“Our sense of identity is so important to our mental health, feeling that we are welcome, that we are valued and that we have a place and a purpose.”
On my first day at Manchester Mind, this mug was waiting for me at my new desk, bequeathed to me by my supervisor. To me, this mug represents Manchester Mind’s core value of belonging; developing kind relationships that lead to feeling accepted, understood and able to contribute. The first day at a new job can be fraught with worries; Will I fit in here? Where am I going? What if it is not as I expected? I had relocated to a new city for a job in a new sector, I didn’t really feel like I belonged anywhere. I still didn’t know how to get around the City without relying on google maps, yet, here was this mug calling me a Mancunian. Our sense of identity is so important to our mental health, feeling that we are welcome, that we are valued and that we have a place and a purpose. This mug is also a reminder that it can be the smallest gestures that can make the biggest difference to how someone is feeling and, can turn a difficult day into a good day; it is the abiding memory of my first day at Manchester Mind.
