Prioritising Mental Health in a Cost-of-Living Crisis

This month, the podcasters met in real life at one of our Centrepoint services and we recorded Point Made for our YouTube channel too!

Former resident and founder of My Soho magazine, Kai Lutterodt hosts this week with Centrepoint young panellists, Ben, Sharon and Noor. 

Stockpiling, meal hacks and exercise: this month they discuss mental health in a cost-of-living crisis and how prioritising one's mental health is more important that ever in the current climate.

Listen to find out how our young people support their own mental health and even discover Noor's delicious and cost-effective ramen recipe!

Transcript

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The podcast from centre by young people for old people centre point is the UK is leading youth homelessness charity. At centre point, we believe no young person's life should be defined by homelessness. We give young people the support they need to heal and grow no matter what. for over 50 years, we've been the centre point for change, personal and political. Everyone has their part to play. With young people leading the way. This podcast has been created by young people with lived experience of homelessness will be shining a spotlight on some of the issues that affect us. We hope to challenge and change some of the stereotypes and bring others with us as part of a movement to end youth homelessness for good. Hello, and welcome to point made the centerpoint podcast by young people for young people. Today we're going to be talking about mental health. And this is a subject very close to my heart. My name is Kyla turret, and I am a Centerpoint ex resident, and I'm joined by some wonderful panellists to help us discuss this topic, which is quite often a stigma. So I'll let you guys introduce yourselves first. And we'll get into the topic of what mental health means to you. My name is Sharon. So basically, I've recently been offered a supported housing officer role by centerpoint. But previously, I have experience with being a support worker in a homelessness charity. So I'm just waiting before I started with centerpoint. Previously, I was attend to quite resident, I also volunteered in the policy team for centre point. Also, I have experienced had mental health. So my topic is really important to me. It's really an essential topic to talk about in society due to the stigma attached to mental health. I've been in hospitals with mental health. I've had counselling therapy through centre brain that are supporting them to become more independent today. Amazing. So yeah, we'll get a lot of love from you about the topic. Yes. And would you like to introduce yourself? Hi, I'm Nora. I'm currently still receiving floating support from centerpoint. I was never a resident, I've always received floating support. I think what mental health and health means to me in such a broad question, but I think it's something I'm living in learning and figuring out for myself, I think as a girl. Yeah, amazing. And I live in the Wembley area. I have ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder, which, in terms of mental health makes it difficult to communicate, build relations and understand emotions. But overall, I've learned to manage these things. So I'm here today to talk about that with you guys. So I do actually have a list of questions. But now you've said that I would like to ask, what are some of the stigmas that you've experienced? You know, when you because of mental health? Let's start around this way. Yeah, yeah. So I'm now I mean, I've graduated, I'm now a social worker, and I've got a job so adulation. Thank you. I think, throughout my whole career, well, university time and started my career, I was really worried about, you know, probably not getting a job. Once they know, oh, she's been depressed before, or she has terrible anxiety. Like, what if she can't handle the job? I think I was very afraid of being stigmatised in that sense and seen as someone who's who could be who's basically unreliable because of my mental health issues. So yeah, I think that was my biggest struggle with mental. So my biggest struggle with mental health is definitely being a university student. studying sociology and politics, I felt that if I, if I over shared what I was going through, I felt like I would experience judgement, because of how people view mental health, especially with like depression, anxiety, anxiety disorders, a lot of it is attached with stigma in society, there's a lot of a tarnished view towards it. And people that experienced mental health are quite marginalised in society, and ignored by the government. So I feel like I felt like I couldn't share what I was going through to my university lectures. I felt like I had to keep it to myself, but having the services the NHS Centerpoint being there for me, it helps me to go to the point of healing. So yeah, that's that's very deep point of view. And that's really important. Yes, Ben, what you've touched on it, but do you want to maybe give us some Another point. So I found that I've, in terms of communication, I found humour was the best way to sort things out. But this sort of became a problem within itself. My diagnosis started to become my personality to a lot of people, I would be introduced as the autistic friend, which was unfortunate, which returned me into a sort of lightning rod for jokes and everything, where I felt at the end of every joke, even though I enjoyed the self deprecating humour, and I was fine with it. It made my friendships feel hollow, in a lot of ways, and it made it just a bit harder, not understanding why I was the end of these jokes. So, wow, that's really interesting. I think, for me, everything you've all touched on, I can relate