Rachel: improving my wellbeing

Rachel lives in Poole supported living, getting support from Minstead Trust for a few hours a week in her home, and attending the friendship groups every month.  

Rachel has also been supported by our wellbeing leader, Bea, and has taken on a new lease of life, making healthy changes to improve her wellbeing.

Over the years, Rachel has been affected by multiple physical and mental health problems, which impacted the quality of her life and limited the activities she was able or willing to do. This led to feelings of depression, and heightened anxiety.

Rachel would often withdraw and isolate herself, choosing not to get involved with activities organised by other housemates or support staff.

Rachel has always struggled with anxiety, and often used food to help her feel better.

This is a common theme with people with learning disabilities, studies have found that up to 37% of people with a learning disability are overweight. This often stems from a lack of knowledge and education about healthy cooking, lifestyle and exercise.

Since working with Bea, Rachel has introduced a healthier lifestyle, diet changes and more exercise. Bea has helped Rachel to understand the benefits of these changes.

Rachel says that before she met Bea she felt: ‘Very stressed, I stuttered a lot where I talked fast. I used to get very depressed. Couldn’t walk because of weight, used to be quite lazy. But I feel like I am a lot happier than I used to be, more focused than I was before.

It’s been really good, really helped me with my speech. I can talk about how I feel. I’m back on track now. Was like a closed book, used to hurt myself. But now I feel a lot happier, can talk to people and staff. Now I feel better about myself.’

Rachel is committed to making healthier choices and now feels much more confident in herself, going out more and seeing friends.

Rachel has also been working on ways to cope with her anxiety, learning tools and techniques that can help her in difficult times. This has helped her self-esteem, which in turn has helped her improve her speech pattern and better communicate her wants and needs.

Rachel says: ‘Bea made me more confident. Helped me with breathing and stopping and starting again.

Bea has given me a reason to be myself, I talk a lot better now. She’s one of the nicest person I’ve ever met in my life. Made me feel like a normal person again, to be honest. Bea has made me myself again.

A past relationship made me feel like I’m worth nothing, now I feel like I’m worth something.

Don’t know what I’d do without her!’

Rachel has lost weight, worked hard and motivated herself in order to feel better. Since working with Minstead Trust and the wellbeing programme, Rachel is now able to do more to live her life in the way that she wants to, without anxiety holding her back.

Rachel’s story is similar to many people with learning disabilities. You can help more people like her get the support they need by donating to the Kind2Mind match funded campaign; Healthy Mind, Happy Life during 14-28 May.