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There is no easy way to begin my story, so I will just get straight into it

Daniel Callaghan

There is no easy way to begin my story, so I will just get straight into it. **Trigger warning, I speak about suicide**.

Whilst I wasn’t officially diagnosed, I feel confident to say that I had depression and anxiety from the age of 12/13 if not younger. I spent most of my teenage years not wanting to be alive and had planned to take my own life before I turned 18. By reading this you can tell that I wasn’t successful in my attempt and I am so grateful I am alive today at the age of 36.

I was formally diagnosed with clinical depression when I was 22. It was as this point I spent the next 3-5 years prioritizing my mental health discovering ways I could improve it. I did a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) course, a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) course, I partook in forgiveness therapy, mental resilience training, mindfulness and much more. I was determined to do whatever it took to make myself better. Around the age of 25/26 I had got myself into a much better headspace and felt I could speak more openly about my experience. For the last 10 years I have been a mental health advocate, sharing my story and the things that I have got me to the place I am today in the hope that I can be an example that things can and do get better.

Last year I was formally diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Combined Type, this means I have both hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive symptoms. I am still navigating this, although if you refer back to all that work I did in my early/mid-twenties to get myself into a better headspace... It turns out everything I had learnt and what works for me are known to be strong ADHD coping mechanisms/strategies. Irony?

How do you prioritise your mental health with the demands of a fast-paced environment at Clyde & Co?

I enjoy working in a fast paced environment and I typically work at my best when I am busy, so working here is good for me. Having said that I have learnt that my mental health has to come first and I am very open about when I might be struggling. If my mental health is not in a good place, I will not be much help to my colleagues, myself and the quality of my work can tend to lack.

I am hyper aware of my mind now and am aware as to when I might be falling into a bad place mentally. I counteract this by ensuring I act on all the things that will get back to a positive mindset for example, talking to people I trust, doing things I love, physically moving, grounding myself in gratefulness.

What advice would you give someone struggling with their mental health?

Find someone you trust and talk to them about it. Opening up and sharing what I was going through shortly after I attempted suicide was one of the most mentally and physically relieving thing I have ever done. It was also the starting point of my journey in seeking further help and getting better.

I would also encourage physical movement, whether that is going for a walk or doing chores around your home.

Finally discover what brings you happiness and joy and do more of that.

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