What if I had eQuoo?
Resilience could have changed everything…
Growing up, I had what many would call a tumultuous childhood. From a very young age, I was in and out of children’s homes, separated from my sister whilst in the care system, and navigating the world without the support every child deserves. Addiction and neglect were constants in my environment, and trouble at school became inevitable. I was confused and unable to cope with the overwhelming emotions and chaos of my life. It’s easy to see how the cracks started to form. Eventually, I ended up getting arrested and sentenced to community service, after a particularly empathetic judge spared me a custodial sentence in a young offenders unit.
I developed coping mechanisms that were far from healthy, but I wasn’t a “problem-child”, I was a child who needed guidance, support and emotional tools that I never had access to. Mental health wasn’t something we talked about back then, let alone understood.
Now, as an adult working at PsycApps Digital Mental Health Solutions, I often reflect on how different my life could have been had I known about mental resilience. Specifically, I wonder how things would have turned out if I had access to something like eQuoo — the resilience-building app I’m now proud to grow and develop.
Childhood Without Emotional Tools
I felt that the odds were stacked against me. I remember the longing for my sister, who was scattered in a foster placement on the other side of the county. Each day felt like survival, with the constant feeling of instability, and the deep sense of abandonment. School was supposed to be an escape, but instead, it was just another battlefield. I was labelled the “disruptive” kid, the one who couldn’t sit still or focus. Teachers and caretakers didn’t understand why, or maybe they still needed further learning themselves to truly scope the impact of emotional struggles or low resilience.
The world was chaotic and unkind, and I didn’t have the skills to navigate it.
Imagine if I’d had something like eQuoo back then – to have the accessibility to build resilience through engaging games and stories. If I’d been able to build emotional regulation skills, maybe I wouldn’t have acted out so much. Maybe I would have learned how to process my feelings instead of bottling them up or lashing out. Instead of feeling like I was defective, I might have understood that my reactions were normal responses to trauma, and more importantly, that I could change them.
The power of resilience training
One of the things eQuoo does so well is building resilience – the ability to bounce back from the hardships that life throws at us, something I didn’t learn until much later in life. When you’re a kid dealing with emotional pain, you don’t know how to handle those big emotions. If I had learned how to manage my emotions and build my mental resilience, maybe I wouldn’t have acted out in school.
Instead, I turned my pain inward, convincing myself I wasn’t worthy of love, care, or stability. That led to a self-destructive path of addiction, self-harm and unhealthy relationships, a cycle that took years to break.
Now as an adult, working with a team of inspirational psychologists and innovative leaders, I know that prevention is key to reducing intervention. If I’d had access to this kind of support early on, I might have been able to weather the storms better. Maybe I would have believed that I could survive those hard times and that they wouldn’t define me forever.
Resilience isn’t about pretending everything is okay; it’s about having the strength to face challenges without being overwhelmed by them. eQuoo teaches that, and I wish I had learned it when I was young. Most importantly, I would have realised that I wasn’t to blame for the chaos around me and that I had the power to change the course of my life.
The importance of early intervention
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from working with eQuoo now is how vital early intervention is. Had I learned resilience-building skills earlier, it might have created a ripple effect. I may have avoided being arrested altogether, or at least I would have had the coping mechanisms to deal with the anger and fear I felt as a young girl without resorting to self-destruction.
eQuoo helps people develop emotional intelligence – the ability to understand your own emotions and the emotions of others. Our mental health app teaches you how to navigate relationships, understand others’ emotions, and foster empathy – skills I simply didn’t know as a young adolescent. Today, I’m rebuilding connections, but it’s a long process. I can’t help but think it could have been different if I’d had the emotional tools to begin with.
Mental Health Support Shouldn’t Be a Luxury
The truth is, children who experience a childhood like mine, don’t often get the mental health support they need. Whether it’s because of financial limitations, lack of resources, or simply not knowing where to turn, they fall through the cracks. eQuoo offers a clinically-proven solution, providing young adults a way to develop essential mental health skills in a way that’s accessible and engaging. It’s a valuable tool that can help prevent a lifetime of struggle.
Today, I have a successful career working with the same company that develops eQuoo. It’s a full-circle moment for me, knowing that the tools we’re offering can make a difference in the lives of young people who may feel as lost as I once did. I often think about how much quicker I could have healed if I’d had access to an app like eQuoo. How much sooner I would have realised that it’s okay to ask for help, that I wasn’t weak, and that I had the strength to face life’s challenges.
Now, as an advocate for mental health and resilience, I can honestly say that building emotional resilience is key to thriving, not just surviving. eQuoo equips people with the tools they need to deal with life’s inevitable ups and downs. If I had known what I know now, I could have saved myself years of hardship. But knowing that I can help someone else avoid that same pain makes my journey worthwhile.
We have all come across a young person in our lives who may be struggling and I encourage you to explore eQuoo. To contact us, to find out how we are shaping the future of mental health in young people. It’s never too late to be the change you wish to see.
A Brighter Future
It’s impossible to change the past, but it’s not too late to change the future. I’m living proof that even the most chaotic childhoods can lead to meaningful, fulfilling lives. But I also know that if I had eQuoo back then, it wouldn’t have taken me so long to get here.
I’m sharing my story now in the hope that others won’t have to wait as long as I did to learn the skills they need to navigate through life. That’ll you’ll read this blog and know how vital it is to take action now. Mental health support, and building resilience, should be available to every child…and this is why we do what we do.
Every young person deserves a chance to build their emotional toolkit and with eQuoo, they can. Let’s give them the tools they need to create better futures for themselves – and the world around them.
Join us for our upcoming webinar, where we will explore this topic further and evaluate the psychology behind eQuoo and how it is improving the mental wellbeing of young adults across the UK. Register today!
