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Join our mentor bank

Every mentor has experienced depression themselves in some shape or form.

As a mentor, you will be assigned a small (and manageable!) number of mentees who have written to us asking for our help and support. Using a monitored Blurt email address, we want you to be a shoulder to cry on. No gimmicks, nothing complicated, we just want you to be a friend.

What makes a good mentor? Well, you probably all have ideas of your own, but the very best mentors are helpful, positive, trustworthy and able to keep things to themselves. You need to be reliable, empathetic and able to question people sensitively, as well as being able to share your own experiences in a useful way. However, the most important thing of all is to be feeling well enough to mentor and to care.

You don’t even need to be qualified – as long as you have ears and are willing to listen, you’re right for us. We are confident that every single mentor will bring something different to the Blurt table.

More information about the mentoring process can be found here

December's Newscast

Where has this year gone?! What a year it has been. We are always shocked when December rolls around and another year comes to a close. We have achieved so much in our first 18 months, but don't worry, we have so much more planned for 2013 and hope to achieve much more. Since inception, we have mentored over 750 people and none of this would have been possible without all of the amazing volunteers that give up their time to help and support others. Each and every one of them have made a real difference to someone’s life, and deserve a huge pat on the back.

In other news, we want to thank YOU for voting for us to win the TalkTalk Digital Hero Award 2012 for the South-West. We won! Not only do we feel honoured to have won but we feel humbled by the continued support you show us. We were over the moon when we were announced as the South West winners and had a lovely afternoon at The House of Commons to collect our award. The money will help us with our GP project and means that 2013 will have a flying start and enable us to help even more people who are affected by depression.

Coping with Christmas

For some, Christmas brings out their inner child and is a magical time of year. For those affected by depression though, Christmas can be especially hard. The pressure to plaster on a smile, enjoy yourself and get stuck in with family shenanigans is immense. The feelings of loneliness can be heightened as you feel detached from what's going on around you and you may feel exhausted from it all.

We understand how intimidating this time of year can be and so we wanted to put together a 'tool' kit for coping.

1) Reach out to someone you trust. Talking about your thoughts and emotions can often feel as though a weight has been lifted. Alternatively, request a Blurt mentor, someone for you to talk to without feeling like a burden or as though you are dampening any spirits. Talking about your thoughts and emotions can often feel as though a weight has been lifted.

2) Be as kind and patient with yourself as you would be too others. Try not to give yourself a hard time if you're just not feeling the festive spirit, you're not alone.

3) Take care of yourself - take time out to relax, make sure your brain and body get the nutrients they need, try to get plenty of sleep, exercise (even if it's just a walk outdoors) and try not to overdo the alcohol.

4) If you feel as though it really is getting too much and as though you can't go on, please reach out for help. Call the Samaritans, who are available 24/7 on 08457 90 90 90.

Donate a tweet

It’s ridiculous that in this day and age, the stigma still destroys lives. We talk openly about subjects which were once taboo yet mental illness is still brushed aside and hidden. Those with depression often feel ashamed and this prevents them from reaching out for the help they need and deserve, often having a devastating affect on their lives – they may lose friends, isolate themselves from family, risk unemployment and struggle financially.

If you have a Twitter account, you can donate a tweet a day. More information about how donating a tweet works can be found here.

It's a shame that in tForFoF

Get involved

We're totally reliant on our supporters generosity. With their time and the donations we receive, we can cover the costs of our mentor CRB checks, work towards improving mentor resources and mentor training. Most importantly, we can help support those affected by depression.

We love to hear from you with your ideas about how you would like to become involved with Blurt. If you have an idea for a fundraiser that isn’t on our website then please tell us, we'll try and help you as much as we can to make it happen.

Supporting someone

If someone you love is depressed, you may be experiencing any number of difficult emotions, including helplessness, frustration, anger, fear, guilt, and sadness. These feelings are all normal. There are steps you can take to help your loved one. Start by learning about depression and how to talk about it with your friend or family member. Listen, don’t judge and learn as much as you can about depression. Remember that your emotional strength will allow you to provide the ongoing support your depressed friend or family member needs so take time out for yourself.