2019 was a year I will never forget. It was the year where I experienced the most drastic and sudden change in my 30 plus years of living. Not only did I have to navigate myself out of a stressful and discriminatory school where I had been teaching for over 5 years, it also involved the breakdown of a relationship, becoming homeless and a decline in my mental health and well-being.
It was a blessing to come across Find a Balance after another charity, Urban MBA, referred me to their services.
Within a week, I was able to receive talking therapy and support to tackle the issues I faced.
Straight away Samantha made me feel at ease. She didn’t require longwinded background information to quickly understand how I had found myself at this low point in my life and the type of support I would need to pick myself up.
Although filling in forms and replying to emails are tasks I use to carrying out in my daily and working life with ease, the pressures of completing important documents for DWP and other organisations about myself and my mental state just felt completely different.
Through the support I received, I am pleased that I’m no longer homeless but have been offered long term accommodation through my council. This will help me to overcoming the challenges I currently face as well as returning to work in the near future. Thanks to the support from Find a Balance, my stress and anxiety have reduced and I am no longer facing the issues that caused me the stress and worries.
I am grateful for the help, support, conversations and general care Samantha showed me during our sessions. When I make a full recovery, I look forward to giving back to them so that they can help other black men who are facing hard times just as I did back in 2019.