Katie Thistleton

Why have you chosen to support YoungMinds?

"I suffered with anxiety as a child and young person but didn’t know about it until I reached adulthood, I would have benefited from early intervention and so I am so passionate about that now, YoungMinds stick up for young people even if nobody else is doing and that’s what I love about them. If we don’t support young minds then we don’t have a positive future to look forward to!"

What do you do to switch off and take care of your mental health?

"I’m a big fan of meditation, because I’m someone who finds it hard to stop and just be alone with my own thoughts. If I’m awake, I’m always doing something or I’m on my phone. I try to do a guided meditation most days and I’ve found when I do that I’m much more relaxed, positive and comfortable with my own quiet company! I didn’t used to believe that meditation could work but it does!"

What advice would you give to your younger self?

"Who you are is enough. Your likes, dislikes, interests, passions, beliefs, your past, how you look, how you act, it’s all ok and it’s all
enough, so don’t worry about changing or hiding who you are. Life will get easier and better when you just accept yourself."

Which of our values do you relate to the most and why? "I believe passionately in all of the Young Minds values but relate the most to celebrating what makes you, you."

"I think this is what I wasn’t doing when I was young and struggling with my mental health, I was trying too hard to fit in and be something I’m not, and I had little confidence in my own identity and little self-belief. Through my own journey receiving counselling, and through training to be a counsellor myself, I have come to recognise that being able to be our authentic selves is the true to key to good mental health."

We celebrate what makes you, you. What three words describe you best?

"Rather than three separate words, I’d go for these three together: ‘a people person’."

"I love people, from my family friends and husband to strangers I meet, I want to know everything about people, from the traumas they have been through and survived to what they’re having for their dinner. I’m fascinated by people and that’s why I’m so interested in mental health and how we tick, and how we can improve our precious lives."