have been writing we’ve also been thinking about hidden disabilities, where people can’t tell if you have a disability or not. We’ll write more about that another time, but in the meantime we hope you have enjoyed our columns on mental health.
The writers of the Our View column are supported in their editing by People First Dorset - a charity led and run by people with learning disabilities with support from staff.
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