to in some ways, the work that I do, I have to be very social I'm, I work in PR and marketing as well. And I often have to be the brave chi and go out there and show the smiley, happy chi, but there are days when I'm really struggling, and how do you relate? How do you tell them that or tell people that and I, I found that I haven't been brave enough to actually be able to find those safe spaces, particularly with them work, because you don't want to be I don't want to be stigmatised. And then be and then be known as chi, who can't get the job done, or who can't be social, you know. And so I would actually like to ask guys, how do you think we, they can be a bit more of a balance to really sort of break past these stigmas and let people be more aware about mental health because I found that when I do find that person that I can actually be honest with and say, you know, what, I was going for a bit of downtime, you know, or I'm feeling a bit depressed, or I'm suffering from anxiety. And actually, today, I can't go out. They've also told me even themselves, or a family member has a similar situation or diagnosis, and you realise that you're not by yourself. So have you had any instances where you've opened up and found out that actually, I'm not alone, that other people that are going through the same thing as me. So I'll go first. Basically, like I said, earlier, the society there's a lot of stigma attached to mental health, and a lot of people feel like they can't open up to their friends, to their family, they have to keep it to themselves. Statistics show that men are more likely to commit suicide because of the stigma that's attached to it. There's also one in four people in society that have mental health issues. So I feel like one thing that will help with the stigma is actually finding a community of people that will understand you, one community that's helped me as the church, I feel like the church has really been helpful in my healing. And me being able to understand and know myself and navigate ways to religion has helped me to know myself more, and why know myself, I was able to be more bold, in myself more confident, more assured in everything that I'm doing. And also, it's it's led to my healing has led to me being more independent living alone. Being a student, that's been our final year, it's been me being my final year now, I'm just like, wow, like it's been. It's just only, it's only the confidence that I have in myself and only by the grace, as a Christian, I say, as an ally by the grace of God, that I've actually been able to get past a lot of my anxiety and depression, and nearly be a graduate, which is being the first graduate in my family is amazing, for me is an achievement. So I'm really grateful. And I'm grateful for this opportunity. That sounds really empowering and enriching. What about you? Um, for me, it was definitely figuring out, of course, a good support system people you can rely on. And as you said, Say to tell them, Oh, I'm having a hard day today. But I think as someone who has an anxiety disorder and does struggle with depression, do you tend to relapse in it, let's say, because I've struggled with depression for over five years. Sometimes it's very repetitive. So it's almost like it gets hard, it becomes difficult for you to then go back to that same friend probably and tell them again, oh, I'm feeling depressed again. It's, it almost makes it harder every time you relapse. So for me, it became about kind of challenge channelling other people's, you know, bravery of opening up to me. So for example, as you were talking about men, how it's mean, for me, at least my male friends, they don't really open up. But when I'm sitting with them sometimes, and they're talking to me about their social anxiety, and I'm like, what? Since when you're the loudest, you're literally the loudest in the group. So things like that are things that I don't, you know, I don't perceive them as someone who's anxious or who has gone through a hard time or who's ever been depressed. And when they're sharing that stuff with me, it can help me be like, oh, gosh, like, if they're opening up to me, I can do the same. I'd either open up to them or I'd go back to that one friend I trust and say, You know what? I'm having a hard time again. And thank god, I've had a really good support system. So they will be there for me. But I think it's just sometimes when you're in that rut, it's really hard to believe that people are truly there for you. And then again, honestly, if nothing works, you've got your faith, I'm in the same boat. And they think so. That's amazing. Ben, do you have a support system or circle of friends that you that you can fall back on? I've found that opening up to people has gotten easier over time. But I've also found that opening up to the wrong people can happen every now and then. So I think my support systems are mostly professional. Even though I'm slowly coming off a lot of other support systems and managing a lot on my own, I still feel the need to check in because even when I'm doing well, quote unquote, well, things are good, the good days are coming. And there's not many bad days in between, I still need to work on my mental health to prevent relapsing, which I haven't been doing as much as I should be doing. I think, I think you make a really important point there, that, you know, there are professionals out there to help us and support us. And sometimes if you open up to the wrong people, that could also backfire, and actually make you feel even worse. So just always knowing who you can go to the other professionals that that's their job to offer these supports, I think this is really important. And there should actually be a more, it should actually be more accessible for young people to