WHEN Kieran Ickringill fainted from anxiety and needed hospital tests, he knew something had to change.

"It probably saved my life", he said.

Kieran's struggle began in his teenage years when he would feel "extremely nervous" to meet a friend in town or go to work.

Things took a dark turn when he started drinking alcohol to block out the feeling of fear - a dangerous coping mechanism he used up until the age of 29.

"This had a bad effect on relationships with friends and family that were around me at this time", he said.

"I became confused by both my depression and anxiety. This coping mechanism wasn’t going to work forever and eventually it did stop working in 2019.

"I had just got a new job and it was my third day of working for them when suddenly on a break I found myself breathless and going dizzy to the point I passed out.

"I was sent home from work and advised to go to the A&E department where I was tested many times through ECG’s and blood tests which all came back as normal.

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"The doctor from the hospital advised me to see my doctor as they believed I had a very bad case of anxiety which was causing me to feel this way.

"I was damaging my body everyday.

"I was placed on medication which I took but had no effect on me. I was now getting so anxious regarding even eating and the fear of not being able to breathe, choking and then something happening and having panic attacks constantly for over three weeks. I was reviewed and placed on another medication which did suppress my anxiety with the help from CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) referred by doctor.

"As the medication was now working and with the help of my therapist I tried getting back to some kind of normal."

Now Kieran is sharing his story to mark mental health awareness week in the hopes that someone out there will feel it is ok to speak up.

Like many men, he had grown up in a household where the male figures in his life had a 'just get on with it' mentality.

"My granddad and male figures would never talk about being upset", the Wrose resident said.

"Men need to talk as well. It's a big issue.

"Men have a high suicide rate at my age. There were points where I felt that."

At first, the dad-of-two made small steps. He started leaving the house for reasons other than therapy and slowly started trying to eat more with yoghurts and soft food like pasta.

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His therapist recommended exercise sessions at the gym and soon after Kieran was "hooked on training again".

He said: "I was no longer drinking and was sticking to my medication and eating properly. I began training six days a week and saw the changes it made to my life."

Kieran is now a personal trainer at Pure Gym at Five Lane Ends and dreams of opening his own gym designed to help those battling mental health.

He saw the advert on the gym's website and soon began training with Premier Global NASM for a level two in Gym Instructing and level three in Personal Training.

"If you take one thing from my story let it be that things get a lot easier when we talk about it," he said.

"I haven’t looked back since. In the space of a year I've changed my life from a totally negative experience on my mental health, family, friends and physical health to making a positive change in people's lives and also help them achieve the goals they set.

"I found talking to my friends rather than family was easier but everyone is different don’t delay and seek help as soon as possible we can beat it together."

I want to talk, who can I call?

  • Contact your local GP service and book an appointment
  • Mind in Bradford, open between 12 noon – 12 midnight every day, 01274 730815
  • If you need urgent mental health support, call First Response 01274 221181
  • Samaritans: Text 116 123 free from any phone or call 0330 094 5717 (local call charges apply)