An Aberdeen man has braved the elements, taking on a gruelling 24-hour trek from Inverness through the north-east to raise awareness of mental health support.
Ed Law, 47, recently decided to seek counselling after struggling to come to terms with his traumatic and dangerous upbringing.
As part of a bid to encourage others to be more open about their mental health, he donned a 35lb (16kg) rucksack and set off on a mammoth journey.
He planned to walk from Inverness to Aberdeen – around 100 miles – stopping by a number of north and north-east towns on the way.
Ed said: “Initially it was 100 miles, but I ended up doing 80 miles.
“At one point I actually fell in a ditch, I fell quite a few times, the road was pitch black, I couldn’t see anything.
“But I thought to myself, 80 miles is still quite good especially because it was all uphill.”
Afterwards, he admitted his muscles were “absolutely aching” but he was trying to keep moving before he “seized up.”
Ed also collected more than £600 in donations before the walk, and during his trek, with a JustGiving campaign.
Lockdown left him with time to dwell on the past
Ed recently decided to seek counselling through ACIS (Aberdeen Counselling and Information Service) after struggling to come to terms with his childhood.
He said a family member had tried to kill him on several occasions, which even led to him being in a coma and considered clinically dead.
In addition to the violence, he was called “worthless” and told he’d “never amount to anything” which he was slowly conditioned into believing himself.
During lockdown, the pain from his youth became too difficult to withstand.
“I had too much time to sit and think about stuff from my past, it just got too much,” he said
“My way of dealing with things before was just putting a barrier up and not dealing with anything, that’s how I would leave it.”
‘Things started to get better’
The first month of his counselling was admittedly “hard” – but Ed feels he’s now reached the other side.
He said: “It’s not easy, the first four weeks of my counselling was really, really hard because you’re having to go back and deal with the stuff you’ve never dealt with and it’s all negative.
“But after about three weeks, things started to get better for me.”
Today, Edward says he feels better than ever, and believes many men find equally difficult to speak out about mental health difficulties.
Though it can be beneficial to seek comfort in the support of loved ones, speaking to a professional is vital.
“Friends are always there, but they have got other things going on whereas if you speak to a professional, they’re there for you solely,” he said.
“You can get everything out rather than just snippets at a time, which I tend to do.”
Support of Mental Health Aberdeen
He stressed the importance of being aware of the local help available to people struggling with their mental health.
Ed added: “I think over the weekend, I did make a lot of people aware, that’s what it’s about.
“I didn’t actually know Mental Health Aberdeen has been on the go for about 70 years, I didn’t know it existed.”
If you’re concerned about the welfare of a child, you can contact the NSPCC with the option of anonymity on 0808 800 5000. For more information about Mental Health Aberdeen, visit their website or call 01224 590510.