Ethos of Wellbeing

About Me

I first stepped into the field of mental health care after suffering a brief psychotic episode at aged 18 and going from unambitious art student, to drop out, to being inspired by a lovely Early Intervention Nurse named Andy, and taking a job as a healthcare assistant in a new CAMHS service at aged 20. I wanted to learn more about what had happened to me, and to help others. It was a wild three years, I was barely older than the young people I was looking after and everything from joyous moments to actual deaths opened my eyes to many realities of life. I eventually (without self belief) embarked on becoming a nurse, facing glandular fever, student life, studying in Sri Lanka and a further short episode of psychosis before grinding through my exams by the skin of my teeth (and later discovering my own dyslexia).

What unfolded after was a move to a new city (Brighton) and a right of passage doing my pre-ceptership on an Acute NHS ward, working in the private sector and a fast track into team leading a crisis service. At many times in denial of my own mental health, at times masking and hiding it all (depression) from my colleagues, friends, family etc, until eventually, after working with police, ambulance, A+E and more in the pandemic, I was thrust out in a case of work place bullying and returned to Sri Lanka to find my peace. However, much to the distress of my self, and family, it all came undone and my mind exploded in quite catastrophic fashion. Landing me back as an inpatient, and back to square one in any hopes of ‘resurrecting my career’. What followed was a process of rebuilding, understanding my self, my limitations and how I have, and continue to help people. I now work delivering Reducing Restrictive Interventions Training to colleagues, employed as a nurse at a wonderful hospital with a sprawling 60 acres of country side land. But I also am much more than a nurse, I volunteer on a farm for my own well being and to give back to food banks, teach Yoga, practice Jiu Jitsu, am a meditator and much much more.

In my experience of working with people in crisis (or not), whether talking someone down from a cliff side or going to a hostage situation or reassuring a young person after serious self harm, I have come to realise we are not our labels. Wether personality disorder or schizophrenia, nurse or service manager. We are people. With varying levels of problems.