Yet again I couldn’t get myself in gear to write my piece for Mental Health Awareness Week – but here we are anyway. The theme this year was loneliness. Something many have faced over the past few years of lockdowns – but which is by no means a phenomenon reserved to pandemics. What is loneliness?Continue reading “All by myself”
Category Archives: Coping strategies
God grant me the serenity
The world is a lot right now isn’t it? Maybe it always is. Always has been. Just some have the privilege at different times to not be affected by, or even notice the turmoil that tears lives apart on distant shores. But the last two hundred years have brought us ever closer together, news andContinue reading “God grant me the serenity”
Recovery – Uncovering – Discovery
What is recovery? What does it mean to recover? It depends what we are recovering from of course. And what we are trying to recover. People who are seeking to break free from addiction often talk about being “in recovery”. It’s not a destination, it’s a journey. Is it possible to say one is noContinue reading “Recovery – Uncovering – Discovery”
55 ways to boost wellbeing with nature
I’m sure I’ve said somewhere before that I struggle with Mental Health Awareness Weeks and Days. Not because I disagree with them, like some (who have a valid point that for those with enduring mental illness, or who are struggling to access the services they need, awareness is hardly the problem at hand.) – IContinue reading “55 ways to boost wellbeing with nature”
Off Topic(ish) – Sarah Long Art
One of the many ways I have been helping keep my mental health in a good place this past year, has been painting. It’s always been good for me – I enjoy it immensely and find it a very mindful activity – focussed attention, challenging action. But I’ve always found it hard to give myselfContinue reading “Off Topic(ish) – Sarah Long Art”
Where do you live?
Dwelling. It’s an interesting word. It means the home itself, but also what we do in it. It also means something else. To dwell upon something. To linger thinking on something, to cogitate, ruminate. In an effort not to ruminate upon the troubles, large and small which afflict us these days, I have been paintingContinue reading “Where do you live?”
Supporting Staff Working from Home in a Crisis
The power of negative/positive thinking
If it were possible, I’d have titled this piece “The power of positive negative thinking” – with the strikethrough. Or vice versa. If I called it “The power of positive thinking” – a good number would switch off. There’s a lot of that stuff about these days, positive psychology, Law of Attraction, etc. A lotContinue reading “The power of negative/positive thinking”
Self Harm – the crashing of the waves on an ocean
Last week saw a flood of stories on the prevalence of self harm amongst our young people and especially girls and LGBTQ+ youth, stemming from the publication of the Children’s Society’s “The Good Childhood Report”. The report makes interesting and saddening reading, highlighting the deterioration in the emotional wellbeing and life satisfaction of children –Continue reading “Self Harm – the crashing of the waves on an ocean”
Cause of Death – not just suicide we need to worry about.
I was just checking to see if there were any updated statistics yet on the number of suicides in the UK – not yet. I wanted to see if last year’s slight reduction was the beginning of a trend or just a blip. Anyway – I found myself perusing the figures, and also those forContinue reading “Cause of Death – not just suicide we need to worry about.”