Life coach hosts free weekly online sessions to discuss mental health

A WELLNESS and life coach has launched a series of live workshops to give people a safe space to talk about their mental health.

Dal Dhaliwal, from Coventry, has just run the first of her Mental Health Matters series, where she invites people on Instagram to take some time to talk about how they are feeling.

The mum-of-three wanted to start the series to ensure people took at least an hour or less out of their week to be mindful of how they feel mentally.

Dal, who is a qualified life coach and is studying towards a psychology degree, became a personal trainer after suffering from post-natal depression after having her second daughter.

She said: ‘Exercise was my anti-depressant, so I wanted to make others feel the same way I did when I trained.

‘I allowed myself that time to myself to be mindful and take care of my mental health, but a lot of people, especially with lockdown, don’t take time for themselves at all.

‘Counselling is often very expensive, but just having someone to talk to can be so powerful and important for your mental health, which is why I wanted to start this series of live workshops. People can grab a cuppa and just have someone to talk to.’

People will be able to ask questions both anonymously and via the public comment section, with the opportunity to have their questions answered.

Dal will share her personal experiences and will also feature other women to share their experiences.

Dal said: ‘Hopefully by doing this and sharing the dark times we’ve been through and how we came out of those dark times, we can instil some hope in others that if they’re going through something that they can get through it too.

‘Social media can be a triggering place and can often have a negative effect on mental health, so if I can interrupt peoples’ scrolling for a little while and help them take some time away with a safe and welcoming space for people to feel they can open up, then I’ll have done my job.

‘I just want to help people, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do and especially now, it’s so important that we help others.’

The Mental Health Matters workshops will take place every Wednesday at 2pm.