A local mum has launched a powerful exhibit in Black Park encouraging others to seek mental health support.

Harmeet Kaur, 40, from Slough, saw her mental health deteriorate when she was at university after her father died, which was the first time she’d experienced anxiety and depression.

As the years went on, her family suffered a number of losses, resulting in a period of prolonged grieving. She came out of this, graduated, and later got married and had her first child in 2011 - a little girl.   

However, following a traumatic birth and subsequent post-natal depression, she found herself back in a dark place.

She would regularly visit Black Park to reconnect with nature and meet other mums - one of them was a GP, who recommended she seek referral for therapy.

After speaking to her GP, she was referred for counselling through NHS Talking Therapies, which initially helped with her depression.

Harmeet said: “Talking Therapies helped pull me out of the dark hole I found myself in. By reaching out for help, especially to someone who is independent and totally non-judgmental, I was able to share what felt heavy and release the weight I had been carrying."

Harmeet later decided to have another child, but unfortunately struggled with her fertility and had a miscarriage, which left her feeling depressed and anxious once again.

Struggling to leave the house, she self-referred for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) through NHS Talking Therapies, which put her on the path to getting better.

When she suffered another miscarriage in 2017, she was able to use the tools and techniques she learned through the process to cope with the loss.

Harmeet added: "I can’t shout about it enough – my mental health is better than ever before.”  

Harmeet has gone back to the service several times, and noted how she is able to access help easily and comfortably, allowing her to create a toolkit of resources to help with both challenges and stability in her day to day.   

She is now training as a holistic life coach and wants to raise awareness and educate on mental health, especially in the South Asian community. 

From today (January 15) Harmeet's exhibit titled 'Note to self' can be found displayed in Black Park as part of a new NHS campaign.

The installation is penned in a phone notes app style, as she describes the moment she knew she needed help for her mental health and how NHS Talking Therapies helped her overcome her mental health issues and get back on track.  

Harmeet’s is one of three installations being displayed across England, with other Notes to Self installations on Market Street, Manchester and outside Bullring and Grand Central shopping centre, in Birmingham.

The campaign launches as new research shows that more than half of respondents in the South East were concerned about their mental health in the last year. 

NHS Talking Therapies offers free, confidential support by trained professionals for anybody struggling with feelings of depression, excessive worry, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress or obsessions and compulsions. The service can be accessed by a GP referral or a self-referral via nhs.uk/talk.  

Dr Zoe Williams GP and media medic is supporting the campaign. She said: “People struggling with feelings of anxiety or depression need to know that they shouldn’t suffer in silence and that there is help available for them."