A Lichfield mental health counsellor is trying to show others how to overcome their fears by tackling her own head on.
Sheila McMahon has decided to learn to ride a motorbike after giving a talk to Lichfield’s Advanced Motorcycle Group (LAMG).
As part of her mental health talk, Sheila challenged the group to watch a video on dealing with suicidal thoughts – and agreed to take on her own challenge after admitting a car crash as a teenager had left her fearful of taking to two wheels.
“Just the thought of learning to ride a motorbike saw tears start to flow because I was in a nasty car crash when the driver hit the car accelerator pedal by mistake, instead of the brake, and the car somersaulted through the air.
“This has triggered a lot of past emotions and I’ve had to do lots of prep work to prepare myself. But I’m always willing to put my money where my mouth is when it comes to raising awareness of mental health and improving it for others.
“Learning to help someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts is a serious message that affects everyone, as, unfortunately, most people have lost someone to suicide, or know someone who has taking their own lives, that’s the sad reality.
“If people are willing to push themselves out of their comfort zone, then I’m willing to do the same.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that it has already started to encourage other people to watch the video, and I would like to encourage as many people as possible to watch and share it because together we can make a difference.”
Sheila McMahon
Sheila is being supported by Shireoak Motorcycle Training to learn her new skill.
A spokesman for the group said:
“A big hats off to Sheila for challenging and pushing herself outside of her own comfort zone to raise awareness and educate others on how we can all play our part to recognise and help anyone we know who may be struggling with mental health and suicidal thoughts.”
Shireoak Motorcycle Training spokesperson
