I can honestly say I never saw the depression coming.  When I look back I can see that it rolled in, slowly and silently like fog in a valley until I was wrapped up and lost in it.  At the time, I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, and the idea that it could be a mental health issue never crossed my mind.

Seeking help took a while and, looking back, the delay was down to stigma , embarrassment and a lack of self esteem.  However, the support I received when I eventually dipped my toe in that water was outstanding and, on my journey back from depression I realised that I had addressed, reframed and transformed so many elements of my life.

All I have wanted to do from that point was to help others as I was helped. I want to encourage others to believe that change and personal growth are within everyone's reach and that our futures don't have to be defined by our past.

 “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

-Barack Obama