Equally Well isn’t only about information, big organisational plans and policy changes, often it’s about a worker using what is at hand to make a big difference. Here is a great example of how a community support worker, and the person he was working with, found a sustainable and fun solution that made a world of difference to his wellbeing.

“I was essentially housebound by mental health problems as I experienced persecutory voices that made me refrain from going outside and seriously interfered with my daily life. I was reliant on others to help me do ordinary tasks like going to meetings, shopping and paying bills at the bank.

"Alongside this, I had excruciatingly painful migraines every few weeks, which would last for a week. The migraines would leave me in my room in pain and vomiting for days on end.

We realised that since I had started playing Pokémon Go and walking, I had not had a single migraine like the ones I used to have. 

"My goal with my Community Support Worker (CSW) was to improve my physical fitness and health, but I could not face the idea of going out walking alone, so I tended to go out whenever my CSW was with me.

"One day while chatting, the topic of the cell phone app Pokémon Go came up, and I expressed my interest. My CSW asked me whether I think it could be a way to get outside, but with a decent distraction from my voices. We went for a walk together through the park, and I realised it was not so bad after all.

"By the time my CSW had returned a week later, I told him that I was feeling quite sore from walking. I checked my progress on the game and I realised that I had walked 30 kilometres all myself. After this, I was walking over 100 kilometres a month and my fitness was building significantly and my confidence of being around others out in public also grew.

"Several months passed, and I realised that I had not cancelled a session due to migraines in a while. When we thought about it, we realised that since I had started playing Pokémon Go and walking, I had not had a single migraine like the ones I used to have. My quality of life increased significantly, and I could begin to start thinking about the next steps in my life such as employment and education, as I had hope and confidence that I would not be restrained by my physical and mental health problems. The voices and migraines have not gone away, but my ability to work with them has increased significantly.”