be able to find this information. And I'd like to think that actually Centerpointe does a lot to be able to steer people in the right direction for so why do you think mental health is more prevalent with young people as opposed to their counterparts older adults, adults have, you know, they, it's easier for them to go and access support, because they kind of sometimes know what's going on. I'm not saying all adults do, but they've got the better end of the stick. I think, when I mean, I'm just looking back and when I was in school, you know, you're finding yourself you're you're kind of lost, you don't know who what you identify as who you identify as you want to belong in the group you want to blend in, you don't want to stand out, you literally want to blend in, you want to be accepted, you don't really know what you want to be accepted into even you're figuring all of that out, that's going to bring some nervousness, anxiety anyways, and then you have some instability at home, let's say in, you know, other aspects of your life that makes that even harder and does make you more susceptible to other mental health issues. And if you don't have people looking over you and helping you out and being patient with you, and helping you figure it out and guiding you into, you know, feeling better, do I think these things can just kind of get worse, they can just kind of snowball, until you become an adult. And then you're like, Oh, I get it all. I get everything that happened to me when I was younger? Oh, absolutely. And then throw in being homeless as well. And the young person, you know, the I think the stats of the disparities between young people who are homeless suffering from mental health compared to, you know, non homeless young people is about 20%. So that's quite a lot. So, you know, so tell us about some of the ways that that you've that you sought support, and how easy was it to access the support you. So I've access support for you. So when I used to live in Santa Fe, about six years ago, I was able to have psychotherapy after leaving the hospital, which was really helpful like it helps. The talking therapy helped me to deal with the anxiety and depression that I was experiencing, and helped me to become more resilient in dealing with work and university. Also, I feel like the NHS has been helpful. However, I feel like there's a lot of pressure and a lot of long waiting times in the NHS. So I feel like a lot of young people are not able to get the support they need. And I'm not sure what exactly needs to be done. My personal experience at the age of 13 was when I started to notice something was wrong. I noticed younger as well. But I was afraid of mental health services, specifically social services because from an Asian household, particularly my Asian household, they were sort of demonised. They were antagonise, they were the enemy. If I would talk to them, they would take me away. And because I had no idea what being taken away meant, I sort of had this weird, childish cartoon book sort of idea of a man of a rucksack or bag of money running away from a bank and Stripe anyway. A Hamburglar anyway, so I was afraid to contact Social Services or to contact any mental health stuff, I did eventually talk to a teacher who referred me to a counsellor. And the counsellor led me to the camp service. And then the camp service led me to inpatient admission for about two and a half years at the age of 15. So I left my home. And that was hard, but not as hard as I thought it was going to be, weirdly enough, I felt at home for the first time, which is something I guess it was one of the later questions as far as well, that's really interesting, I can relate to some degree about, you know, the family aspect, I grew up in a Ghanaian household, and I remember my auntie saying, oh, you know, you don't, don't go and report, you know, we kept the one rule was that you keep your what happens at home private. So it meant that I couldn't speak to the counsellors about what I was going through, I also didn't really even know the terms of what I was going through, because was like depression and anxiety. To be very honest, I've only just discovered that what I've been feeling all this time for my teenage years is anxiety, you know, and I'm, like, however old now. So these words were not in our household, and nor were we encouraged to even seek support. So it wasn't until I was actually at Centerpoint, that I raised some of these points with my caseworker and got referred and learn and work certain words and reading up on them. And realising that it's not just me, for the longest time, I've just thought it was me because no one in my house spoke about it. And I don't think that my family meant it in in a bad way. It's just when you are a minority, you probably have a bit harder. And I think for them, especially the older generation, they just wanted me to, to not be not, not fail. And so their way of protecting me, I suppose, was to just be like, you know, chin up and get on with it. And be strong. I remember my aunt always say, Be strong, be strong, and sometimes you can't be strong. And the best support I the best thing I could have done for myself is actually seek help, particularly when I'm not feeling very strong. Oh, sorry. Oh, it's a point out the the wedding strong vibe, I actually relate to that quite a lot. So I'm Filipino. And every time I've been in an any department, I will find fellow Filipinos. Sometimes the staff, sometimes there's other people coming through, and they will notice that I'm Filipino. And they will always say the sort of sentence Filipino strong, because it's sort of we need to be strong for some reason. And it's, I think it's to its encouraging and what they would want to hear maybe, and that's why they use