Stress Awareness Blog: Speaking Out

In support of Stress Awareness Month, each day this week we will share a personal experience from one of our team members who communicate how they dealt with, or learnt from, a stressful experience.

Our third contribution is from our Reprographic Engineer, Clare McAlinden:

“When I was a teenager people didn’t talk about depression.

Due to things happening in my life, I was not a happy child.  

Then in 1990, I felt like a butterfly shedding an old skin and saw new skin coming through.

When I started working at Fletchers, it was like I was starting to live again.

I started to make new and happy memories.

I was proud that people accepted who I was.

So, because I felt better about myself, I worked hard as a result.

I did the jobs that needed to be done and I knew how to do them well.

The more experience I got, the more work I did and I’d leave work late to try and get the job list down.

But despite my newfound belief, one day I snapped.

I went to my doctor and explained my situation.

With a little hindsight, I think I was in need of help.

The doctor gave me tablets which I took for a few months.  

Then one day, I forgot to take my tablets and I realised I was actually better without them.

I decided to stop the tablets altogether, and within time, I came to feeling my normal self again.

My doctor did not agree with what I did, but it was up to me what I do with my body!

A couple of years later, I felt depression creep back again.

My head felt all fussy and I didn’t know what I was doing.

Then, a work colleague saw me, took me back to work and we ate lunch together.

We got talking and by speaking out to her, the experience made me feel better in myself.

So In future, don’t keep what’s on your mind locked inside.

It only makes things seem worse.

Speak to someone who you can trust and the bad will leave.

In my experience, speaking out will help you feel better in yourself.”