The simple act of writing can do wonders for our mental wellbeing. It can help us relax and focus on creating something unique which, in turn, can aid us in expressing our emotions.
And that’s exactly what Leigh Hosy-Pickett and Russell Webb both found when writing down some of their memories from more than two decades as firefighters.
They’re not alone. Many members of the emergency services have done the same – each finding that writing down their thoughts and memories helped them move forward positively with their lives.
In Leigh’s case, what began as a humorous book sharing more of the light-hearted side of firefighting, turned into a full picture of both the highs and the lows on the job.
The book – Up In Smoke – now details his career, from the funny moments as a trainee, to the challenging times in more recent years.
“I come from a long lineage of firefighters in my family, between myself, my grandad on my mum’s side, my late uncle and my dad, we have collectively got around 113 years service,” says Leigh.
“We’ve always been very proud of the jobs we do and our family heritage and we’ve always told very proud stories. My grandad always emphasised the importance of telling our story and being proud of a firefighter’s story.
“Hearing their stories, you can see the job has changed significantly over the years – but the fundamentals are still there. And of course, the Charity – then the Benevolent Fund – has been there throughout.
“After my grandad passed away, it was on my mind to make sure that his story and our stories never got forgotten.”
Leigh shares important fire safety messages throughout the book, and purposefully leaves some of his more personal memories of mental health challenges to the end – to leave a lasting and important message with the reader: “It shows we’re human.”
“Given my own mental health journey, and challenges I’ve faced, it was very therapeutic to write it all down,” says Leigh. “The mind is a very powerful thing and if you’re not conscious of its deterioration, it can become quite an uphill struggle.
“Emotionally and mentally I’ve kind of dealt with a lot of my difficult memories of shouts, particularly through therapy I’ve had in the past, but bringing them up was like opening Pandora’s box again. Then, writing them down, was its own kind of therapy for me.
“Where I found I hadn’t quite dealt with one, I then gave myself the opportunity to revisit that trauma and reinforce my resilience to make sure it was underlined.
“I wasn’t ever going to share my experiences with mental health, but it naturally happened. I think as I started to tell my stories, it felt right to share that too. It shows we’re human, and it’s important to talk about.
“By sharing it all, and having no shame in doing so, shows strength. By admitting you have a weakness, there’s real strength in that.”
Meanwhile, Russell began writing a book shortly after losing his wife to cancer. The book is called Love Beyond Love and he’s donating all profits from sales to us and Cancer Research UK.
“I have found some of my own coping strategies along the way… I had begun writing a book shortly after Sharon died, about what I’d been through. Putting pen to paper really helped me,” says Russell.
“It was particularly hard after we lost Sharon, a lot of long days and long nights, but I was able to go back to work after the funeral which helped with keeping me busy.
“It’s my story of the love that Sharon and I had, while also touching on my life as a child.
“I write about The Fire Fighters Charity and how it has helped me and my family.
“I always think, life’s for living and there’s so many people going through grief… I’m not one to shut myself away in a room, Sharon wanted to live so now I want to live in her memory.”
You can read Russell’s full story here.