that language for us. But maybe it's not what we need at that time. I think also, you know, we have a responsibility for ourselves to take the information and use it to what we can. If we If it's good, if we find that it's empowering, then take it if we find that actually, I understand what you're trying to do. But actually right now, I don't need that, then we just sort of have to let it fly away, you know? Yeah, but thank you for sharing that. So Right. So you know, we're going through quite a difficult time in society. And the cost of living is really affecting Well, everyone across the UK, but probably more so. And not probably more so actually more so young people, young homeless people. How do you let's start with how you feel that this is affecting young people. I grew up in foster care. So I didn't realise until last year that I have a lot of financial Sure. I didn't know that was even a thing. It took me a while to realise I was like, I think you're traumatised and also by money. I don't really understand how that works. And it took me a lot of research to figure out oh, I understand what's going on. Because now that I'm living independently, I've noticed I'm I would bulk buy things as if like, I'm preparing for an apocalypse. And I'm like, why am I doing this so interesting. And this was before COVID. Like the way he people lived in COVID is how I live my life. Like why why are you buying full shampoos is actually Okay, so I kept doing these things. And I would say to myself, because what if one day you don't have money to cover you have to pay rent for this place and you're stocking up with so much stuff, you're gonna be like it's not logical. And I'm trying to find the logic and I never did, but that's just how I've lived my life. And it was the financial trauma that I had in foster care. And that I had when I moved out and you know, the lack of support that I had when I moved down to supported accommodation for university and then being homeless about I was living with my best friend's family, but technically homeless all this time. All I ever worried about the most was Oh my God, these bills and you know, I'm going to need money for my future. I can't live like this. Even when I was in university, I knew you've only got this place for like, two, three years, what are you going to do then? So it's like, it never ends. And now that I'm living independently with my sister, I was like, Okay, you finally figured it out, you've made, you've got a budget, all your bills come under this amount of money, you're gonna be fine. And then the bills go up. And I said, I can't do this. I can't even just use that band Exactly. Just when I thought I had it all figured out for just a bit. Like I said, okay, just for the next two years, I'm gonna be fine. And I can, like, you know, have my new job. And that can be the most, you know, unstable thing, I guess that can be the thing you can focus and figure out now, I felt like I had to do it all over again. So almost feels like how I was in first year university is how I am in my first year of my job, when now I need to budget all over again. And I'm a true, I'm a believer of like, your wage can go up, but your cost of living shouldn't like try your best to keep it to a minimum. And I'm like, Well, now it's not in my control. My bill is saying pay 80 pounds more for something like I don't want my going to do now does that causes any stress on you? Oh, 100%. Like, of course I, I experience extreme anxiety over these things. And I'm the kind of person that I'm thinking about it all the time. I think it's very hard as someone who has anxiety to remember that some things are not in your control. So I'll be trying to sleep, I'll be eating and I'm hoping I'll be with friends having a good time. And I'm not spending any money right now. But it's like, I'm losing money. I keep feeling this, I keep feeling like I'm always losing money. And it makes me feel literally sick. I just I then I'm like, Oh, I just want to sleep. I want to sleep this off. But I can't, I literally can't sleep because all I'm thinking about is oh my god, like, you don't have enough money for rent, or, especially during this time. I mean, was my last year of university, I had to make the big decision of being like, gotta let go of your part time job. You've got to focus on your dissertation, you've got to finish that up. And that was so difficult for me. And it's almost like I had to choose my mental health. And ironically, my mental health and my education over paying my bills and worrying about that I had to live off my savings. But now that I've lived off my savings, and yeah, that was it was okay. Now I have this terrible guilt. That How could you do that? For the girl who always stocked up everything and you know, save that much money, you've spent it all? And I'm like, I'm living lavish. It's almost like you've got to purse, you've got to Pisa ones, like, you know, the one that stocked up in the ones like give yourself a break. What you were healing? Exactly. You're healing. I think there's so much guilt with that. But also hope you're not too hard on yourself. Working on it working on it is a process. So I feel like the cost of living has had a negative impact on me, because I've had to deal with the increase in rent, food, everything. And it's like my wages have not increased. So how am I gonna manage with these, this cost of living that has changed, you know, and it's like, it creates a vicious cycle for young people that are not working, though on Universal Credit, it creates a vicious cycle of mental health issues that constantly keeps returning because of the low income. I mean, many homeless young people are experiencing mental health issues because of the fact that they cannot afford food and their rent