Call the LionHeart Helpline

UK: 0800 009 2960 or +44 (0)121 289 3300

Request a callback

Close

'I came to see how much of my life was run on adrenaline'

Philippa and Connie copy
16-03-2022

Ten years ago, a doctor looked me in the eye and said I needed to take some time off work for my mental health. 

After some consideration I told her I could probably manage a few days in three weeks' time.  She smiled gently and said it needed to be sooner and it was probably going to take a bit longer. I was referred to a psychologist and, to cut a very long story short, I was off work for about six months. 

It wasn't the first time I'd had a doctor say I had depression. I'd had a bout during my A-Levels and another at university. Both times I'd been treated with a bit of CBT, some medication, and largely pushed through, with some rejigging of my academic timetable to spread the work out a bit. 

But this time they were talking about depression and anxiety, which I just didn't recognise as something I suffered from. 

I had a good relationship with my manager and did not worry telling him about my mental health; I was more concerned that I was going to be missing key milestones on projects. But he told me to take as much time as I needed, which was exactly what I needed to hear. 

I was very fortunate and I had fantastic care. In those six months off work, I really explored my mental illness - how I dealt with stress, my sense of self-worth and, frankly, turning 30. 

I had never looked at my mental health through a lens of anxiety but, with help from amazing professionals, I came to see just how much of my life is run on adrenaline, how I was stressing my body by pushing through situations that kept me awake at night worrying.

"I'm still an anxious person; I just own it better now"

I began to realise that my chronic insomnia was deeply rooted in a whole lot of fear. It was the numb feeling of depression paradoxically combined with complete despair that had taken me to the doctor, but it was the anxiety that had really got me to that place. It had robbed me of sleep, left me feeling powerless and lied to me.

It was a painful process, I faced a lot of fears and examined them critically to find many things I held as "true" were just in my head. But as well as tackling some of the really buried things, I also learnt to observe what is going on in my thoughts, address things early and not let them spiral.

The result is not that I'm now completely care-free and cured of my anxiety - I am still an anxious person.

But the difference is, I own it, I recognise it and a lot of the time I am successful in preventing it from building up. 

I perceive, and can articulate, the cold hand of fear around my heart and I can take steps to address it. That is not to say I'm always successful: I am sometimes still to be found weeping from overwhelm but overall, I'm on a more even keel. And sometimes, I even choose to not do things because the anxiety they induce isn't worth the trade off - revolutionary!

Coming back to the office was hard but I had great support through the Return to Work process which enabled me to come back on a phased basis, easing me back into the pace of the business.

"Workplace policies & a culture of understanding are so important"

Policies are so important to support this but also a culture of understanding and talking about mental health, so that these policies are applied with compassion. My manager was very supportive and I've tried to learn from his actions to help me in turn support other colleagues. I've also really opened up about my mental health at work and spoken at events to highlight the importance of being aware of the impact it can have.

It is vital that mental health is on the radar in the workplace because it makes It easier to access help and, ultimately, recover well.

I first heard about LionHeart as an APC candidate, initially just looking at the content online. I have been so impressed by the work that they do to support surveyors in crisis, but also the wide range of preventative measures that can help avert the crisis in the first place.  Prevention really is better than cure and LionHeart is enabling people to be more self-aware and consider how they are feeling and how they can address that and improve their lives. 

Becoming a Trustee for LionHeart was a real honour: it feels like a way that I can support others through challenging times. I'm always keen to promote their work and talk about the wide range of support the charity offers.

If I'm honest the past few months have been challenging, another milestone birthday approaches - but this time I saw it coming. I named it and I called it out as my stressor and now it is an excuse for a lot of cake and a walk in the woods with friends.

Philippa Sampson-Bancroft MRICS has worked in housing and regeneration throughout her public sector career, qualifying as a planning and development surveyor in 2016. She became a LionHeart trustee in 2020.

Find out more:

