Mental Health Awareness Week: Shusha’s story

I’ve had issues with my self-image and confidence since I was eight. After living with negative thoughts for 32 years, I recently decided to make a change.

With the support of one of our community psychologists, I overcame these issues and built up my self-confidence.

Now when I think negatively about myself I have strategies to challenge my brain and manage these feelings.

I work as an administrator at Prospect Place, which is one of our low secure mental health units based in Rochdale.

Using my new found skills, I sat down with one of my colleagues, psychologist Dr Rebecca Korzeniewski, to develop an educational course focusing on being kind to yourself.

The course is now being offered to service users, as part of our Health and Wellbeing College. Alongside a colleague, I help to deliver the course. It’s rewarding to use my own lived experience to make a positive difference to other people.

As part of the course, Rebecca and I developed a workbook designed to help anyone with self-confidence issues manage their inner negative voice differently.

A copy of this is available below. If you struggle with your self-image and self-confidence I really hope you find this helpful!”

Click here to download Shusha’s Be kind To Yourself Workbook (opens in PDF format).