bills and their service charge. So it's like it causes it causes more issues than not, I think it's not just a problem with the cost of living. It's the cost of surviving it. They come up slowly, these small things that increase in price, so travel increases a small amount and you think, okay, that's a bit weird, but okay, I'll be fine. And it starts to accumulate day after day after day after day. Your basic necessities when you're trying to become healthy and getting the right foods and stuff. Okay, yeah, I can't afford this gluten free thing, but I can afford this thing, but it seems to have doubled in price already. For me, it was pasture because pasture is my home food. It's my favourite food, I can use anything with it. But I have to rely on a lot more processed foods and things have not been healthy. And everything is just going up and up and up. And it's it's not even living anymore. It's trying to get through it all. Almost like a zombie like fashion of sort of going from one thing to the next and I 100% agree with the I just want to sleep it off. I hope I close my eyes and this is all just a weird dream. Maybe tap my shoes three times and say oh, no place like home. We're still struggling but you know the sleeping thing just to come back to that so you I had a bit of an anxiety attack, and I had to social engagements to go to. And I really was not in the mood to go out there. But in my line of work, you kind of have to show your face otherwise you almost forgotten. And I just had to put on my mask and smile. But there is a magic about sleeping things off this morning, I woke up and I was actually feeling like, first slate, we started knew what happened yesterday happened. Let's try and shake it off. Obviously, it's not always that easy, because I also spent three months in bed over the summer, so I know myself as well. But when I do have the energy to lift myself up, I just run with it. It's weird. There's this expectation that we're going to be fine. You know, oh, we were young once it was completely fine that we were young, so it's completely fine for them. They don't understand that if we can't maintain our mental health or physical health for any sort of health and relationships and everything, then we can't feed back into this society. I think it's also something Ben said about health, about well, specifically about picking certain foods. I think the cost of living issue can really mess up people's habits. So for me, for example, I'm like, I remember in university people were like, You're rich. I'm like, No, I just I just didn't really know how to budget my money and buy the right healthy foods. And I could afford to do that at that time. But now Now you're not going to catch me buying strawberries. Why are they so expensive, it's so ridiculous. And then I don't want to buy fruits, right. And if I'm going to make a meal, if I'm going to cook my dinner, let's say you have to buy five ingredients, 10 ingredients, whatever it is, I'm so guilty buying them because they're, they've all gone up a little. So then I'm just frustrated. I'm like, I don't want to buy this a while I'll figure it out. I go home and I'm upset. And I don't even allow myself to be fully upset about it. I don't truly acknowledge as much I'd like, I think since the cost of living has gone up, I've been quite in denial. But then I'm gonna order take away because I need to eat and it is more expensive. But then again, it's like enough portion of a food. Let's say that I'm going to eat it, let's say for two days. And I'm not going to worry for two days kind of a thing. I'm like, now I've got food in the fridge. But if I have to buy ingredients and cook, I feel like that all that time I'm doing it. I'm just thinking about how much money I've lost instead of actually providing myself with, well, it's a necessity, you know, and enjoying my food. I remember a time in my life where my whole diet kind of was. It was all about accommodating my mental health. Like till this day, I will religiously have blueberries because they helped me with my anxiety. So blueberries are expensive, expensive portion, we would justify getting the takeaway, you know, that's why I think blueberries are definitely encouraged the healthy eating is so helpful. Like if you're experiencing depression or anxiety, having likes on like pineapple, some oranges, some vitamin C will help you it's just hard. And I love you to your body. Having that helps me stay afloat. Yeah, having that budgeting, support and actually implementing budgeting for yourself. It's like it will change your life and it will improve and saving up for the future will help you when you actually move out from centre point so that you can afford housing because the cost of housing has increased. It's like you taking care of yourself and those those are usually the first steps to feeling better. All those little good things you do for yourself amount to that day where you wake up and you're like I'm feeling stronger. A lot of the times it's been just like one cooking session I've done alone for dinner, let's say in my house and after that I'm such a different person and I'm literally after asleep and then I'm a new person tomorrow I feel so much better. But if I can't do that because of these living costs, I'm late it's going to be a cycle. I am meant to get better when do you want to add to that become so creative recently with mules wishes great in a weirdly bad way. I am mixing foods together that this is in my cupboard visit my cupboard let's try this out and then it's it's horrible but I had to eat it because yeah waste not want not because he's not wanting to i i have also been stockpiling before the pandemic as well. I always have canned foods on me. So that's beans, tomatoes, anything anything you can put