The morning brings a smile (Lived experience leadership Jefferson's story)

Music like poetry brings out reality in its own unique way, in Kenya we have genge our own genre that's unbeatable. Even then we all have that one RnB that is nostalgic. Before I introduce to you Jeff our next champion with a lived experience of mental health problem, you might want to marvel at his artistic swag on his single Because of you and the way he plays with words! Feel free to join a free certified course by WHO here Quality Rights

It is with pleasure that I share my story with you, the way it has impacted on me and the way it has changed my life. I am Jefferson a student in the Kenyatta University and I am pursuing a degree in education I am also a mental health champion.

 I grew up in tough conditions, I used to be beaten from childhood till my late teens, a close family member looked down upon me, hurling abuses at me and nothing I did impressed him, no one else was like me in the family, I never had peace and it lowered my self-esteem.

During family gatherings I meant the least, no one gave me any attention, I couldn't play with other kids because I was constantly told they were not my agemates, this made it difficult for me to socialize and I was always alone. Later on I moved from home and started living with another relative, she still beat me too, I hardly played with the children in her neighborhood because I was different from them and they mocked me, I used to cry a lot and get depressed frequently.  

My high school days were no different, given my earlier experiences I was not able to socialize at all, when I did, I felt weird, I would talk too much only sometimes to find out that I was talking alone, I made friends through jokes, that's all I knew and music, which I loved so much, I was lonely, I didn't know when to have fun. That is when I noticed  my moods started changing, in a good environment I would be very hyperactive for days on end, and buying things I did not need, I would have too much fun then later I would switch into a depressive episode; during the depression I would sleep all day without stepping outside, and couldn’t bring myself to do any activities, I could not tell what was going on with me.

I did well in school and I was admitted in the university, life did not get any better here I used to be called crazy due to my hyperactivity and depression which was accompanied by suicidal thoughts. However, things were about to change for the better, one day during a mental health talk that was organized by the school I got to realize I could be having a mental health problem. I continued to attend the talks but did not speak up on my first session, I thought my story was going to spread throughout the school.

The more I learnt about mental health the more I realized just how much stigma I had endured throughout my life up to this point decided to seek for help and that is when I was diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder, PTSD and other problems like anxiety after showing signs of suicide.  When I got better I took the initiative to join the school mental health club where I felt it was a safe space to share my story. Later on I heard that BASIC NEEDS BASIC RIGHTS KENYA were looking for mental health champions to run a campaign on stigma in mental health, I applied to  attend the training which equipped me with skills on how to help people speak up about mental health and to let them know they are not alone in the fight through sharing my story