Fishing was a cherished pastime from my childhood, a sanctuary where I found peace and respite from depressive thoughts. My younger brother, my best friend, and I would spend countless hours exploring rivers, lakes and ponds. Those fishing trips were a haven where I never felt the overwhelming anger, depression, and anxiety taht i was living with at such a young age. During my younger years I battled moments of feeling lost, out of control, not good enough and often experienced thoughts of how everyones life would be without me in it. My youngest memory of contemplating ending my life was at the age of 12, with a few failed attempts. I often found the world difficult to understand, my family struggled to come to terms with it and often sought help from doctors and psychiatrists with no real success.
As I entered my late teens, life took a different direction, and fishing was left behind. Without it, I struggled with stress, depression, and anxiety. I lost friends to mental health issues and, unable to cope with my own struggles, drifted away from others. Unashamedly, I admit that I, again, came close to succumbing to the overwhelming burden of my mental health challenges. I battled through dark times, facing various addictions and dealing with underlying health issues like Neurofibromatosis Type 1, which brought learning difficulties and ADHD traits. Panic attacks were a frequent and unwelcome visitor, and the after effects of living in such a negative way have left me with life long conditions such as liver damage.
Now, I am a survivor, reborn from experiences that I know I was not alone in experiencing. I learned new ways to live with mental health issues, methods and mindsets that work. Mental health is not something that can be cured, this much I have learnt, it is something to come to terms with, live with and gain control of. Your mind needs to be managed, some more than others, and it requires work and more importantly finding a purpose.
I truly beleive when you find your purpose, you find yourself. Helping people, educating people and giving back is now my purpose, my passion and hopefully one day, my legacy.
The idea for AMHI (Angling for Mental Health Initiative) was born during the Covid-19 lockdown. Witnessing the frustration and stress it caused my children and those around me, I seized the opportunity to introduce my children to fishing. After a few sucessful fish, they were hooked, and I noticed the positive impact on their wellbeing and on my own mental health. The peace and solace fishing once brought me came flooding back, benefiting my children and me alike.
This realisation sparked a profound transformation in me. I saw that my experiences with anxiety, depression, and addiction could be harnessed into a positive force to help others. Now, my only addiction is making a difference in my local community and educating young people about mental health. It’s heartening to see how our community has evolved, becoming more accepting and understanding of mental health needs. Thanks to increased visibility through social media and television, initiatives like AMHI have gained significant traction for the greater good.
In addition to supporting mental health, AMHI is committed to enhancing the sport of fishing itself. We offer coaching sessions and low cost training courses to give back to the sport that has played such a pivotal role in my life and wellbeing. By providing these educational opportunities, we aim to develop skilled anglers and generate a deeper appreciation for fishing. Through these programs, we ensure that the legacy of fishing as a source of peace and joy continues for future generations.
AMHI was established to create a supportive environment where individuals could find peace and healing through fishing, just as I did. Our mission is to ensure that young people understand mental health and have the tools to manage it effectively, preventing them from feeling lost and overwhelmed. Through AMHI, we aim to create a community where mental health is openly discussed and supported, offering hope and solace to those in need. By promoting both mental health awareness and the sport of fishing, we strive to make a lasting, positive impact on the lives of many.
Ben Harragan
Founding Director