LionHeart trustees

Mental health support

Counselling through LionHeart

Latest Posts

2024
October
16th - Understanding OCD – and how therapy can help
10th - The conversations that can change lives
September
16th - Help! I'm a new graduate surveyor!
10th - Starting the conversation around suicide
August
23rd - Do you know your numbers?
July
31st - My dad, the alcoholic
May
24th - Introducing LionHeart's new CEO
9th - Moving more for your mental health
March
21st - Being a surveyor with ADHD
13th - Life after brain injury
February
5th - How youth counselling helped us
2023
November
22nd - Living with an invisible illness
9th - What makes a good trustee?
1st - Things you must do as a final year surveying student!
October
4th - Dyslexia in surveying
September
28th - Reflecting on 12 years at LionHeart
13th - New beginnings and how to embrace them
5th - Losing a sibling to suicide
July
5th - Celebrating one year alcohol-free
April
25th - Caring for someone with MS
20th - How to set boundaries at work
February
17th - 'Calling LionHeart was like being thrown a life jacket'
6th - Spotlight on winter fundraising
3rd - Facing cancer
2022
November
14th - Identifying and dealing with workplace bullying
October
13th - Why make a will?
12th - Living with OCD
3rd - Autism and my road of discovery
September
22nd - Frequently asked questions about LionHeart
August
25th - 25 years of LionHeart
11th - 'Stress caused me permanent disability'
July
18th - Diversifying our board, and why
May
18th - Coaching to unlock a new future
12th - How to help your lonely teen
9th - Asking for help - as the helper
April
28th - Why talking about dying is so important
7th - 9 simple ways to cut stress
March
23rd - Living & succeeding with ADHD
16th - 'I came to see how much of my life was run on adrenaline'
February
10th - "My daughter didn't want to be here any more"
4th - My life-changing cancer diagnosis
January
13th - Reassessing how you drink
4th - Looking to the future
2021
November
19th - How alcohol almost cost me everything
18th - Children's grief and how to help
16th - Alcohol, anxiety and how secrets keep you sick
4th - "I had no idea stress could cause a real physical pain"
October
22nd - 5 ways to get your teen talking
18th - The Positives of Menopause
13th - Baby loss and depression
12th - The pandemic's impact on children's mental health (and what we can do about it)
8th - Don't judge a book - a story of depression and change
5th - LionHeart Back to Work support
September
29th - Post APC submission
16th - How families feel youth mental health
June
24th - 6 top tips if you've been referred
May
20th - Coaching for change
12th - I'd hit absolute bottom - but it was the catalyst to seek help
April
22nd - Spring into action by fundraising for LionHeart
March
4th - Reflecting on university mental health
February
15th - My experiences of counselling
January
20th - Worry Time - and how it helps
18th - My furlough & redundancy journey
13th - Volunteering and LionHeart
2020
November
30th - A road to change
2nd - Trusteeship through lockdown and uncertainty
October
12th - The importance of legacies
10th - Overwhelm - and overcoming it
8th - Lockdown and my mental health
September
28th - Creativity at Work
July
20th - Video
June
24th - 'If I can do it, so can you'
22nd - How to ace your APC interview online
8th - Help! I've been referred... what now?
3rd - Your coronavirus concerns, and how we're helping
May
12th - Managing health anxiety through Covid-19 - and how we helped Mike
12th - How coronavirus might be affecting your mental health
March
31st - Rising to the coronavirus challenge
24th - Keep connecting - in a different way
13th - Demonstrating our impact
February
4th - "Cancer wasn't meant to happen to us"
4th - The Big C and grabbing life
January
30th - My journey as a charity trustee
7th - Top 10 tips for CVs and interviews
2019
December
9th - Grief and loss at Christmas
November
7th - Charity trusteeship
6th - How counselling can help manage stress
October
9th - Living with anxiety and depression
July
10th - How coaching can help
May
16th - Changing attitudes to mental health
15th - The vicious circle of body image & mental health
14th - Social Anxiety & how we can help
April
11th - Life with Parkinson's
March
29th - What is Bipolar?
29th - The one about the Bipolar surveyor...
12th - Memory tips from the training front line
January
22nd - Losing a parent
2018
December
7th - LionHeart's support was a game-changer when I failed APC
August
16th - When the reality of motherhood doesn't quite go to plan
July
10th - The story behind surveying's Sisterhood Summit
2nd - The rollercoaster of being a first-time dad
June
22nd - My father's suicide and what I've learnt
14th - Tips for your RICS APC final assessment interview
7th - Trust in the charity sector
May
21st - Is it really okay to not be okay?
April
17th - Building resilience through your APC
January
8th - 7 ways to get more active this year
2017
December
4th - Coping with loss and grief at Christmas
October
5th - "I was told I might not be cut out to be a surveyor"
September
26th - Resilience, and why we need it
August
21st - APC Revision Top Ten Tips
July
12th - LionHeart on new fundraising code of practice
June
19th - Living with 'invisible' illness
14th - How LionHeart helped us live life
13th - Men's Health Week 2017
May
22nd - Living with panic attacks
18th - Why we must care about work life balance
11th - The chicken-and-egg of mental health and shame
February
2nd - What I learnt from Dry January
January
31st - "My 19-year journey to MRICS is what made me"
5th - Ways to be kind to yourself in 2017
2016
September
7th - Suicide prevention
August
1st - Coping with APC stress
July
13th - "I constantly watch my husband for suicidal signs"
May
26th - Dealing with referral at APC Final Assessment
19th - How mindfulness can help your relationships
18th - "I live, and thrive, with depression"
17th - Men and mental health
16th - Mental health and your relationship
April
26th - Starting out in surveying
March
11th - A happy retirement
February
1st - My Dry(ish) January
January
21st - Spring clean your finances
6th - When to consider couples counselling
2015
December
4th - Having a (financially) healthier Christmas
November
18th - How to help a loved one with an addiction
June
15th - Reflections on the Lionheart Surveyors' Football League season
12th - Carers
10th - How LionHeart can support carers
9th - Desktop Relaxation techniques
May
29th - Techniques to help combat anxiety
20th - Helping a family member with depression
18th - Achievements that make a difference
16th - Five things that may indicate your colleague needs help
11th - Helping during a panic attack