On World Mental Health Day, this is a reminder to myself and to anyone reading this that it gets easier and it does pass. The last year has been the most difficult of my life, from losing my beloved father in the most sudden circumstances on Christmas Day, having to bury him, step up to be the one that carries the family; seeing pain in my younger brother’s eyes that I could not take away, seeing my mother keeping it all together and grieve in her own way. On top of that, having to navigate working full time as a GP in the NHS, with many personal life changes and my own struggles, did not come easy. I look back at all the nights I cried myself to sleep, all the times I thought I could not get past this, but with my mother’s prayers and the help and support of some of my closest friends and family, here I am.

In no way is life perfect; I am still grieving, still learning on this journey of life but sometimes I step back and think how did I get here?

Mental health is something that is personal to everyone and it is quite hard to put into words; it is a unique experience to everyone just like how we are all unique and so are our minds. Remember to be kind to yourself, no one is more important than you and if life feels heavy, please remember it won’t feel like this forever.

This too shall pass.

With love,

Amina xo