in the can. Filipinos love spam which I'm not sure if it's a wartime food but we love it for some reason. My family in particular loves just fry that stuff put on some rice that's a meal anyway. And yeah, also I do have a drawer in my room, which is just full of ramen. Which which is great, because ya know, it's beautiful. You chop a spring on it on there. stuff like saving for the apocalypse or something. I need to I need to say something. I've somehow made it the healthiest thing of all. Give us the healthy version. Oh my God isn't I cook my ramen, whichever one is the spiciest one you know there's like plenty different ones make my ramen, I've got my seaweed on the side, I find the on offer and I hold on to it for dear life. I get myself I've stopped pollen salmon in my freezer. Like my sister really annoyed, she's required to keep buying some of salmon. If I find it enough, I'll buy five packets. But that's such a good idea because I take it out the night before I put it in the fridge. Next morning, I'm gonna fry it up, I fry up and then I put mushrooms and some other stuff and spring on the end and then a crispy fried, sunny side up egg on my ramen, and then I'm gonna be honest, I actually never even get to finish the ramen, I get to eat everything else because it's full of protein. But if I had it all alone, it would be really silly. So it's like ramen is like my base and I get to eat a little bit Oh my God, that's a healthy meal. That sounds like a Michelin starred packet ramen. The ramen noodles in the pot. I like to instead of frying the egg putting on top. Because then I have to clean up the pan I like to I like to fry an egg in a saucepan. You fill it with water, you have the ramen cooking and at some point you will put your just crack an egg in there. And if you can do it without cracking the yolk, you'll find even if you do hide the yolk, it's still good. You put the lid on top for like two minutes. And that's how I think we should definitely have a mental health food programme. You guys can like share more of your board. Because even me, like on a day on a weekly basis. I juice like fruit and veg for the week. And I'm telling you it's so good for my mental health. Like instead of having coffee and like fizzy drinks, it keeps me alert during the day because I've had a history of like low iron. So I have an expenditure in my juice. It's like it gets me going it keeps me alert for my classes. Like one month, I didn't do it. And I saw the difference that I was so tired, I was going to my fizzy drinks like and if you want to improve your health, go for it, like build that structure in your lifestyle so you can get better. Is there anything else that you want to add to this discussion? I feel like one thing that's really helped with my mental health is going to the gym. And it's been amazing. Like if I'm having like a down day just going to the gym and getting those endorphins, I'll leave there being happy for no reason. And it's like if you can't afford the gym, go to the park and have a walk like the nature of the scenery, or lift up your mood. For me personally what I do all by myself as art therapy, I first sounded very silly to me, because I just didn't imagine myself. I love art I enjoy so much. But I didn't think it would be like therapy for me. But I remember one day when I was just really depressed. And I just started painting and I've never painted in my life by the way, I just started painting and I was like, Wait, this is the best thing ever. That's that's one kind of art I had never done. So now I'm literally obsessed with it, like give me a paintbrush, I'll paint or stop painting my walls probably at this point, finding a community but you are happy to be in sort of a community that can help be productive. So this is not just maybe a group of friends, maybe this is a social club, maybe even Arts Club or some sort of sports club or something, anything where it's a community, a group where you can talk to people who are all different people, but they share one thing and they have that one link so you can learn more, because we don't all have to be the same. That feeds in very nicely to perhaps our last question of one piece of advice that you would give to a young person, perhaps struggling with their mental health and they're watching this to get some insight and to feel to feel a hug. What would you what advice would you give maybe one piece that we go around? Okay, so I would say one thing is to just love yourself, like be there for yourself and be patient with yourself and whatever you look for to help your mental health. So if you'd like to exercise Healthy Eating Psychology, you need to be patient you need to love and patience is a route of being loving yourself, being kind to yourself by just going for and also meditation. Meditation is helpful to deal with like anxiety, depression, it helps to like just being a friend to yourself being your own best friend like and just being just being kind because it's tough to be your own best friend when you're feeling at your lowest. But um, also just to touch on when you said meditation I recently was told that meditation isn't just sitting there going. Meditation has been present definitely could even be you lying in bed and yes, you're low, but also just letting thoughts leave your mind and be present as you are in bed and the moment and low that's Fine, but just acknowledge that feeling because it won't last forever. And so that's the type of advertisement and meditation could even be just making, but could be cooking. You know, that's another type of meditation, I think if we can break those stigmas of what meditation is it gives us so much freedom. And like we've discovered something about ourselves, because that's what we do. A lot of us do