10 years ago I was in a job for life or so I thought. I worked in the NHS as a health visitor, it felt safe and secure and I thought it would serve me well until I retired. I didn’t realise that a part of me was crying out for something else, there was a voice inside of me that wanted to be heard. What it was trying to say was “I need to sort my life out”. I didn’t hear it because I was busy trying to stay on the treadmill I had created for myself and that took all my energy. Until the day came when I couldn’t sustain it anymore. I fell off and ended up with a diagnosis of “stress related depression”, not unusual at all. It is well documented that 1 in 4 women will suffer from a mental health problem at some point in their lives.

In the end I had to hear that little voice saying “I need to sort my life out”, It had become louder and with the help of therapy and then a life coach I realised that I had to take responsibility for my life and I had to make changes if I was going to lead a more balanced, healthier and fulfilling life. And that’s just what happened and that journey has formed part of my book, “Journey to Chocolate”, which is to be published this October. Exciting times ahead I feel!

So I wonder how many other women there are that I meet on a regular basis who are also not hearing that voice or the women who are living with the feelings of guilt, lack of confidence and low self- esteem following postnatal depression or stress related illness. Because of the enormous stigma attached to any form of mental illness they are unwilling to talk about it. One of the things that now fulfils me is to help women who are ready to hear that voice “I need to sort my life out” and help them find focus, direction and a new life and to feel whole and happy again. I know it can happen because I’ve done it!

I have just spent a day in London with a business called Greatvine. Greatvine is a place to go for expert advice on a range of issues; health and wellbeing, parenting, writing and business. Experts are available for telephone advice and, also, many of them have articles and other information available for download, some free, some at a small charge. I, along with some of my fellow experts, was having video and photo shoots as part of the Greatvine premium package which will soon be on our profiles on the website. It was lovely to meet other experts in person and find out more about what they do and also reconnect with the lovely Greatvine staff.

My area of expertise is postnatal depression and I am available for advice on the phone but I guess, rather than give advice, I’m there to listen and I know that that can make a really powerful difference. Of course I will advise you if I feel you need professional help. What I also know is that there are many women who live with the legacy of postnatal depression. It can leave a woman with an ongoing mental health problem particularly if the postnatal depression went unrecognised and untreated. If that woman is you, you may be left with a feeling of guilt that you have in some way failed as a mother or sadness and regret that you have been unable to enjoy your baby and your child growing up in the way you would so have loved to do. There is an impact on your self-confidence and self-esteem and all of this gets in the way of you having the life you want. I believe that is where life coaching can make the biggest difference; having someone listen to your story, help you to focus on what you want and help you to grown in confidence and, eventually, you will be able to shed that guilt. You can incorporate the sadness into your being and it becomes a part of who you are and, not a heavy burden to bear. If you are ready for change you can recreate your life and rewrite those old stories.

The other great bit about the day was meeting with my colleague, Elaine, and fellow trustee of the Joanne (Joe) Bingley Memorial Foundation, and Greatvine’s marketing and PR team to look at how we can collaborate to take forward the aims of the foundation: to challenge the stigma of postnatal depression, to educate and inform both professionals and the public and to promote high quality and consistent practice. There are exciting times ahead and I am just loving working with wonderful people in an area of work that I feel so passionate about.