Hey there, my name is Maria and I’m no stranger to struggles with mental health. I’ve suffered from an eating disorder from the age of 11 for 11 years and developed a more or less severe OCD as a teenager. It was partly linked to bullying at school and high expectations of my grades and academic performance. One of the reasons why I went on to study Psychology at university was to understand my own condition and to help others.
Part of my course was dedicated to social sciences and that’s where I was introduced to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a concept whereby the satisfaction of basic human needs such as shelter, food, and safety is necessary before advancing onto the more complex ones. Self-actualization being the most difficult to attain, a bit like enlightenment. Although the concept rings true it is also deeply flawed. I’ve always believed that one can satisfy their basic needs with a job that they are passionate and self-actualised in.
The big trigger for my realisation was my work at the World Health Organisation. Although it was everything I wanted I felt trapped by this job. I developed anxiety and would sometimes burst out crying for seemingly no reason. The bureaucracy, the office environnement, and the lack of meaning were daunting. So I started to look for ways to do health coaching on the side and get paid, while my contract ended.
Having found no easy solution that would handle the process from start to finish where I wouldn’t need to worry about building my own website and setting up payment and booking systems by myself, I decided to create one. This is how the idea of PVLSE was born, named to signify the pulse of life, the work that keeps our blood flowing.
Having recently become a mom to a baby girl and after seeing horrifying headlines about teen and parental suicide rates as a result of lockdown I was called to put PVLSE to charitable use.
The #ConnectToProtect initiative was born to support those struggling with mental health as a result of lockdown, with recreational activities provided by unique creators who have agreed to offer their services for free.
To help others in this time of need is what matters to me the most.
Please visit https://thepvlse.com to find some free activities to get your mind off your day to day and connect with others.
How can No Panic help?
No Panic specialises in self-help recovery and our services aim to providing people with the skills they need to manage their condition and work towards recovery.
Become a member of No Panic and join one of our Recovery Groups or One to One Mentoring services with a trained leader and work on Anxiety Management and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to overcome your anxiety. Find out more about No Panic’s 5 Step Approach here: https://nopanic.org.uk/no-panics-5-step-approach/