May 1st marks the beginning of Mental Health Awareness month. We've all heard and are probably familiar with the phrase "It's ok not be be ok." but it's a phrase that bears repeating. When you have those days where you're just trying to soldier on and you have a lot going on in your head, there's zero shame in taking some time for yourself to try and reground yourself.

I speak from my own personal experience on this subject. Since joining Ghost Express at the end of last year, I've had a few instances where I've needed to step back from my VTC duties in order to deal some things in the real world. After that, I've jumped straight back in and carried on with just as much effort as before. This is a point that everyone should think about it when they have moments where things aren't going their way. If you just need to drop everything and take a few hours, days, weeks to get things in order, it is perfectly OK to do that. You'll never be at 100%, 100% of the time. Everyone will have their off-moments, just like I do.

As for how to have those quiet moments, that's entirely up to you. If I'm playing ETS2 for example, here's a few of my favourite roads to just take a Skoda and cruise down them at 50 km/h:

• The coastal between Vlorë and Ioannina.
• The mountain road between Terni and Pescara
• Almost anywhere along the E39 or E6 in Norway

For more realistic places, I'm sure there's plenty of places in your local area where you can spend some time. A park, a waterfront, some hills. It can be anywhere where you can be alone with your thoughts and relax.

However, one thing to remember about mental health sometimes is that you'll sometimes need someone else. Maybe someone just to pop in and ask if you're OK, or maybe you're the one who needs to check in on that one friend and ask how they're feeling. Asking that one simple question is sometimes all it takes.

In any case, the takeaway for this month should be to remember that some times, you'll have bad days and feel like your mental health is at it's lowest. But maybe, all you need is just someone to talk to. And if it's not a friend, there are plenty of resources in your local area and if you need to reach out, please do.

• Signed LeaveMeTheTruckAlone | Public Relations