I felt alone and isolated – finding this group helped me thrive
'We all need community to help us thrive in life'
HAVING a good state of mind is all about building your community, according to the experts.
This year Mental Health Awareness Week focuses on finding the right support in your own personal village, whether it's family or like-minded friends.
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Eleanor Gould
The idea of the week, which is run by Mental Health Foundation, is to celebrate how much people thrive when they have strong connections with other people.
Today Eleanor Gould, 22, from Aberdeenshire opens up on finding a community of young people living with type 1 diabetes.
As a teen she found her health issues isolating but linking up with others suffering from the condition was vital for her wellbeing, giving her a sense of belonging and purpose.
WE all need community to help us thrive in life – supportive people around us to help one another, encourage us, work together, or simply have fun.
Community is really important for our mental health and wellbeing which is why it's the focus of this year's Mental Health Awareness Week.
The Mental Health Foundation, which runs the week, explains that community is a vital protective factor for our mental health as it gives us a sense of belonging, makes us feel safe, gives us purpose, and also valuable support.
But what do you do if you are living with a long-term health condition and it feels like you are all on your own?
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was nine years old. At first it didn't really seem to impact my life but when I got to secondary school it felt much harder.
The usual teenage challenges of growing up, navigating friendships and exam pressures were exacerbated by my condition which is largely invisible but is with me every minute of every day. There are no decisions in my life which don't include internal questions or calculations for managing my diabetes.
Even going for a shower means I need to check my glucose levels to know if it's ok to disconnect my insulin pump.
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A lot of people with type 1 diabetes will play it down somewhat but the truth is it's more overwhelming than people think. It is a relentless condition that can feel isolating if you can't talk to other people who really understand what it's like.
Growing up I didn't know anyone else my age who was living with type 1 diabetes. Not being able to talk to another teenager about it was tough. My family and friends were, of course, very supportive but they couldn't really know how I felt, and it was also tiring having to explain things about the condition to them.
When I was 17 I saw a post from the charity Diabetes Scotland inviting young people with type 1 diabetes to join its Young Leaders group. The first activity I participated in was volunteering at a Family Weekender event.
It was amazing to be in a room where having type 1 diabetes was the norm. Throughout the whole weekend it was so refreshing to see people checking their glucose levels, injecting, treating hypos… all the things I had been doing for years and feeling like I was the only one.
My next event was just with the Young Leaders who are all aged 16-25. It was such a weight off my mind to be able to chat to people my age about living with type 1 diabetes, knowing that we were all in this together.
It was comforting to hear about their experiences which were so similar to mine. And we could all speak to each other in the same language, using short-hand terms for diabetes-related things and not having to explain what we mean.
When we all had dinner together it was great that everyone around the table was checking their glucose levels and adjusting their insulin pumps or taking injections.
When one of our group had a hypo, it was completely normal. We helped her but there was no panic or blowing things out of proportion which can sometimes happen when you're out with people who don't live with diabetes.
People always mean well but it can be a bit embarrassing if they make a big deal about something like a hypo and it makes me feel like I'm under a spotlight when all I need is a bit of sugar and to sit for ten minutes.
Finding a community of young people living with type 1 diabetes has been so good for my mental health and wellbeing. I am now part of the Together Type 1 community run by Diabetes Scotland.
Not only am I getting support, but I can also support others. Aside from the events we check in on each other on social media and WhatsApp – it's such a comfort to know that we're all there for one another.
To anyone else living with a long-term health condition, I really recommend seeking out a group of people or going on online support forums for people with the condition so you can talk to people who really understand.
- The Mental Health Foundation has been running Mental Health Awareness Week for more than 20 years to normalise conversations for those at risk.
For more information on mental health week log onto mentalhealth.org.uk. Meanwhile, for details of support available for people living with diabetes visit diabetes.org.uk.
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