It is hard to explain how I feel on the inside whilst looking fine on the outside. I have battled with depression since my teenage years and I had dealt with it in all the wrong ways. I have been in recovery for nearly 10 years now and I am dealing with my issues and illness in the right ways. After bereavement counselling, CBT and one-to-one therapy I started engaging with Aspire, who have been brilliant.
In 2015 I started doing boxercise on Mondays in Banbury at Dave Earl’s “Spit ‘n Saw Dust Gym”, through the Active Body, Healthy Mind project they run with Aspire. I can't thank enough Jamie Hamilton, my Employment and Development Worker at Aspire, for getting me back in the gym.
Through the ‘Active Body Healthy Mind’ scheme I’ve now completed an assistant boxing coaching course which has seen me becoming a fully-fledged assistant boxing coach. I am currently doing work experience at the Spit n Saw Dust Gym and I am really enjoying working with Dave Earl. On Tuesdays I now help lead the Boxercise in Oxford and I also help deliver a Boot Camp session on Wednesday's back at the Spit n Saw Dust gym.
I am so grateful for the opportunities that the Active Body Healthy Mind project has given me and I do feel so much better, in body and mind.