Hi, I’m Kay, and this is my West Kent Mind journey.

“I started my journey at West Kent Mind like many others, during a difficult transitional period in my life. Although I was no longer moving from crisis to crisis, as I had through much of my teenage years and earlier twenties, I was still in a very low place.

I wouldn’t have described myself as well or thriving back then. I was simply going through the motions, focusing on functioning day to day. With a background of bipolar disorder, and only recently received an autism diagnosis it felt incredibly difficult to manage everything.

It all began when I saw an advert on LinkedIn for an online Creative Minds group. I only came across it because one of my connections had attended a Mental Health First Aid course that West Kent Mind run. It felt like complete luck that it appeared on my feed!

At the time, I had just finished a contract in a creative industry that I had believed would be my “dream job.” I soon realised it was, at best, a poor fit and at worst, damaging to my health. I had tied so much of my self-worth to being “capable” and dependable, defining myself not by who I was as a person, but by what I could do for others, often in high-pressure environments.

At my core, I’m a deeply creative person. I love crafting, painting, poetry, music – anything that allows me to express myself. Despite working in a field that seemed creative on the surface, over time that energy had been drained from me. Creative Minds helped me reconnect with that part of myself.

I was very nervous before my first session, but as the weeks went on, I grew more comfortable. It became something I genuinely looked forward to each week.

At the same time, I was receiving therapy for agoraphobia, likely brought on by several major stressors in my life. At one point, it was so severe that I couldn’t even leave my flat to take the bins out. After the art group ended, I joined the Engaging With Nature group. This helped reignite my love for the outdoors and sparked a real passion for nature being accessible to everyone. Slowly, I began to make progress, celebrating small but meaningful personal wins. Eventually, I found the confidence to join a community allotment group in Tunbridge Wells.

One of the wellbeing workers later encouraged me to attend peer mentorship training. At the time, I was unsure, my confidence was still very low, but I decided to take a chance. As the weeks went by, I fell in love with it and grew more confident. Something truly clicked during that training. The stories of courage and resilience I encountered are things I will carry with me forever.

From there, I was invited to co-facilitate a Tunbridge Wells cohort of new peers alongside a wellbeing worker who became not only a mentor but someone I deeply connected with. Their encouragement and support helped me to grow and believe in myself.

Working alongside those peers was transformative. I continued peer mentoring through a Creative Connections group co facilitating sessions, bringing my own ideas and building both my skills and confidence. A highlight was leading a session which I called ‘nature week’ I loved watching everyone get stuck in and I shared experiences on how nature and art directly impacted my wellbeing and recovery. I also co facilitated a session around a calm box idea that I had formed and it was brilliant to see that coming to life in the session and talking about how our attendees can benefit from it.

After a year of being out of full-time work, I took another leap and applied for the role of Creative Agents and Peer Coordinator at West Kent Mind. It felt like a perfect fit, something that I could really grow into.

If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would be doing this, I would have been in complete shock. But now, as I settle into this role at West Kent Mind, I’ve found a balance between supporting others and continuing my own journey. I’m in a place of growing self-compassion, acceptance, and genuine excitement for the future.”

If there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s that change is possible, even when it feels out of reach. Recovery isn’t always linear, and it doesn’t mean everything becomes perfect, but it does mean finding moments of connection, purpose, and hope again. I hope that by sharing my story, others who may feel stuck or uncertain can see that things can shift, step by step. There is support out there, there are people who genuinely understand, and there is always the possibility of something more. For me, the future now feels full of potential rather than a big question mark.

It’s also really important to recognise that local Minds, like West Kent Mind, are independent charities. They’re not fully funded by the national Mind organisation and rely heavily on local fundraising, community support, and donations to keep their services running. Without that support, opportunities like Creative Minds, peer mentoring, and wellbeing groups simply wouldn’t exist.

So alongside sharing my story of hope, I also want to highlight just how vital it is to support local charities like this, whether that’s through fundraising, donating, or simply spreading the word. Because services like these don’t just make a difference they change lives.”