meditate. Yeah, that's, that kind of ties into mindfulness, which is another thing, which I think is becoming more popular at the moment. And it's, it's amazing. It is a form of meditation in a way it's about doing your everyday things and thinking about them, but not overthinking about them sort of having the thoughts just kind of skate by, because this might be a quote somewhere, but I probably going to get it wrong. My advice, in general is just in time, this shall pass something along those sorts of lines. So things come things go. And this feeling of sadness, or depression or anything, this feeling will pass. Now, will it get better, it might not. But it will pass and it will continue to come and go. And when you're able to get to that stage where you can ask for help. And I encourage you to do so no matter what stage you're in, when you're able to have the confidence, build that foundation, so that you're able to lift yourself up easier. From the forms. I really felt that got a shiver, I think with manifesting and mindfulness and sorry, not manifesting what was mindfulness and meditation, sorry, but I think all of all of it ties into the same element that's about being present. And I think that's the problem with mental health issues with the having anxiety, you're never present, you're always thinking about 10 Other things, but the thing in front of you. And you're trying to multitask, because you think if you're doing five things in your head, it's going to make your life easier, but you make that present moment. 10 times harder. So I think all of is all about and even spirituality is all about grounding yourself. I think that those are the common elements. And sometimes I mean, I've been meditating since I was 15. And I can tell you, I would say I actually started meditating this year, I think it's taken me years to actually be present when I'm meditating, because I am doing that thing where I'm just sitting and I'm like, okay, the lightbulb moments gonna happen now. And I think when it comes to advice, this one was a shock to me, as well. But I think the best thing that I do for myself now, when I want to feel that hug, kind of a feeling, it's that no matter how bad my life is, I just need to be like, Okay, you're this old right now, think about if your five year old version of you was here. And I'm so happy, because it's like, you really underestimate how far you've come a lot of the time, the smallest of things. I mean, when I was younger, I would watch movies and see, like, these, like teenage girls having sleepovers or like a girl having her own house and walking in baking cookies. And I was like, oh, on that one day, and I'm like, wait, I do that, like every other month, that is literally me. So it's, it's a really good feeling to like get, you get your fantasy basically. And I will also say like to someone that's struggling with mental health is like get help speak to a friend, or if you don't have a friend. And there's mental health support lines that you can refer to there's the Samaritans, there's the NHS, you can speak to professionals that will be able to provide you the support that you need for your mental health, family, friends, professionals, I think it's about also acknowledging the responsibility of that person in your life. So if this is a sibling, or a parental figure, or someone in your life, who is supposed to be taking care of you, or has that sort of duty of care, then you might feel a pressure to have to open up to them and tell them obviously a professional, it would be good for the situation. But not everyone can access that on. Quite unfortunately. Also, we have to remember that we are not a burden. And sometimes when we tell a friend, we've known for a couple of months that we're going through a very serious depression and they don't respond in the same way that we would hope maybe another professional response. We don't know what to do. Because that person maybe has an attached that sort of situation or is not mentally prepared. Because I find myself if I want to open up even to a professional, I will sort of ask them. Are you ready to hear this? Because I think both people have to be ready in that conversation as well. So yeah. Wow. Well, we made a lot of points. Point made. I just want to thank you guys. So I want to thank you all So much for creating this safe space to, to open up. I mean, we could have spoken for even longer as such, mental health is just one of those topics that unfortunately, because there hasn't been many safe spaces, a lot of things have probably been kept inside that when we do open up, you know, we want to just keep going on and on. But I hope that this is a lot of food for thought for anyone watching but also for us as well, to understand that we do have a support system. And I know that when we are first going through these issues, obviously it's hard to remember that we do have a support system, but hopefully we'll also remember this conversation had and look back at the video and and write down some pointers that we've discussed. And yeah, thank you so much to our listeners and viewers. This has been our first point made in person recording. And thank you very much to our panellists for sharing so much insight of their lived experience on the mental health topic. Thank you for having me. If you want more information, then visit our blog at www.centerpointe.org/blog. Don't forget centre point offers free advice via the centerpoint helpline to anyone aged 16 to 25. who is homeless or at risk of homelessness. Call us free on Oh 808-800-0661 We're open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm you can also leave us a message on our website at www.centerpointe.org.uk/youth homelessness slash get help now. The podcast from centre by young people for all people