In his own words: Isaac's mentoring journey
19-year-old Isaac joined our Mentoring programme in December. With the support from his mentor Jess, he's come on leaps and bounds, saying he is in the best head-space he's been in a long time, despite dealing with a difficult housing situation, anxiety and low mood. This is his story, told by him.
Isaac is a 19-year old from Bromley who joined our mentoring programme back in December last year.
When he joined us, he was dealing with significant challenges in managing anxiety, low mood and the stress of housing instability. He was also feeling anxious about his employment situation.
It was the job of our mentoring team to help Isaac develop strategies to manage his mental health, build his confidence and introduce him to our employment team. He was partnered up with experienced mentor, Jess, who he has been meeting weekly with since December.
Isaac has now had 21 mentoring sessions with Jess, who has helped him examine his daily activities, helping him to manage his time to ensure a balance of activities that gave him purpose, fostered the right connections and brought enjoyment to daily life. Isaac now says he feels in the best headspace he’s been for a long time.
Recently, he joined us at the launch of our Business Investors Club, telling guests his story. The photos in this story are taken from that event.
This is his story, in his own words.
Hi. My name is Isaac, I am 19 years old and I live in Bromley with my Sister and Mum.
I first got referred to the Palace for Life mentoring programme because I was suffering from really bad mental health. I was seeking help from loads of other sources at first, but then I got recommended to Palace for Life by my Mum.
In the beginning, I would say that I was feeling very anxious and down a lot. A lot of the time, I was going to bed really late and wasn’t sleeping well. I wasn’t looking after myself.
Since being partnered up with my mentor Jess, I have found several solutions and exercises that have helped me deal with feeling depressed, down, or anxious. I have used loads of different techniques like the inner coach, safe space, and resilient reset. These have allowed me to be more in tune with myself and my mental health. The exercise that I have found most beneficial is the safe space exercise, which I still practice religiously to this day – it essentially just helps me to find a sense of calm in stressful times.
When I was first referred to Palace for Life, I had a lot of stuff going on. A lot of different obstacles, like the passing of one of my friends and my current housing situation. My house had been very badly affected by mould and damp which forced me to throw a lot of my stuff away. My bedroom was not deemed safe enough to sleep in so I had to sleep in the living room.
I found these events really challenging, but I have found ways to navigate through the situation with the support of Jess. During the worst of it, I was completely overwhelmed with what was going on. Not being able to do anything for days on end. The best way to describe it is that I was static.
There were times when I was ready to give up and end everything. I was really angry at the world. It makes me sad to think now that I felt I had no other way out. But I realised it’s not the way. It’s a permanent solution to a temporary issue.
Jess has helped me through a lot of my toughest times I’ve had this year by giving be great advice. I am nothing but appreciative of her because I didn’t think I would be in this [positive] mindset if it wasn’t for her. I have nothing but gratitude and respect for her because she’s helped me become a much more confident person. Big up Jess.
As I started to feel more confident, I also started to receive support through Palace’s employability programme, which has been exceptional. The first thing they helped me with was getting a place on a construction course which showed me all the ins and outs of the industry. I went and visited several work environments where they showed us everything that goes on in the background of construction. By the end of the course, I managed to get my CSCS card, which allows you to work on a construction site. Big up Adam on the employment team as well. I have so much appreciation for the opportunities he given me access to.
The mentoring programme helped me develop my confidence in meeting new people which has made me much more employable. I used this new confidence for a recent opportunity Palace supported me with – an assessment day at Marks and Spencer’s, leading to a four-week training programme and a twelve-week paid internship.
At the assessment day, I was able to show them the best aspects of myself – they liked me and decided to hire me! I got some positive feedback from them – saying I was confident, respectful, polite, and showed individuality and leadership. My family and friends have said they are proud of me – especially and Aunt and Nan.
Isaac spoke about his experiences with mentoring at our recent Business Investors Club launch event
Right now, I’d say I’m in the best headspace I’ve been in a very long time. I’m able to think more rationally, and be more positive and optimistic. I’m a much happier person and I’m looking forward to the future. This year is going to be quite prosperous for me and I’m going to learn lots of things. I’m going to discover things about myself.
I’m so grateful for the help I’ve been provided with because without it, like I said, I probably wouldn’t be here.
Palace’s kindness has helped me put everything into perspective and realise that when things are difficult, I’ve got to keep pushing on. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m not giving or folding for anything. I’m going to build up my money and support my family.
It’s easier to laugh than it is to cry. So that’s what I’m going to keep doing.
For more information on our mentoring programmes and how to get referred, please visit our mentoring webpage.