James Durkin: For Better, For Worse
There are many reasons you might be reading this website. Perhaps you are struggling with your mental health at the...
Our Stories
Our voice
These stories have all been written by Sheffielders who’ve experienced mental health difficulties and distress. We’ve marked some of our stories with ‘trigger warning’, and you can filter these out below. If you feel affected by the content of any of the stories please visit our urgent help section.
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Jess Gibson: A Letter to.....
Dear Jess, You’re confused, about a lot of things. I’m not sure you even know you’re so confused because you...
Can You Tell? The struggle of talking about my trauma
I pride myself on my fearlessness to talk about “taboo” subjects. Very little can shock me, and I have no...
Peter Shaw: Being a better listener for people with mental health issues
Drawing on the Samaritans “Talk to us” campaign, we are all encouraged to learn to be better listeners. The Talk...
Trish Chester: A letter to... My Younger Self
Hello sweet girl You probably don’t recognise my name, but I am your older self. Everyone still calls you Patricia...
Jessica Gibson: From Southport to Sheffield – my experience of mental health services
I moved to Sheffield by complete chance (if you believe in random chance encounters) on a recommendation from a friend...
Rob Barnett: 10 Ways to Support People on Benefits
10 ways to support people on benefits 1. Listen and support – Spend time with people you know. Find out...
Community Stories: Men and Mental Health
We set up the Sheffield Flourish website to allow people to share their stories, in whatever way they want to,...
Trish Chester: The thing about phobias is...
Lots of people experience fear in certain situations. I think spiders are horrible. I get dizzy if I’m on a...
Jess Gibson: Reaching my ambitions through local organisation Big Ambitions
As the theme for this month is ‘Living on Benefits’, I thought I would share my experience with Big Ambitions....
Community stories: Your experiences of mental health services
Each month we focus on a particular theme, and encourage the community to share short comments about their experiences, to...