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I met Lisa though a referral from my GP to help me with my anxiety and depression, Lisa was very polite and kind when I first met her.
Which was nice because I was an emotional wreck and I actually opened up about it all and I surprised myself, Lisa was very helpful, we spoke about all sorts about how I was to what I would like to do. Lisa has put me in touch with emotional and social support, health trainers and the leisure centre. I have been going to CBT, and Health Trainers every 2 weeks and I have joined the GYM and are going 4 times a week. Lisa has helped me feel better in myself and is always there is I need extra support and guidance. I am glad that I was referred community link I am happy to continue seeing Lisa till I am better in myself with my anxiety and depression.
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Since a referral from my GP I have been having regular one to one sessions with Lisa that has really helped me cope with the loss of my mum on 24 February 2018.
I was referred to Mind for bereavement counselling after my first session with Lisa on the 4 April but the first appointment with Mind wasn’t until the 27 April and then there was a mix up with the meeting place so I didn’t get to see anybody from Mind that day. The next appointment with Mind was made on 23 May with Clare which I attended but I didn’t find very helpful and she told me that during the next meeting I would have to go back through what had happened regarding my mum.
Today I attended a meeting with Clare from Mind and I informed her from the outset of the meeting that I was too upset to go back through what happened regarding my mum and to put it on hold. I then attended my one to one with Lisa who I find is a good listener and understands my situation better than Clare because Lisa was there from the start when I needed the help.
I feel that Mind has taken too long to help me when I needed them the most and that local GP’s should have someone there when a bereaved person needs them and not just to be put on a waiting list for Mind.
I think the service Lisa is providing works well for me and will continue to use the service for the support I need.
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I had heard about health trainers before but was nervous about calling and unsure what it entailed. Then I attended an active coast event and the health trainers were there, I had a chat and was given the number for Jess.
The first meeting I explained that I had been very ill in January and it had given me a bit of fright and on reflecting on my lifestyle identified that I needed to get outside more and spend less time at my desk (eating biscuits and cakes).
I hate exercising so knew that was going to be hard to achieve so changed that goal to getting outside. I did that for a few weeks then changed it to being active outside – gardening, walking the dog, going to the beach, walking to the shops, visiting gardens.
Having someone to answer to was the thing I found most beneficial, closely followed by someone to listen to me and encourage.
I have now been playing netball for 8 weeks and loving it even though it’s more than 3 decades since I last played. It has given me a focus outside the family and work and a chance to socialise as well as doing something I enjoy that doesn’t feel like exercise. With gentle encouragement Jess suggested I now tried the yoga class I talked about trying in the first session.
I have been thinking and talking about going to yoga for 18 months and this week I went for the first time and it was not scary at all but relaxing and energising. I’m going again this week.
Each week I could run a bit faster, play netball a bit longer, stretch a bit further and craved cakes and biscuits a little bit less.
I’ve even lost 6 pound in weight over my 12 week programme even though that wasn’t one of my goals, a very welcome bonus.
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Without this service I would not be where I am today, you have been the person that has been able to communicate with my doctors, housing and benefits helped me as a person, financially and medically, I now feel I can see the GP and leave I can separate mental health from physical health issue. It has been life changing for me.
