Andy Salkeld - Life is a Four-Letter Word: A Mental Health Survival Guide for Professionals

First published in Great Britain by Practical Inspiration Publishing, 2020

Andy Salkeld, 2020

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

ISBN 978-1-78860-155-9 (print)

978-1-78860-157-3 (epub)

978-1-78860-156-6 (mobi)

All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author.

Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and to obtain their permission for the use of copyright material. The publisher apologizes for any errors or omissions and would be grateful if notified of any corrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

David Chan, Inclusion and Diversity Partner at Squire Patton Boggs

Is life a four-letter word? This is perhaps debatable (an inevitable question coming from a pedantic lawyer).

It is definitely a six-letter word finite. This is obvious to a lawyer working to six minute chargeable chunks of life there is only so much time in a day.

Lawyers live increasingly busy lives in uncertain and challenging times. There is a constant and inexorable demand for us to be more knowledgeable, more speedy, more efficient and much more. We are also often portrayed as exhibiting unparalleled attention to detail, having expansive knowledge of every law in the country and in possession of Vulcan-like emotional armour.

Over recent years, there has been a growing concern across the legal industry about lawyer wellbeing and mental health. The issue is complex and is shaped by the individuality of each of our lives and other factors, such as disability, age, class, race, gender and sexuality.

A common thread, however, is a perceived stigma associated with admitting that one is suffering from mental health challenges. This book serves as an open and incisive view into the mind of a young professional, how life can unravel and how it can be turned round.

Each persons life is what they make of it. Life is not always easy, but it is easy in the pursuit of more to be deflected from life itself. We sometimes forget about the real reasons for our existence until a significant jolt, which is often a four-letter word, forces us to reassess life.

I do hope that this book will empower its reader to reflect and refocus on the important things in life (and decide how many letters it comprises)

A NOTE FROM CHRIS ETHERINGTON

Partner at RSM

When you are next sat at your desk at work, take a moment.

Look around.

If you work in an office environment, its easy to think you know the people you work with. You probably spend most of your waking hours with your colleagues.

For some, youll be spending more time with your teammates this week than with your family.

Do you truly know them?

Sure, you talk to each other all day. You may enjoy working with them and have a pretty good flavour of their personalities. There might even be a few you count as true friends.

I thought I knew Andy. The reality is I barely knew him at all.

We were in different departments at work and on different floors but every so often, the pair of us were thrown into the maelstrom of stress that is getting a transaction completed for a client.

Did I have a clue that Andy was struggling? Not a scooby.

I knew a version of him: Andy with the acceptable mask that he put on for work. I was wearing one too.

This book tears that mask away. It is a brutally honest account of what a career in a large accountancy firm can be like and the potential toll it can take on your mental health. A mental health survival guide for anyone starting out their careers in an accountancy firm.

As someone who has been through the ranks and has been fortunate enough to make it through to Partner, there is a lot in this book that rings true to me. The imposter syndrome is definitely still going strong (Ill get found out one day).

Thankfully, things are starting to change and there is a lot of good work being done by firms to promote mental health awareness now.

Theres a long way to go but stories like this one help to break down the stigma associated with mental health that prevents us from being open and honest about our struggles in the workplace.

Not everyones experience will be the same but Im grateful that Andys shared his. Hopefully one day we can all take off our masks.

A NOTE FROM JONATHAN EDGELEY

Corporate Partnership Director at MYNDS

During January 2007, my father led an intervention into my life.

I wasnt aware of anything that was going on around me. All I know is that I woke up in a rehabilitation centre in South Africa.

I didnt realise it at the time but this was to be the start of a new dawn.

Today, over a decade later, I am in recovery from alcohol and substance addiction.

I have a wonderful wife and four amazing children. My purpose in life has changed from seeking highs and feeding an addiction that was controlling me, to helping others who suffer with adverse mental health and addiction to access the appropriate help and support.

There are many phenomenal campaigns aimed at reducing the stigma of mental health and getting people to talk. The reality of it all is that the people openly talking about their mental health are not the ones who are struggling with it daily. Those talking have already found acceptance in themselves.

There is still a lot of work to be done to help others to accept themselves.

People are still dying from overdoses. Pain-killer addiction is increasing significantly. Suicide rates are at a sixteen-year high.

Mental health needs to be viewed in the same way as physical health.

We need more people talking about their own experiences of mental health illness, sharing them without concern of judgement, ridicule or fear for their career.

I have heard Andy speak of his story and the work he is doing first-hand. He speaks with absolute authenticity in a highly thought provoking and poignant way. His only agenda in any of his work whether this book, his talks or anything else he does in life is to carry the simple message of hope to those who are still suffering in silence.