Arif’s Story
Arif lives in the north of England, the gateway to the Dales, and works for our partner Skipton Building Society who help to fund our peer support service, Clic. He first heard about volunteering for Clic when his senior leader sent out some information on it in December 2021. It piqued his interest and he decided to look into the opportunity. Here he shares insight into the value of the service in reducing isolation and its impact on his own wellbeing.
"It can sometimes be too much to talk to people close to you, but services such as Clic gives you access to people who genuinely want to help and listen to your story."
Mental health is a subject I’ve been learning a lot about with the exposure it’s getting in news outlets recently. With the world as it is, I’ve had friends and colleagues whose mental health has taken a hit so I wanted to put myself out there to try to help others.
My social connections before and after Clic have changed slightly – before Clic, I just had a normal routine of going to work in the office and mainly having social connections with my colleagues. Similarly, outside of work I had social connections to an extent, doing things with my family (as I still live at home) or watching my local football team at the stadium where I engage with fellow football supporters.
When I started to get involved in the forums, I found it really insightful to see what others were going through and how they help support each other.
Since volunteering for Clic I’ve been regularly getting onto the forums early in the day, actively reading the comments which people write and showing my understanding. I also talk to other Clic users whenever I feel comfortable to do so.
I’ve managed to make several interactions through Clic and I’ve already created several relationships within the network. I really enjoy the fact we can share stories and posts, and communicate about common interests. This has helped me too.
So far as a volunteer, I’ve been part of the gaming thread in the forum section, which has seen a lot of activity through comments and suggestions about new popular games. I think this is really positive as it shows that through a shared interest in gaming, people can engage with and help each other, me included!
It makes me happy to see how very helpful Clic has been to its users. I have noticed tremendous patience and empathy from other users, which has really restored my faith in people.
– ArifI’ve seen first hand the benefits that Clic has given others and I feel like it’s a safe community where I could share my concerns and worries too one day.
Thankfully at the moment my mental health is in a good place but I understand this can switch at different stages and events in life. I’ve seen first hand the benefits that Clic has given others and I feel like it’s a safe community where I could share my concerns and worries too one day.
For anyone who is feeling a little worried about their own lives or about things going on in the world, it really is true what people say when it comes to talking to others. It can sometimes be too much to talk to people close to you, but services such as Clic gives you access to people who genuinely want to help and listen to your story. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
Once I had more exposure to the service, it inspired me to further my education and understanding of mental health. That’s why I have proactively put my name forward to join a Mental Health First Aid course and I’m now eagerly awaiting confirmation!
