Alex has been very brave in sharing his story and his journey with mental health and some of the struggles he has faced over the years. There is still stigma surrounding mental health, especially in men, and Alex has been able to use his voice to start breaking this stigma. How amazing is that!
This year, Alex will be running 130 miles in 3 ultra marathons in support of Andy’s Man Club (an amazing club that supports mental health). Alex has put so much effort into this project to inspire men to open up, share struggles, and believe in what’s possible.
Find the project on Instagram – @projectpossiblea
All this inspiration and advocacy for mental health began due to Alex’s struggles with mental health and having suffered from anxiety and panic attacks over the years, which started due to traumatic events that took place in his life.
On 31st January 2015, Alex was on a night out with friends, when unfortunately an altercation with a different group of males broke out, which led Alex to be knocked down where a serious injury to his head occurred, which resulted to him having a bleed on the brain, later on resulting in his hearing becoming completely deaf in one of his ears. From this incident, Alex found himself feeling extremely anxious in public, and this began to take a toll on his life and his mental health.
Due to these struggles, Alex was brave enough to seek help and was able to undergo CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) through the NHS, where he worked with a therapist to get his mental health under control and his life back again, Alex mentioned this helped and he was able to start feeling like he was getting some support with this.
Alex has also struggled with trauma through relationships, which made him take a step back and his mental health was massively affected by this. Again being the brave person he is, Alex took it upon himself to attend an Andy’s Man Club talking group session, where he was able to talk through his struggles with others going through the same. Alex says, “It was lovely to speak to someone who gets it”. Fast forward to present times, and Alex is now working closely with Andy’s Man Club and is now in a position where he can support others with the problems he also faced.
Truly amazing!!
Words of advice from Alex: “ Your journey isn’t over as long as you’re breathing. Take one step today, and tomorrow, you’ll have the strength for many more. Use your breath to ground yourself – learn to control it, and you’ll find peace in the present moment. Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method: five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Each breath helps you reset, one step at a time”
Alex’s story has been an eye-opener and an inspiration! I hope you have found some comfort in Alex’s story; in that you are not alone! and it is okay to speak up and ask for support and help when needed.
Lots of love x