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Name

Jonny Benjamin MBE

Bio

Jonny Benjamin MBE is an award-winning mental health campaigner, film producer, public speaker, writer and blogger. His social media campaign, #FindMike, went viral in 2014 and led to him being reunited with the man who prevented him from taking his life 5 years prior.

Role

Founder of Charity Beyond Shame Beyond Stigma

Mission

Provide mental health support to young people, their families and teachers

Location

London, UK

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View Beyond Shame Beyond Stigma's Website

Can you explain the difference between mental health and mental illness and what that confusion can sometimes lead to?

We’ve all got mental health, just as we have physical health. Just like physical health, mental health is a spectrum - so with everyone's physical health sometimes you can be on the good end of the spectrum where you're really healthy and fit, and them sometimes you can be in the middle. But mental illness is when your mental health needs to be treated, you need support and help for it.

How was coping with being in the limelight when you launched your FindMike campaign in such a short space of time?

Quite weird and surreal. But the nice thing was that there was so much support because mental health is something that touches so many people. If you haven't been directly affected by mental health yourself, then you’ll know someone that has been affected by mental health issues. So mental health in some ways touches everyone and it's such an important issue for so many people, so it was really nice we got so much support from it. And also not just mental health but suicide which was also touched in the campaign. When you know the statistics and know its the biggest killer of young people in this country - that’s why there was so much support.

What advice would you give to people who struggle with switching off from work/ feel guilty for not working?

I’m still learning myself. But I’ve done a lot in terms of self-compassion. I think self-compassion is really illerated. It’s loving, accepting and being kind to yourself. Essentially as you probably would to a best friend. We can be so hard on ourselves, you know that phrase ‘we are our own worst enemy’, I think that’s really true we sometimes really are and put so much pressure and expect so much from ourselves that we wouldn’t expect from other people. We are taught growing up to put people first, but if you don’t look after yourself first how can you be good to anyone?

What would you say is the most important advice to someone who wants to start a charity?

Be patient and be prepared to wait. You know when you have an idea for a charity you want it to happen right away. You have to be patient - and again have great support around you. Also don’t be afraid to sometimes push the charity commission.