My stoma and mental health journey | by Kevin
My mental health hasn’t been a straightforward journey; for me, it’s had lots of ups and downs. I’ve had times of feeling positive strong and that I can achieve anything to days where I felt that l I couldn’t do anything. What I have learned about living with a stoma is that it’s a journey and one that will always have the highs and lows but it’s how we adapt and use this as the start of a positive journey.
Highs and lows
There have been many days where my mental health has been something I don’t even think about, where I could just get on with family life and feel that I was giving my best within my career. There have also been days where slightest little issue could make me feel like the whole world was crashing down around me. I’ve really started to understand this and it’s the journey that I’m on, it doesn’t mean I’ve failed just that I might need to take time or rely on others to help support me.
Power of movement
For me, I’ve found that having a focus and something that you want to do helps to keep me focused. Running and mountain biking are not just hobbies, they are a way for me to clear my thoughts while supporting not just my physical wellbeing but also my mental wellbeing. Running gives me a focus and a structure. Previously, running a marathon, you realise how much you will talk to yourself, one voice will be saying I’m done, I can’t do this, where the other voice will be saying you can do this and you will do it. There’s a question to ask which one will you listen to. Knowing what I’ve been through and using running as a focus and structure it gives me an opportunity to quash those negative thoughts and not let them get the better of me. The same goes for mountain biking, surrounded by nature you are on your own where those thoughts may arise when feeling tired or just having a bad day. Being out in the open, setting myself different challenges forces me to focus on that moment and leaves little space for noises in my head. Both activities give me essential clear space and time to rest breathe and come back to the day to day with a clearer mindset.
Moving forward
I know my journey with mental health isn’t finished and it probably never will be, but I’ve found ways to make the most difficult days a lot more manageable and to appreciate when the exciting and good days come. Running more so than biking has become a beacon of resilience for me and proof that even moving forward slowly is still moving forward. One thing I have learnt is that you can’t do everything perfect everyday and this is the same with coping with mental health – there will be good days and bad days, but it’s about finding what works for you and allowing yourself the time and remembering that you are never alone.
My own mental health journey has taught me to not disregard the challenges but find a way to overcome them. Running and mountain biking has given me focus and strength, but this is just as important where I’ve learnt to open up more and lean on others when I need to. Each and everyone of us will have challenges that test us but the progress to deal with these comes one step at a time or even one conversation at a time. The most testing time has been the journey I have been on as well as many and we have all come out of that stronger and more resilient and most of the time it’s important to remember this when we are having a challenging day.
-
-
-
-
-
-
