Mental Health Support Store!
Donation protected
Hello, and thank you for checking out this page. I suppose I should give you some background information on why I am doing this.
My name is Sophie and I'm a 19 year old girl living in Northern Ireland. I've struggled with mental illness for about four years now, which means I've had plenty of time to become acquainted with mental health services. The short story? Mental health services are dire.
I'm not going to preach about it too much because that's not the point of this. The main issue is that people who suffer with mental illness are often either unwilling or unable to seek treatment due to fear or worry. Those who do seek treatment are often shunned by mental health services, made to believe that their illness isn't severe enough for treatment. This means that there are a lot of people, especially young teenagers, who are suffering and are at a great risk of suicide.
Now, I'm not a wizard so unfortunately I cannot solve all of these problems, especially not alone, but I am going to try my hardest to ensure that nobody has to struggle alone.
I have an idea to start an online store. The main items that will be sold are 'Mental Health Boxes' (I will come up with a better name). In theory there will be many different kinds of boxes based on the needs of whoever is buying them. For example, in a 'Depression Box', there will be small hygiene products (like wipes, deodorant, dry shampoo, etc), mood lifters (like books, games, toys, pens, etc), and items related to self care and self help (suicide hotlines, small snacks, etc). In a 'Self Harm Aftercare' box, there will be basic medical supplies (steri-strips, plasters, antiseptic cream, etc), advice on how and when to seek treatment, and so on.
Other ideas for boxes include self harm prevention, stress/anxiety, eating disorder care, etc. None of these boxes will in any way promote mental illness, and will 100% promote safety and recovery. They are not intended to replace proper medical treatment.
Ideally, many people will benefit, not just those who have mental illness, as I hope that it will encourage people to really focus on taking care of themselves.
A portion of the funds raised from selling the items on this store will go to various mental health charities. As of this moment, I am unsure which charities but I am currently researching and reaching out to other people for their suggestions. The leftover money will be used to fund the creation of more items and support on the store.
There are two main reasons I have set up this fundraiser. The first is partially selfish: I currently don't have the funds to set this all up alone. The second will maybe only apply to a small amount of people: by donating, you will indirectly be helping someone who is struggling by enabling these boxes to be made. I personally find the act of supporting others very rewarding and I understand that sometimes, especially when suffering from mental illness, it's almost impossible to know how to help. So, by making this more of a team effort, I hope that we can build a kind of community and support system that is focused on the well-being of people who maybe can't take care of themselves.
I understand that people will be hesitant to support this and that is perfectly fine. The last thing I want is for anyone to feel forced or guilty. I hope that if you have any questions or even ideas then you will reach out to me.
Mental health is so important to me because I know that it can be a very isolating experience. I am very passionate about providing what support and resources I can, and with your help I really believe that we can help keep people safe and remind them that there is light in the world.
My name is Sophie and I'm a 19 year old girl living in Northern Ireland. I've struggled with mental illness for about four years now, which means I've had plenty of time to become acquainted with mental health services. The short story? Mental health services are dire.
I'm not going to preach about it too much because that's not the point of this. The main issue is that people who suffer with mental illness are often either unwilling or unable to seek treatment due to fear or worry. Those who do seek treatment are often shunned by mental health services, made to believe that their illness isn't severe enough for treatment. This means that there are a lot of people, especially young teenagers, who are suffering and are at a great risk of suicide.
Now, I'm not a wizard so unfortunately I cannot solve all of these problems, especially not alone, but I am going to try my hardest to ensure that nobody has to struggle alone.
I have an idea to start an online store. The main items that will be sold are 'Mental Health Boxes' (I will come up with a better name). In theory there will be many different kinds of boxes based on the needs of whoever is buying them. For example, in a 'Depression Box', there will be small hygiene products (like wipes, deodorant, dry shampoo, etc), mood lifters (like books, games, toys, pens, etc), and items related to self care and self help (suicide hotlines, small snacks, etc). In a 'Self Harm Aftercare' box, there will be basic medical supplies (steri-strips, plasters, antiseptic cream, etc), advice on how and when to seek treatment, and so on.
Other ideas for boxes include self harm prevention, stress/anxiety, eating disorder care, etc. None of these boxes will in any way promote mental illness, and will 100% promote safety and recovery. They are not intended to replace proper medical treatment.
Ideally, many people will benefit, not just those who have mental illness, as I hope that it will encourage people to really focus on taking care of themselves.
A portion of the funds raised from selling the items on this store will go to various mental health charities. As of this moment, I am unsure which charities but I am currently researching and reaching out to other people for their suggestions. The leftover money will be used to fund the creation of more items and support on the store.
There are two main reasons I have set up this fundraiser. The first is partially selfish: I currently don't have the funds to set this all up alone. The second will maybe only apply to a small amount of people: by donating, you will indirectly be helping someone who is struggling by enabling these boxes to be made. I personally find the act of supporting others very rewarding and I understand that sometimes, especially when suffering from mental illness, it's almost impossible to know how to help. So, by making this more of a team effort, I hope that we can build a kind of community and support system that is focused on the well-being of people who maybe can't take care of themselves.
I understand that people will be hesitant to support this and that is perfectly fine. The last thing I want is for anyone to feel forced or guilty. I hope that if you have any questions or even ideas then you will reach out to me.
Mental health is so important to me because I know that it can be a very isolating experience. I am very passionate about providing what support and resources I can, and with your help I really believe that we can help keep people safe and remind them that there is light in the world.
Organizer
Sophie Rood
Organizer
