We recently caught up with Rosey who set up a support network for women and their families who have been affected by Post Natal Depression (PND), to find out how running can help have a positive effect on mental health and she also shares how supportive the online community have been!
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You set up the PND (Post Natal Depression) Hour. What led you to set it up?
I set up #PNDHour after experiencing Antenatal and Postnatal Depression with each of my three children. I didn’t receive the care or support I needed and could see there was a gap for improving that for women and their families across the UK.
How supportive have you found the online community?
Twitter has been an amazing support for my own mental health. There is no need to wear a mask and hide how you feel on Twitter, people are open and supportive. I’ve been blown away by the support of the running community too and have made good friends already!
How important is Mind to you?
Mind do incredible work, not just on the ground and supporting people at their many groups, but also the lobbying they do with government to put funding into mental health services. It’s about time mental health was treated the same as physical health and Mind are doing great work to make that a reality.
How important do you feel it is for people to use exercise to put themselves in a healthier state of mind?
It’s something we know is recommended by health care professionals a lot for managing mental illness. Sometimes there are barriers to taking up and activity. But the likes of Park run really help to take down those barriers.
For me, running has been something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. When I started a few years ago for the first time, I promptly fell down the stairs breaking one of big toes! So, it went by the wayside, however in July this year (2018) I decided to take the plunge again, and I have been amazed at how quickly it has become a new coping mechanism to add to my armoury!
Running isn’t for everyone but it can be a great way to feel part of a community, which when you struggle with mental illness, is really important.
You don’t have to be the next Mo Farah, but I’d encourage anyone to give it a go.
You won Mind Blogger of the year in 2016. How important has blogging been for you?
Blogging began as a way to process everything I had been through with Antenatal and Postnatal Depression. I’m not the best writer in the world but it was never about writing perfect pieces. It was about healing. Writing is very cathartic and has been a big part of managing my mental health over the years.
What's your greatest running achievement to date?
Running just shy of 10k, I set out to do about 5k and just kept running. Channelling Forest Gump!
Do you have any races lined up?
The 5k MoRun in November! Looking forward to it!
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We want to say a huge thank you to Rosey for sharing her story and how she started the support network.
If PND is something that you'd like support with, then you can find Rosey at @PNDandMe on Twitter as she hosts a regular hourly chat on Wednesday's between 8 and 9pm.
You can also find out more on Rosey's website - www.pndandme.co.uk
Team runr.
