If depression has brought you to your knees, Knock Out Depression will be your cornerman. We can help you to come back punching and feel like you again.

When depression knocks you down, you aren't yourself anymore...

Everything is a struggle. You forget what happiness feels like. You long to be able to smile and laugh again. To feel alive again.

Like the boxing ring, it is a very lonely place, and you can feel terrified, lost and without hope, battered by an unrelenting opponent. You may not know what is happening to you, nor where to turn or who to talk to.

You don't need to be told to count your blessings, or that you haven't got anything to be down or depressed about, or that you should be happy.

YOU WANT TO BE!

But when when depression has you in its grip, no matter how much you want to be happy and to feel like you again, you don't know how you can.

We are your cornerman, offering hope and helping you to:

• Knock out stigma, by challenging the myths and misconceptions that can make you feel ashamed to struggle
• Know the opponent and how it affects you, so you can recognise that depression is not a weakness, a character flaw - or any other such rubbish - but an illness, and one that you can recover from
• Know yourself, your attributes, your stressors, how you thrive, and what gives you a sense of meaning and purpose in life, so that you can know what a healthy and fulfilling life looks like for you, and
• Implement the fight plan - there is no 'one-size-fits-all'; we help you to recognise the different ways you can fight depression and find the combination that works best for you.

We care. We get it. Because we've been there, and we don't want anybody to suffer alone. We want to help you to feel like you again.

There is no 'magic pill' or one-size-fits-all solution

The right support can be so hard to access, and treatment options are limited. If we visit our GP, chances are we will be prescribed an antidepressant. While helpful to many, these rarely prove to be a full solution.

We may be referred for talking therapy, which can have waiting lists lasting many months. So what are we supposed to do? 

There are actually many things we can do but where do we start, when depression saps us of our energy, motivation, and even our hope?

That's where we come in. Knock Out Depression offers a comprehensive support programme that helps you to actually understand depression, and to find the combination of tools that work for you, so that you can get back to being you and start to smile and enjoy life again. 

We help you to get up when depression knocks you down

Our programme is like no other. On Knock Out Depression you will learn many things, including:

• depression isn't caused by a chemical imbalance, and you don't have to be stuck with it forever
• it isn't your fault - there are many social factors that are leading to increased rates of depression, and there are things you can do about it
• the importance of having a sense of meaning and purpose in life, and how you can create it
• the power of connection, creativity and care
• and much more...

Depression tells you that something in your life isn't working - and you need to do something about it... 

But doing anything when you have depression can feel like climbing a mountain.

• You feel overwhelmed and it feels like everything is getting too much for you
• You struggle at work and are terrified you will lose your job if things don't improve soon
• You retreat from life because you feel no joy in anything and you don't want anybody to see you like this - you retreat from friends, family, the people and things that you love - and think you will never feel love, joy and happiness again.

This is why it can be so important to have support - to help you when you don't believe that things can ever be different.

We show you that depression lies; depression isn't unbeatable and depression isn't you -  rather,  it is an experience that you are going through.

And it is one that you can get through.

It may feel that you are being counted out, but we show you that you CAN get back on your feet and you CAN knock out depression.

We believe in you, and we will be your cornerman

We believe in you... 

We believe that you are stronger and more resilient than you think. Far from being weak, enduring depression demonstrates a strength most will never know.

We help you to understand, manage, and knock out depression. To know yourself and be yourself. To be happy again. 

To be YOU again.

We can help you move forward with new tools and strategies to manage life's challenges, and a new strength with which to face them - when you know you can knock out depression, you can do anything.

We know - from direct lived experience - that you can even use the experience to become a better you.

Life can be better than ever before.

I've been there, I 'get it'... 

I'm Matthew, and I'm passionate about mental health having been knocked on my backside three times by depression. But I didn't stay down.

I used my experience to lead the development of England Boxing's Box In Mind awareness workshop, to write a book, and to feature in major national mental health campaigns for Time to Change.

Boxing has been a lifelong passion since I was 10 years old, when watching Rocky 2 sparked an interest that has lasted for nearly 40 years. It was a dream come true for me to get a job working for the national governing body, England Boxing, in 2008, where I worked for 11 years. During my time I led the sport's coach education and club development programmes, and was the mental health lead for the sport.

Now, as founder and creator of Knock Out Depression, I specialise in creating and delivering mental health programmes for individuals, community boxing clubs and businesses. You can contact me at [email protected].