Clare Rixon

[p][span=text-decoration: underline;][b]Minds Story[/b][/span][/p][p]Mind, are a mental health charity.[/p][p]They provide [url=http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/]advice and support[/url] to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They [url=http://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/campaigns/]campaign[/url] to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. [/p][lt]p style="text-align: center;"[gt][b][i]“We won't give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect.”[/i][/b][/p][p][span=text-decoration: underline;][b]My Story[/b][/span][/p][p]A story that has been told only a handful of times by me to the people that needed to hear it. But for you all, who are giving up your hard earned cash for this cause, I think you deserve to know why this charity is so important to me...[/p][p]Depression comes in so many different forms, it can impact on any of us, and when it does it manifests itself in an often completely individual way.  For me, depression is still part of my day, although I (and medical professionals) would say that I am no longer depressed, it does not mean it is suddenly over and something that has no ongoing impact. In fact the opposite is true it is probably still the single biggest impact on my life. My story still plays true to the fact that even when things are going great in my life and all logic says that I should be happy, I have to consciously choose happiness. [/p][p]I was at my lowest point in 2007. At this point I was physically removed from university by my parents and moved home; I had nothing and no one. Nobody knew what I was going through, yet people would happily pass judgment with knowing literally nothing about my situation. A web of lies I built up to protect myself to shield the world form the truth of what was going on, a web that acted as my safety blanket, was unravelling quicker than I could handle.[/p][p]For the first time ever, I had nothing.  It is crazy to think how much of an immense impact a feeling of nothingness can have on a person. I was stripped of everything I thought I was, everything I thought I knew about myself, my identity was stolen from me, and my purpose removed. It was then that I did the only thing I thought I could do and that was to give up. For me this was a cry for help, and I am not ashamed of that. I needed to scream and I had no voice, I needed help but was too ashamed to ask.[/p][p]From this point on I became a recluse, the only thing keeping me going was some truly incredible therapy sessions, medication, and a family that refused to let me stop going. The simplest things like my mum would force me out of bed, with no other motive than just to keep me moving. This is when I started running.[/p][p]Despite the hopelessness I felt daily; the guilt that encased me and the lowness that encapsulated my heart of hearts I now know I needed to hit that low. My depression had not been the result of one thing, one day or one situation; it had built up and been brushed away and hidden away for a long long time. Depression gave me a choice, a choice to give up and give in or to accept it all and move forward.[/p][p]It is now that I am free of medication and have come to terms with my own story that I find myself here fighting a battle, the battle of knowing how low I am capable of going and the battle of knowing this will always be a part of me... Every day when I am faced with this challenge, this battle, I remember that I’m one of the lucky ones who has made it this far and I keep on making the positive choices I need to everyday.[/p][p]So I’ve decided to do something a little mad, to run around Brighton for the best part of the day. Tackling a massive mental and physical challenge for all those people who need the support of tackling their massive daily, and sometimes, hourly mental and physical challenges.[/p][p]Help me raise some money for a charity who in the truest sense keeps people going when they feel like their only option is to give up![/p][p]Thanks all,[/p][p]Clare Rixon[/p][p]Dedicating this one to all the people who have lost their fight – you know who you are, and I really miss you all![/p]